Need to Know
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According to Allianz’s aptly titled United in Pessimism report, Europeans have a bleak view of how the future will look – over 50% are not feeling optimistic about their future prospects. Our Doom Dressing microtrend explores how this increasingly disillusioned and cynical group are translating their mindset into an apparel and aesthetic movement, at odds with Dopamine Dressing’s uplifting and mood-boosting feel.

On TikTok, #avantapocalypse videos have now amassed 3.6bn views, where users share their eerie goth outfits, often deconstructing, repurposing and upcycling second-hand pieces in the process.

To match this mindset, brands are crafting dystopian universes, as featured in Burberry’s autumn 2022 campaign film, Night Creatures, featuring a faceless, many-legged creature. On runways, spring/summer 2023 collections contained a profusion of punk and grunge looks – from AVAVAV’s Moonster XXL boots to Victor Barragán’s premium ‘trash’ outfits.

Beyond design, this doomsday fashion take is reflecting grim realities with raw, unkempt and dystopian brand narratives and universes to convey a multi-layered message, calling out climate inaction, social injustice, political unrest and economic downturn.

For 2023, expect the Doom Dressing trend to head towards more absurd and irreverent accessories and aesthetics.

With fashion consumers seeking to come clean and commit to more sustainable wardrobes, we saw more brands creating interactive campaigns to provide education and resources on how shoppers can make small changes that improve their shopping habits.

Online resale platform ThredUp has partnered with Stranger Things actor Priah Ferguson to launch its Fast Fashion Confessional Hotline. Callers who dial the number can confess their shopping habits and hear Ferguson’s voice sharing her own confessions, encouraging them to abandon their basket and providing information on more sustainable ways to buy.

The launch comes in the wake of a new study from ThredUp which found that a third of Gen Z feel addicted to fast fashion, while almost half of college students say it’s hard to resist the temptation it offers. Despite Gen Z’s environmental leanings, the lure of cheap new on-trend clothes is strong, and ThredUp’s hotline is helping to break the cycle by presenting second-hand as a viable and affordable alternative. ‘I hope this hotline inspires people to change their shopping habits and think about thrifting. Even small changes can make a big difference for our future,’ says Ferguson.

As the second-hand clothing market continues to grow, young consumers are embracing Eco-motional Fashion that takes a more positive and human-centric approach to sustainability.

One of the greatest challenges for the future of digital fashion is onboarding the non-gamer, less tech-savvy or crypto-illiterate crowds.

In September, AR fashion platform Zero10 and Crosby Studios brought digital fashion into a physical setting through an experiential retail concept. Reaching a wider audience than a purely digital activation, the pop-up enabled visitors to try on digital-only clothes in real time using their smartphones, with Zero10’s augmented reality technology also allowing them to digitally tailor the garments by uploading a picture.

Designed by Crosby Studios, the collection celebrates its digital nature with fantastical garments that could only exist in virtual reality. Inspired by 1990s video games, pieces include a chequered suit, a light shirt, a pixel leopard hoodie, disappearing pants and video game trousers. The store setting itself is designed to allow visitors to freely interact with the digital fashion without being interrupted by physical objects. ‘We wanted to create a new concept of pop-up spaces responding to retailers’ needs to attract a new generation of consumers but also evolving the format of pop-ups that are not about product display any longer,’ explains George Yashin, CEO of Zero10.

The pop-up showcases how, as the physical and digital worlds continue to merge, retailers can continue to innovate with Hyperphysical Stores that allow both to co-exist and provide a compelling reason to visit in person.

Now that you know what shaped 2022, discover what’s on the horizon. Download our Future Forecast 2023 report comprising 50 new trends across 10 key consumer sectors, insights from our analysts and interviews with global innovators.