Trends seem to come and go like the seasons. Some popular 90s fashion trends have come back this year, such as North Face puffer vests and jackets. Glamour Magazine describes North Face puffers as being “2022’s biggest outerwear trend.” Another fashion trend that has resurrected this winter is UGG boots and slippers, specifically UGG Classic Ultra Minis and the Tasman. UGGs were very popular in the early 2000s, so when they made a comeback it seemed very out of the blue. Celebrities were often spotted wearing UGGs in the 2000s Paris Hilton wore UGGs, the Olsen twins were photographed in them, and other celebrities who had a great influence on fashion trends at the time.

“They (UGGs) were suddenly everywhere again – on the feet of Dua Lipa, Kendall Jenner, Kaia Gerber, Gigi Hadid, and what seems like half of the fashion world,” said Clementina Jackson, a writer with Elle magazine. Students who were interviewed said they wore UGGs for style and comfort. Chloe Weller, senior, has her own pair of UGGs.

“My shirt is from Brandy Melville, my pants are Brandy Melville, my necklace is from an online store called Get Back, and my shoes are Uggs, I got Uggs for not only the comfort but the style,” Weller said. 

Puffer vests and jackets came as a surprise to Lauren Finney Harden, a writer with InStyle magazine.

 “I noticed one piece of clothing that had managed to creep its way onto both men and women — the puffer vest, but with a twist,” Harden said. “Beloved by tech workers and dads alike, the puffer vest is suddenly cool again, thanks to an updated style that has an oversized fit, longer, dropped shoulders, and dramatic arm holes; even Rihanna sported a version of it earlier this year.” 

Another popular trend is thrifting. A prominent thrift store in the Portland area is Red, White & Blue, located off McLoughlin Blvd.  Thrifting helps consumers become more aware. Consumers aren’t necessarily buying brand new; but instead are reusing, which will benefit the world immensely in the long run. 

Fashion trends are influenced by celebrities and influencers and change every year. One of the problems with fast-paced trends is that it leads to fast fashion, which is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as being “inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.” 

Fast fashion has long-lasting effects and can cause mass pollution as well as the exploitation of workers in the workplace. According to PSCI, a website run by Princeton’s student-led environmental group, the fashion industry is responsible for more pollution than almost every other industry in the world.

“The fashion industry is currently responsible for more annual carbon emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined,” Ngan Le said, a Princeton student with PSCI, an environmental activism web page. “If the industry maintains its course, an increase of 50% in greenhouse gas emissions is expected within a decade.” 

Sustainable clothing is much more expensive than something produced through fast fashion, and on the surface, it all looks the same. However, fast fashion is at a significantly lower price but has negative impacts on the environment. Changing what consumers buy is hard as well as expensive, and scientists and designers work to find more sustainable materials that will positively impact our environment. Stella McCartney is an example of a designer brand that worked with scientists to better her brand for our environment. WIRED magazine reports on this. 

“All of the designs begin with the fabrics,” says Claire Bergkamp, the company’s worldwide director of sustainability and innovation. 

“McCartney hired Bergkamp in 2012, to help transition the entire company to a more sustainable way of working. One of her first projects was working with the Kering group on the company’s environmental profit and loss report, which measures a company’s negative impact on the environment,” WIRED magazine reports. 

Sustainable clothing proves to last a long time and can be higher quality at times. Consumer habits have positively influenced society and our environment.