September is an important month in the fashion calendar as crowds flock to New York, London, Milan and Paris for runway shows, presentations, events and parties that press the cosmic reset button in fashion – and 2023 is no exception. A new season ushers in fresh ways of looking at, thinking about, and engaging with fashion – resonating with the 28% of US consumers who convey their emotions through the way they dress. But given that 71% of Gen Zers say they want to convey their personality via their clothing – we know that the hype around fashion week is set to resonate most with new fashion mindsets.
Change is in the air and some bold departures from fashion norms are taking over. Gen Zers are using ugly fashion and anti-aesthetics to craft identity, which is challenging preconceived notions of fashion and style as they show off their customised orthopaedic shoes on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu and male fashion influencers are even subverting stereotypes through styling and sewing tutorials on TikTok. In a world that's hungry for fashion newness, going against the grain is now considered cool. So what does anti-aestheticism mean for the future of the fashion industry?