HOUSTON — A familiar trend is back at the center of the fashion world! Now, it’s time to go find your velvet tracksuits, brand logos and low-rise jeans because Y2K fashion is back in style.
KHOU 11 spoke with Houston City College Fashion Department Professor Alex Chapman who said every article of clothing has a story.
Chapman showed us around the college’s clothing archive, which has thousands of pieces showcasing past trends.
“We see the puffy sleeves from 1895,” Chapman said, while showing KHOU 11 a blouse from that year.
Chapman said while the large majority of their pieces are in wearable condition, they will accept any donations as it helps their students to learn different eras of clothing and stitching.
Chapman said the clothing they have also showcases present trends.
“What era of fashion would you say is the most popular right now?” KHOU 11 Reporter Amanda Henderson asked.
“Right now, a huge trend is Y2K fashion,” Chapman said.
“Does that surprise you?”
“No, no. Several years ago, yes, it did surprise me,” Chapman said.
The explosive return of Y2K fashion is seen maybe nowhere as much as thrift and consignment stores.
There’s clothing, accessories, even keychains with items you may recall. KHOU 11 found one with a Littlest Pet Shop featured.
“I had this exact bunny right here. I had like three of them,” Henderson said. But they were all donated years ago.
Decades later you can now see your childhood toys skyrocketing in popularity and they’re not the only thing.
“True Religion, uh, Juicy Couture, especially the track, uh, suits, and then, um, BB do really extremely well for me,” Jackie Smith with Heaven Bites Vintage said.
The popularity in items is why Smith’s store in East Downtown is primarily made up of items from the Y2K era.
“For the most part people are looking for the, you know, the Paris Hilton or like the Nicole Richie type look and a little bit the Elle Woods,” Smith said.
Smith said in some cases people are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for the perfect item.
“People just want the authentic like logo and the tags,” Smith said.
If you’re wondering why now? Why the resurgence? Chapman said it’s a fairly simple answer.
“I think it’s nostalgia. I think, um, I think it’s really popular with Gen Zs and even the older Gen alphas because they want to look like what their parents probably looked like or wore back in the day,” Chapman said.
In Y2K’s case their season is now.
“All trends go into some sort of fashion cycle. Some of them are longer, some of them are very, very short, some of them only last a season,” Chapman said.
If you’re looking to make money off of any Y2K items you might have but no longer use Chapman said online stores such as Depop, Poshmark, eBay, Etsy and more can be options! If you CLICK HERE, there’s also a list of consignment stores in Houston. Smith also said she will pay for Y2K clothing.
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