TIK TOK'S INFLUENCE ON FASHION

BY RONNIE JOHNSON

---

Tik Tok has become a pivotal part of youth culture. The app that sucks its users into an abyss of entertainment with endless hours of scrolling, is also responsible for countless trends. These trends have proven to influence the way we act, talk, and certainly dress. Over time, a specific style has emerged, which people are referring to as “Tik Tok style” or “Y2k fashion”.

This style first started gaining mainstream popularity around peak quarantine, about mid to late 2020, when people were still trying to adjust to the new life of isolation and needed a creative outlet.

So, what is this style and what does it consist of? Personally, I would describe it as collision between streetwear and early 2000s fashion. There’s lots of colors, patterns, as well as oversized silhouettes which are all evident in early 21st century style.

Paris Hilton, 2001

Y2K Fashion, 2020

Under this umbrella of “Tik Tok style” I think it is also important to mention other clothing trends that were popularized during this time such as “E-boy fashion” and workwear.

​As this style began to popularize, many people seemed to want in, and our Pinterest feeds became flooded with outfit pictures resembling these trends. But what was it that made this style start to trend so fast? I think it’s because people wanted a way to express their creativity and step out of their comfort zone without making too much of a drastic change, and this was the perfect middle ground. Overtime, this style began to popularize so much, that fashion designer Hedi Slimane (Current creative director of Celine), decided to create a whole clothing collection and runway that was inspired by Tik Tok. He called this collection “THE DANCING KID", influenced by Tik Tok's dancing culture and E-boy style.

Celine SS21 Collection

Tik Tok star and proclaimed E-boy "Lil Huddy"

Tiktok has proven time and time again to be the driving force of influential trends for Gen Z. Which leads me to wonder, what’s next?