Y2K fashion, also called “fashion from the end of the century,” is the trendiest fashion this year. Not only celebrities but also the public started to wear clothes of Y2K fashion. “Y2K” means “Year 2000 (Year 2 kilo),” so the Y2K fashion represents the fashion trends from the end of the 1990s to the early 2000s. In the early 2000s, the world was in chaos by constant terror threats and the great recession by the Dot-Com bubble, a stock market bubble caused by speculation in dotcom or internet-based business from 1995 to 2000. In this chaotic situation, people expressed freedom and enjoyment through their fashion. These days, too, the world suffers from recession, the war is underway, and Covid-19 is spreading, so Y2K fashion is in revival. The most notable feature of Y2K fashion is the colorfulness of fancy clothes. Instead of monotonous colors like black and white, teenagers choose vivid colors and bold patterns.

There are three features about the recent Y2K fashion trends: the mix of off-sized clothes, colorfulness and retro fashion items. The first one is the mix of baggy tops with low-waist bottoms. In case of the upper garment, there is a widespread tendency of wearing overly large clothes regardless of gender. Some women rather enjoy wearing short and tight tops. In case of bottoms, the popularity of high-waist bottoms died out, and low-waist pants and skirts are trendy again, along with the reminiscence of the entertainment celebrities around 2000. The second feature is bold patterns and vivid colors. Instead of simple patterns and monotonous colors, people rather choose some eye-catching clothes with unique items these days. The last one is the retro fashion items. The fashion items that were popular from the late 1990s to the 2000s are sensational among the young generation. Those accessories keep the same features, such as scrunchies, tacky ball caps, and bold jewelry, which is an ageless style in vogue.

By Song Su-min, Reporter / Bae Mun-sung, Reporter