Unveiling the Transient Allure of Internet Aesthetics: Navigating the World of Micro-Trends

Dive into the ever-evolving realm of micro-trends with Vogue Business Membership’s exclusive insights. While 2023 saw the rise of clean girl, girl math, Barbiecore, coquette, and tomato girl summer dominating social feeds, 2024 swiftly ushered in new sensations—mob wife winter, corpcore, and loud budgeting. The ephemerality of micro-trends challenges their classification, leading trend forecaster Agustina Panzoni to assert that these are more accurately labeled as “internet aesthetics.” Rather than enduring over multiple seasons, they emerge as pre-packaged styles ready for instant adoption.

Brands find themselves navigating this fast-paced landscape, with the traditional trend cycle undergoing a revolution in the age of internet trends. Agustina Panzoni emphasizes the importance for brands to have a cultural perspective, but cautioning against merely attaching to pre-existing aesthetics. Reflecting on the past year, brands like Ulta, Mac, Refy, Loewe, and Jacquemus seamlessly wove these micro-trends into their narratives. The coquette aesthetic, embraced by Jacquemus in June, experienced a surge in searches from November 2023 through January 2024, showcasing the dynamic nature of internet-driven trends.

In this era where trends emerge and vanish in the blink of an eye, the challenge for brands lies in crafting a meaningful cultural standpoint rather than a fleeting association with transient aesthetics.