By Victor Schäfer

Fashion trends used to be decided by designers, magazines, and fashion weeks. Today, this has changed. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram allow everyday users to influence what people wear, sometimes more than luxury brands. An algorithm can now decide what becomes popular. A teenager’s outfit video on TikTok can reach millions and start a new trend. According to Harper’s Bazaar, “Fashion week sets the tone, but TikTok is where trends catch fire” (Jhabak, 2025). Academic research also shows that platforms like TikTok have made fashion more democratic. They give more people the chance to shape what’s trendy (Utami & Dewi 2024).
TikTok’s algorithm plays a big role here. It promotes content based on engagement, not on who is posting. Instagram works in a similar way, especially through Reels. This creates a new situation where professional designers and online users both influence the fashion world. Today, a look from social media can become more relevant than a designer piece on the runway. As Harper’s Bazaar describes it, “the crowd now has the power to decide what’s cool” (Jhabak 2025).

Some recent fashion trends that started or became popular through TikTok and Instagram include:

Blokecore: A trend inspired by British football fan culture, featuring vintage soccer jerseys, Adidas sneakers, and casual streetwear. It gained popularity through TikTok, where creators styled football gear in new, fashionable ways, turning a niche look into a global trend (Vargas, 2022). According to L’Officiel USA, Blokecore reflects Gen Z’s interest in mixing nostalgia with sporty aesthetics, showing how digital platforms can quickly elevate subcultural styles to mainstream visibility (Cantarini, 2023)

The “clean girl” aesthetic: This trend focuses on minimalism: natural makeup, tight hairstyles, simple gold jewelry, and sporty outfits. It started on TikTok in late 2021 and became popular with celebrities like Hailey Bieber. Its success comes from looking simple but still elegant. As British Vogue explains, even after other styles appeared, this aesthetic stayed popular because it represents a “healthy and natural” lifestyle (Jones 2025).

Eclectic grandpa style: In 2024, people began dressing in a way that mixes vintage clothes with modern ideas. This includes wearing colorful sweaters, caps, and second-hand jackets, similar to what an older man might wear. The idea first appeared on Pinterest and then quickly grew on TikTok (Jackson 2024). According to Highsnobiety (2024), many young people like this trend because it focuses on long-lasting and unique clothes. At the same time, it shows how quickly a new idea can become popular on social media. One month people followed the “coastal grandma” look, and the next they switched to “grandpa-core.” (Comroe, 2024).

TikTok and Instagram have changed how we experience fashion. These platforms do not just show trends, they create them. They make fashion faster and more interactive. Instead of only following brands, users now shape the conversation. According to academic research, we are seeing a “bottom-up” movement where people from outside the fashion industry can influence what becomes popular (Utami & Dewi 2024).

It shows that culture today is not only created by professionals but also by people who are active online. A simple outfit video can have more impact than a whole runway show. In this way, the trends we see on Instagram and TikTok represent a new kind of cultural production. The “fabrics of dreams” are no longer just made by designers, they are created every day, post by post, trend by trend.

Sources:

Vargas, A. (2022). „Blokecore Is The Sporty New Fashion Trend You’ll Be Seeing Everywhere.“ Glam. https://www.glam.com/1135457/blokecore-is-the-sporty-new-fashion-trend-youll-be-seeing-everywhere/

Cantarini, G. (2023). „Blokecore: Fashion’s Sportiest New Trend.“ L’Officiel USA. https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/blokecore-trend-fashion-football-tiktok-outfits

Jones, D. (2025). „Why The Clean Girl Aesthetic Refuses To Die.“ British Vogue. https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/clean-girl-aesthetic-trend

Jhabak, S. (2025). „Fashion week vs. TikTok trends: Who’s actually calling the shots?.“ Harper’s Bazaar India). https://www.harpersbazaar.in/fashion/story/fashion-week-vs-tiktok-trends-whos-actually-calling-the-shots-1178893-2025-03-10

Jackson, H. (2024). „The Eclectic Grandpa Trend Encapsulates Our Personal Style Dilemma.“ British Vougue. https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/eclectic-grandpa-trend

Comroe, S. (2024). “Goodbye Coastal Grandmother, Hello Grandpacore.“ InStyle. https://www.instyle.com/what-is-grandpacore-8603324

Utami, P., & Dewi, L. (2024). „Social Media’s Role in Creating New Fashion Trends.“ Journal of Research in Social Science & Humanities. https://jrssh.org/index.php/jrssh/article/view/120/pdf