Swinging from throwaway microtrends to personal styling
As consumer interest in cycles ruled by microtrends and TikTok ‘cores’ wane, a more authentic expression of personal styling surfaces.
From online microtrends to IRL spaces
The breakneck proliferation of online-generated microtrends has been falling from the heights of their TikTok zenith – where a new ‘core’ was once seen every few weeks and embraced by an increasingly online audience, particularly among Gen Z.
As WGSN Senior Strategist for Buying, Jessica Seddon explains, “They were too saturated in the market between 2023 and 2024 and it wasn’t sustainable, in terms of the environment but also personal spending. Consumers’ spending power isn’t strong enough to keep up with all the changing trends so it has driven them to return to personal style and more considered consumption.”
As the pendulum swings towards an eager return to IRL spaces and experiences – for work or pleasure – consumers are planning their looks and wardrobes around the practical implications of what or where they’d be needed and not necessarily to fit into a purely online aesthetic. Their looks will need to be seen in the wild – not just on a screen.
What are the opportunities?
Brands and retailers can capitalise on this change by creating captivating stories that speak to their consumers and their needs. The tricky question is – how will they know what the pivotal influences for those stories should be?
The first step should be to clearly understand which trending aesthetics have short or long-term potential. WGSN’s TikTok analytics score gauges the strength, lifespan and investment scale for a particular trend, equipping clients with a valuable tool for deciding how best to respond to it.
Another factor in building an enticing story is authenticity. For shoppers basing their purchasing decisions on their lifestyles beyond mere aesthetics, being sure of a brand’s design direction is vital. Brands should always ensure that product direction and collaborations stay true to the ethos that garnered their customers’ loyalty.
Ralph Lauren, for example, recently infused its classic Americana collections with sportier elements through strategic partnerships with the US Open and the Yankees. These collaborations provided an opportunity for cross-category merchandising without diluting the brand’s core product and aesthetics.
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“Retailers are increasingly embracing cross-category merchandising which creates stories that speak to these lifestyles and offers versatility to respond in-season. This will continue to provide plenty of opportunities to drive upselling in future seasons.”
– Clare Scullion, Strategist, WGSN Retail and Buying
Catwalk
We also see this cross-category merchandising played out in the Pre-Fall 2025 collections. WGSN’s Nu Eclecticism for A/W 25/26 explores how consumers crave individuality and reject standardisation, prioritising key items and how they could be styled rather than limiting the items to individual aesthetic trends.
Take the Poet Blouse for instance. For Pre-Fall, the top has broken free of its cottagecore styling. At Max Mara, it’s part of sleek, cosmopolitan city looks. At Kallmeyer, its look is more laid-back and paired with slouchy trousers. At Valentino, it’s used to pull together eccentric maximalist looks.
Beyond 2025
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As we look beyond 2025, the importance of personal styling and the influences that shape it remain important. As discussed in our Big Ideas 2027: Fashion forecast, differentiation will be crucial for maintaining consumer interest as they face overstimulation and ongoing caution about spending habits.
To cut through this overstimulation and target consumers’ true interests, brands keep abreast of trending cultural influences which have long-term appeal in their market. To differentiate between microtrends and those with true staying power, keep up to date with WGSN’s analysis on trend shifts.