The 2000s babies are coming of age, hitting the clubs and reviving the shiny futurism of Y2K fashion. Get into it.
Ah, the 2000s.
The golden age of Disney Channel, reality television and out-there (read: extra-terrestrial) fashion with style marked by metallic fabrics, lush velvet Juicy Couture tracksuits and chunky shoes. Okay, maybe not of another world but informed by the future-forward sensibility of the new millennium.
Y2K, which stands for ‘the year 2000’, refers to a widespread computer glitch that was expected to occur in the minutes between 1999 to 2000. It didn’t happen, and now the term is shorthand for a playful fashion sensibility that characterised the era. Think apple bottom jeans and boots with the fuuuuurrrrr, a whole lewk.
Y2K style was all about maximalist experimentation, the blending of disparate aesthetics like the trashy-chic Von Dutch trucker caps and über miniskirts, which were the comeback kids of Miu Miu’s spring/summer 2022 collection. And, lest we forget, the extremes of baggy FUBU trousers and baby tees, bright colours and futuristic accessories, baby.
Two decades later, nostalgia for the early aughts has reached a fever pitch thanks in part to hit US TV show Euphoria’s ode to the decade in its wardrobe choices and a sentimental Gen Z who are at the forefront of the Y2K style revival on TikTok.
Fashion is cyclical and trends worn by older (sorry!) generations inform the self-expression of those who journey after them.
So, what exactly is the Y2K aesthetic? Scroll through the article for outfit inspiration from Gen Z-ers around the world.
Y2K Style Around the World
Alisha, 17
Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
“Everyone has melanin, but not melanin like this.”
Andile, 23
Berlin, Germany
“My inner child was screaming at Chris Brown’s concert.”
Craig, 24
Brisbane, Australia
“Steady chilling, steady cooling.”
Hillary, 24
Newcastle, United Kingdom
“Not the bayang.”
Israel, 23
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
“Sittin’ next to you but I’m still askin’, ‘Where you been?’”
Kriss, 19
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
“I look glossy.”
Lewis and his mate, 22
Bristol, United Kingdom
“We’ve been expecting you.”
Walter, 26
Birmingham, United Kingdom
“A short story about snow and a skirt.”
Do you have a dope Y2K fit you would like to share? Drop us a message on Instagram (@pwdrzine) with your name, age, location and cool caption. Ta!