‘Normcore’ is the New Style Trend Pissing People Off: On Trend

Normcore

ColumnNormcore has gone viral. But wait, what exactly is it?!

Trending hashtags and viral articles have birthed talk of a new style: “Normcore.” Normcore, defined as “approachable fashion,” is sprouting in the streets of SoHo and toting Seinfeld and Louis CK as style icons. The exploding conversation around bland, detail-free clothing — normal to the core — has piqued people’s attention. So what exactly is normcore trying to say?

“Normcore is a desire to be blank,” says Sean Monahan, member of K-Hole, trend forecasters who coined the phrase. “The New York version of being born an individual and wanting to find a community.”

Seem deep for a fashion trend? It is. Beyond the often cited light washed jeans and athletic sneakers is a desire to reachable. Dressing normcore subtly shouts the message we aren’t so different from one another, and maybe that is a good thing.

Rather than stand out, normcore wants to fit in and strip preconceived notions of status. At one time it was cool to be different. Now, as compassion seeps into our culture at large, interacting with lots of different people is on trend. And it should be. We all share this experience called life, and if at one time separating yourself from your neighbor was the thing, now it is cool to be void of surface difference. Amen to that.

Historically, fashion is elitist and marked social rank. Normcore strips this behavior.

As art movements bounce 180 degrees in reaction to what is a la moda, normcore is this same principle in action: a reaction to hipster-ism. Hipsters wanted to create a clear identity via their particular style — flannels, neatly rolled up pant hems and large beards — but arguably they ended up looking all the same. A hipster isn’t hard to spot in a crowd. So normcore is the opposite; if hipsters stick out, normcore camouflages — a blank slate negating details or notes of status.

Clothing, our second skin, allows us to express our identify and signal what we care about and who we are at first glance, which is often all we get. Baggy jeans or Louis Vuitton suitcases can inject, or reject, us into groups. Normcore is a ‘hello, let’s talk.’

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image: Normcore_Fashion

Juliette Donatelli

Working in the field of sustainability for over seven years, Juliette is passionate about its intersection within the fashion industry. Juliette began studying ecological conservation, and led consumer awareness campaigns around the world from water usage in southern California, riparian restoration in South Africa, food distribution in Paris and bison habitat in the Great Plains. She has launched her passion--consumerism and sustainability--into a place where it hits home--fashion. Juliette is the founder and editor-in-chief of spadesandsilk.com, Director of Sustainability at Manufacture NY, and loves to read, dance, swim and enjoy the occasional glass of champagne.