Tom Rasmussen is a writer based in London. Their recent book,

 is a personal and analytical look at the history, present, and future of marriage and other formations of relationships.

People are recognising the urgency of global environmental measures 

Sustainable Solutions

London Fashion Week in September 2022 saw models for Feben walk in centaur-adorned t-shirts while Paolo Carzana featured pilgrim-esque iconography and Harris Reed showcased designs with mermaid tails and layers of dazzling crucifixes. Dip your toe in the sartorial waters these days and they will no doubt come out a little nymph-like. We’re in the age of the mystical and straight-up strange, and while fashion is the incubator of these new aesthetics, they’re manifesting across visual expression more generally. See also Julia Fox’s 

, and Caroline Polachek and Grimes dressing as nymphs and elven creatures. Having had normcore, cottagecore, and Barbiecore, we’ve arrived at goblincore – a visual subculture that reflects people’s post-pandemic interest in nature and folklore.

The mythical and ethereal are by no means new to the fashion world. In fact, spirituality and religious iconography have been a constant influence on what we wear. As each generation re-examines its relationship with faith, history, folklore, and the natural world, this informs stylistic changes. And though they comprise the least religious cohort – 34% of Gen Zers are religiously unaffiliated, compared to 18% of Boomers and 9% of Older Adults – Gen Z’s digital native status is creating a new focus around the visual aspects of rituals, nature, myths, and faith. 

American Enterprise Institute

 Indeed, TikTok helped give rise to goblincore, with users forging a community around this form of self-expression. But the aesthetic is also on the runways – ornate nymphs at 

 collection are just a few examples of fashion blending the celestial with the natural. These looks are subversive, taking our understanding of nature and mythology to a fantastical extreme, with online culture enabling individuals to freely play with these ideas and evolve them.

Thurstan Redding, a fashion photographer and artist, explains that “fashion has always reflected the mood of the culture. It’s why hemlines get shorter around recessions, because people spend less on fabric, for example. Of course, climate change and the palpable effect it’s having on both the climate and our mental state affect the way people dress.” 

Interview with Thurstan Redding conducted by the author

 With apps like BeReal encouraging people to be their ‘authentic’ selves and Gen Zers playing around with what this means, we’re seeing a movement towards subversive storytelling that intersects with nature in novel ways. So, how can the drivers of mythical fashion be translated across broader culture?

 study conducted across multiple countries, 59% of 16- to 25-year-olds said they were very or extremely worried about climate change, and 84% were at least moderately worried. More than 50% of survey participants reported feeling anxious, sad, angry, helpless, powerless, and guilty. 

The Lancet

 As the environmental crisis intensifies, the emergence of mythical narratives in pop culture reflects the fact that many are searching for something extraordinary to alleviate the anxiety around the challenges posed by climate change and how it will affect future ways of living.

On TV, this fear around the climate is blending with a sense of nostalgia. A slew of shows, such as 

, to name a few, are set in worlds without modern technology. They see nature and the fantastical play central roles in everyday existence, with elves, nymphs, and dragons living alongside humans and fighting together for a shared, noble purpose. Revivals of 

, while less otherworldly, have a similar appeal as people integrate folklore and myth into their identities. Indeed, between 2001 and 2021, the number of Americans who identified with Wicca or paganism rose from 134,000 to almost two million. 

USA Today

“Fashion has always been inspired by the mythical and the (super)natural,” says Redding. “For as long as there have been clothes, they have been in conversation with both nature and religion. Some of the greatest designers of the century – McQueen, for example, or Westwood – have collections based on saints, angels, demons, and monsters. It figures entirely that fashion would once again be looking to nature, to mythology, to folklore for inspiration. The way it’s being referenced by younger generations – perhaps with more self-awareness as a ‘resistive’ aesthetic – is what makes each iteration of this subject different.” 

This outward form of expression reflects the mindsets of many young people who are arriving at alternative practices to counter their anxieties. For example, there are over 15 million Instagram posts relating to ‘manifesting’, and on Tiktok, similar content has been viewed over nine billion times. 

The Guardian

 With 73% of US Gen Zers saying that they ‘struggled to think properly’ and 71% saying they felt ‘miserable’ in 2020, this escapist, fantastical, and subversive way of dressing offers an outlet for their agitation as they pivot towards the spiritual. 

When the present feels unfamiliar, the past – even a mythical one – can offer something of an escape route, with aesthetic subcultures such as cottagecore and fairycore fulfilling this purpose. “This myth revival is about needing to reconnect to the planet and our changing environments. When you look at statistics or science, there is no emotional, anthropomorphised way to truly understand the world around us,” said Dimitra Petsa, the founder of fashion label 

 The pandemic further drove home the power of nature to soothe in times of stress. According to a survey conducted in April 2020, 89% of British adults agreed or strongly agreed that green and natural spaces are good for mental health and wellbeing, and 87% said that ‘being in nature makes me happy’. 

As people return to IRL environments post-pandemic, the desire to connect with nature is impacting their wardrobes, and from Loewe to Eckhaus Latta, we’re seeing high fashion houses set the agenda. 

