The New Trend is the Anti-Trend

October 25, 2025

By Kelly Moon

A new trend has been announced, ever-so-subtedly. It is the anti-trend, I declare.

I don’t know about you, but every store I enter in the mall seems to be covered head-to-toe (hangers-to-mannequins) in basics. Grey hoodie, check. Light blue button-up, check. White t-shirt but in ten different variations, double-check. I swear, I leave a store to enter another and I think I may have just walked into the same one.

In other words, I keep seeing the same thing over and over agin. The neutrals, the athleisure, the minimalism, and so on. Same goes with the aesthetics: “quiet luxury”, “clean girl”, “office siren”, et cetra. 

Kendall Jenner strutting in a white tee and jeans (how much more basic can it get?). Photo: Getty Images

This got me thinking. And perhaps you’ve wondered this too—why, when it seems that all we’ve ever seen was microtrend after microtrend, have we entered this arguably mellow stage of boring, bland, and sameness in clothing? In an age of social media domination and dopamine overload, why is it that people seek less attention and more repetition of what has already been established for years? Why is it that basics are, without a doubt, looming over every other splendid category of clothing? 

So I ask: What is causing the anti-trend?

Well, I propose some theories for this.

With the rise of remote jobs, more people are staying home. People will then tend to prioritize comfort over style. Convenience over extravagance. If you’re going to wear sweats at work/home, might as well purchase ones that are going to be more flattering, comfortable, and higher in quality. And supply follows demand: big brands quickly recognize when people are gravitating towards a particular item, and rush to elevate it in some way compared to other brands. Thus, the basics boom.

Another big cause is the familiarity of athleisure. As health and fitness becomes more promoted, especially by influencers who naturally boast their amazing physique and, accordingly, what they wear to emphasize it, more people also start to make it a part of their everyday life. Athleisure is a style that allows convenience and functionality. You can wear it when running an errand, then to meet a friend at a cafe, then straight to the gym for a cardio sesh. No need to change in between, since it’s become the norm, maybe even glamourized. So perhaps people prefer to feel more active when they go out. Throw on a workout set and you’re good to go. If not comfort, practicality may be the next thing people are searching for.

One reason that might not be so obvious is the rising cost of living. For brands, this may mean simplifying clothing as it’s cheaper to put less stuff on them. For consumers, simple clothes are often less expensive to their comparative more flashy item. Although, this may not be the case when we consider the allure of “quiet luxury”: seemingly simple pieces can be made up for their lack of a wow factor with premium quality and careful attention to the fitting of the garment. The less additive detail a piece has, the more its other features come into judgment: the colour, the fabric, the origin and method of manufacturing. 

Which leads me to my next supposition: the eco-conscious generation. Younger generations are more exposed to the environmental consequences of fast fashion and consumerism than ever. We are looking for timeless pieces, thrifted gold, quality over quantity. We’re over the countless microtrends that certainly dizzied my eyes. Remember cow print? Yeah, I’d rather I didn’t too.

As the younger folks move into the workforce, they also tend to be less strict with office dress codes. Meaning casual Fridays are getting more frequent. Ties aren’t so necessary anymore to sit in your cubicle and log into zoom calls where you can only see people from the neck up anyways.

On a more business-y standpoint, perhaps it’s that more brands are recognizing that basics are a reliable income stream since they’re so seasonless and tend to withstand the tiny bumps of trends that may pop up throughout the year. For instance, the top-performing collections in Aritiza are Sweatfleece and Effortless, which feature pieces that are as basic and leisurely as it can get. With marketing terms like “staple pieces”, "everyday essentials" and “wardrobe basics”, it can be hard to think you don’t need them.

A grey hoodie set from Artizia's Everyday Essentials category. Photo: Aritzia

Going back to the rising cost of living, I also think people are just becoming too busy to consider how they want to dress. It’s hard to set aside time for self-expression when you’ve got bills to pay and things to do. The fear of missing rent seems greater than the fear of missing out, if I dare so speak for those who wonder if they even need to buy a house at this point. It suddenly makes sense why people are opting for the same grey sweat set day after day since it’s quick, easy, and there’s no need to worry about looking unfashionable (they’re honestly really cute too, in my opinion). Layer a trench coat on top and a pair of sunnies and bam, you’re ready to go on a chic stroll through the city.

For me though, this regression back to basics sounds like a cry for a way out of the cycle of microtrends. Social media has made it so that every time you open the app, there’s a new ‘it’ item, aesthetic, or must-have. It’s become so overwhelming to the point where there was a new term that arose: “underconsumption core”. Although this idea quickly lost its spotlight, it was a brief, blatant revolution against the overconsumption madness that ruthlessly runs rampant in Western culture. This is simply due to the nature of today’s craze for short-form content—the dopamine overload pulls us into a craving for something new, fun, or outrageous not every month or every day, but every minute, every second. It’s hard to overcome this trap, even when it’s so repetitive. Social media loves to keep people scrolling, and the constant reward of seeing something exciting is exactly what accomplishes the doom scroll. It might be good to consider this when you see a fashion advertisement on TikTok. Just think to yourself for a moment: do you really need another hoodie that “hoodies”?

By no way am I saying that trends are evil. And trends are different from microtrends—trends last for longer periods of time and are quite predictable. They’re a fun way to explore different styles and navigate through a world of creativity to find what suits you the most. But when trends are everywhere, and make it hard to take a breather every once in a while, you may never make it past them to truly land on a canvas of originality. How can you ever find yourself when you’re chasing a million aesthetics at once? 

Alas, I digress. My final message is that the anti-trend is more than a peculiar clothing phenomenon—it reflects the cultural values and challenges that are being surfaced today. Think about that the next time you see someone wearing jeans to the office.