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Grup Gen Z care portretizează tinerii din anii 2000.

Gen Z Nostalgic Trends: From Maverick to Y2K Fashion

Gen Z Nostalgic Trends or the ultimate throwback to the modern era. Make yourself comfortable, grab a coffee and let me tell you how brands can harness this trend in their marketing strategies.

The changes in recent years have been quite telling, giving us a hint that we need a safe space. Regardless of its form and nature, Gen Z seems to have found it in the past. So, let’s take a stroll down memory lane to understand why the generation of the future prefers the ’90s.

Gen Z Nostalgic Trends: Escapism as a Form of Consumption

Escapism has become one of the most used forms of coping. Whether our minds take us to a KPOP concert as the main character or to a deserted island where no one bothers us, we’ll have at least one nostalgic object with us. And to better understand, Gen Z’s nostalgia is the Y2K vintage, but better integrated into trends.

A very good example is Y2K fashion, which has returned to the scene as naturally as it disappeared. It returned in 2023, along with Maverick and the Aviator Ray-Ban sunglasses becoming part of the characters’ outfits. They are so popular that they continue to be a trend since the ’80s. And speaking of recommendations for box office hits, let’s also mention Stranger Things. I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t seen that one, but I’ve had “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush on repeat, the original song from ’85. Fun fact: it topped the UK charts in 2022, thanks to the Netflix series.

@maffe_sz

I’m not saying one style is better than the other! read the video, I’m differentiating what people think of y2k from real y2k. y2k has many forms, not just streetwear or things with stars. y2k is 2000’s #realy2k #y2k #2000s #foryou #fyp #streetwear #fashion

♬ samsinclairfx on instagram – samsinclairfx

So, what fuels nostalgia today? And how can brands capitalize on this power in their marketing strategies?

Which generation do you think is the most nostalgic? If you said Millennials, you’re so far off, you have no idea. Gen Z leads with a percentage of 15%. Basically, we’re old souls who would abuse a time machine, using a one-way ticket to the past. Millennials aren’t far behind, with 14%, and the preference continues to decrease as they age.

Both generations are opinion leaders on how nostalgia is portrayed in the media. Gen Z presents detachedly with 50% of representatives feeling nostalgic for certain types of media, followed by 47% of Millennials.

@moovie101

Top Gun Maverick- Great Balls of Fire movie movieclips topgun topgunmaverick tomcruise

♬ Great Balls of Fire – Jerry Lee Lewis

Gen Z is the main consumer of nostalgic entertainment and communication

From movies and TV shows to music and social media, we’re always connected and looking for past trends to bring back to life.

Remakes and sequels from the ’80s and ’90s spawned some of the highest-grossing box office hits in 2022. The top-grossing films were all continuations of oldie but goodie film series:

  1. Top Gun: Maverick: a sequel to the one from ’86, topped the list according to Box Office Mojo by IMDb Pro: $718,318,561
  2. Avatar: The Way of Water: $401,007,908
  3. Jurassic World Dominion: $376,851,080
  4. The Batman: $369,345,583
  5. Thor: Love and Thunder: $343,256,830
  6. Spider-Man: No Way Home: $231,808,708

Gen Z was born somewhere between 1997 and 2006, and 37% declare they feel nostalgic for the ’90s – a time in the universe when not all of us were born.

Gen Z Nostalgic Trends: Why the ’90s?

Well, for Gen Z, it’s about the whole vibe. Many consider this period to be a more relaxed time, a time when the emphasis was on truly important things. The naturalness of living and presenting oneself is also another important aspect in this debate. With the last few years marked by chaos in the economy, society, and medicine, are we surprised that Gen Z is nostalgic for a simpler time?

Brands that want to catch the nostalgia trend should first do their own throwback and understand why.

Gen Z nostalgia leads to:

  • cinemas being filled with young people when remakes are shown
  • Friends & How I Met Your Mother & The Office have become SO popular
  • analog cameras and instant cameras making a strong comeback
  • revival of past fashion styles
  • changing makeup trends – Mob Wife sounds familiar?
  • the desire to go out for the experience: arcades, outdoor/drive-in cinemas, adult playgrounds, rollerskating
  • the need for authentic emotions found only in old Disney movies and music made by Nelly Furtado and Timabaland

Gen Z and nostalgic trends have expanded significantly in recent years, even in fashion. But let’s clarify, we’re not talking about wearing dresses over pants, beach slippers when going out, and a wide belt over five layers of t-shirts. More about a reinterpretation of the Y2K trend, with outfits characterized by metallic and glossy textures. About 54% of Gen Z agrees that this era SLAPPED SO HARD. We’re some nostalgic Gen Z, but don’t get me wrong because we adapt Y2K to 2024, we’re not going for the same version from 2003. We’ll say a hard pass to skinny jeans, but we’ll literally buy three pairs of the same model in different colors of baggy jeans, even flared ones.

Gen Z seeks comfort and safety in other times, and it shows

Brands quickly caught on and realized that the strategy of “making it right for everyone” is the most correct. Dove, McDonald’s, Gucci, Lottie London, Abercrombie – are just a few that understood that inclusion, diversity, comfort, and unserious vibes should exist in their communication from now on.

As a fun fact, Google has recorded a significant increase in searches for “Y2K” since 2021. Vogue’s predictions say that Gen Z and nostalgic trends are already here and are not in a hurry to go back to dusty closets.

If you’ve read this far, here’s something nice to watch. And until the next article, se yaaaa!

@audra.johnson

we will all become a form of nostalgia someday #corecore

♬ original sound – Audra Johnson

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