Vogue

Hypebae

 For Gen Zers on a budget, however, there's ample scope to take a DIY approach in embracing the strange – more anti-aesthetic centaurs like Julia Fox and less moss-covered, catwalk-dictated coats. In turn, they’re continuing a historic tradition of using fashion to showcase the mood of the time – the 1960s saw short skirts and high hair become the norm as the pill came into popular use, the free love movement in the ‘70s inspired clothes that were floaty and free, and the ‘80s were all about power dressing for rampant capitalism. “The mood of the era always affects the mood of fashion. So, as climate change and nature are on our minds more as a society, it makes sense that the way we are dressing has a strong link to nature and the natural world,” says Redding. 

 With 55% of Gen Zers saying that identity labels do not define who they are, it figures that they’re looking for alternative ways (like fashion and visual subcultures) to express themselves and their values authentically. 

Vice Media Group

Subverting wholesome tropes for a new visual language

Past years have seen social media platforms flooded with ‘core’ subcultures. It started in 2017 with 

, which served as a way for urbanites to escape to rural idylls. 

 went even deeper into natural aesthetics, followed by 

. All of these online trends focus on living simply, locally, and naturally in different ways, but as younger generations have grown tired of unattainable ideals, some are swapping out wholesome tropes for a new, more chaotic visual language.

Goblincore was named as one of the fashion trends to watch for 2022 by Instagram, and videos with the associated hashtag have garnered more than 

Hypebeast

 These figures highlight how it has become one of the most evolved ‘core’ subcultures, partly thanks to its somewhat chaotic nature, which embraces the unordinary and complex. It champions an aesthetic based on forests, moss, swamps, plants, rocks, and mushrooms, emphasising the magical qualities of the natural world.

“Goblincore is a Gen Z phenomenon,” says Hannah Tindle, the fashion features editor at 

. “I wonder if it's because this is a generation who has grown up glued to screens practically since birth, with social media central to their lives. Goblincore feels like the antithesis of an airbrushed digital culture, albeit lived out in a very digital space. I think the return to the slightly grimy and slimy aesthetics of nature reflects a desire to escape perfectionism.” Alongside movements such as ‘

, goblincore speaks to a backlash against perfectionism. “It's also the antithesis of the 'clean girl' aesthetic and of fast fashion brands such as SHEIN, which have a devastating impact on the planet,” Tindle adds. “Goblincore explores themes of escapism through the creation of fantasy worlds and identities. It sort of reminds me of LARPing through fashion. 

 is a brand that I think nods to goblincore on the runway. Its recent show for SS23 had models carrying bejewelled broccoli heads as accessories and Aztec clay slathered on their hair.” 

Interview with Hannah Tindle conducted by the author

From ‘manifesting’ to neo-paganism, Gen Zers are looking for alternative ways to connect with and process their fears about the future. They want a language that feels uniquely theirs – non-conformist, tactile, and subversive. Sustainability is a factor in these conversations and explorations, but it is not the sole focus of mythical aesthetics. Instead, it’s about blending eco-awareness with eco-anxiety and marrying the realities of the world with escapist outlets that can be expressed through fashion. 

 are good examples of brands harnessing storytelling across both the clothes and communications they produce, going beyond sustainability to create whole collections, aesthetics, and imagined worlds that speak to the sensibilities and values of a new generation.

While many people continue to indulge in fast fashion hauls and a ‘more is more’ approach to fashion, increasing awareness of the impact of overconsumption is changing the way some people dress. The impending ecological disaster has set the mood for a more collective vision of style, one that eschews the narrowness of the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic. 

 Rather than embodying the ‘main character’ role and fuelling the fast fashion cycle, many of those engaging with mythical fashion are looking at what they can work with from the earth, from what they already have. Collina Strada and 

 exemplify how brands may focus on nature through their designs, creating garments to reflect the collective cultural mood.

Explore materiality to stem the garbage trend cycle

Over a quarter (27%) of people in the US, UK, Canada, and Germany feel ‘most frustrated’ when a brand’s messaging is inconsistent across different channels. 

MoEngage

 However, in an era of constant online evolution, it’s hard to know where ‘core’ culture will go next and how brands can standardise their approach to hyper-specific and ephemeral visual language. But when looking at the transition from cottagecore to cabincore, fairycore, and goblincore, there is a consistent sense we are moving through a forest. It’s all driven by a hyper-sustainable mindset as Gen Zers hunt for ways to blend their imaginative interests with material expression. For brands looking to tap into this mythological mindset, a focus on material innovation can resonate, with 

 fabric providing a template for environmentally positive materials.

 of Gen Zers in the US are religiously unaffiliated, compared to 

 of British adults agreed or strongly agreed that green and natural spaces are good for mental health and wellbeing

 of Gen Zers say that identity labels do not help define who they are

With the climate crisis intensifying, people are turning to nature and the supernatural in a bid to ease their anxieties

This is manifesting through mythical fashion and visual subcultures, which are often led and defined by grassroots communities rather than brands

Younger generations have grown tired of unattainable aesthetic ideals and are instead embracing a new, more chaotic visual language

Hannah Tindle is the fashion features editor at 

Thurstan Redding is a fashion photographer.

Global

Fashion and Style

Gov.uk

As young people seek ways to process their eco-anxiety, they’re creating a new visual language rooted in mythology, rituals, and nature. How do goblincore, fairycore, and cottagecore help them process an uncertain future? And what do these ‘core’ cultures reveal about attitudes to style?

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People seek out dreamlike escapism with fairycore