“I got into Y2K fashion because it is trending, and I love the simplicity of it,” Miss Wong says. “It sort of resembles Harajuku fashion in a way where it rebels against mainstream fashion.”

 

Y2K fashion, inspired by the technological advancements in the late 1990s and early 2000s, is slowly making its way back in 2021. 

 

According to an article by Vogue, this trend is back in 2021 and was popularised by teenagers on TikTok who were putting together outfits that involved many clothing pieces that were popular in the early 2000s, such as bootcut jeans and bandana scarves as tops. 

 

Well-known celebrities such as Dua Lipa and Bella Hadid, who are often looked up to as fashion icons, are also rocking many Y2K fits with an added modern touch. 

 

Miss Wong, also known as @fu.wari on TikTok, says that youngsters are embracing Y2K fashion, which involves mixing brightly coloured clothes which attract a lot of attention, as they are “much more vocal in their dressing” due to the “progression of our society”. 

 

Ms Eve Tan, a fashion lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic, says that one cause of this fashion trend reviving in 2021, would be the fact that more people are visiting thrift shops.

 

Miss Nicole Chin, 26, is a popular Y2K fashion influencer recognised for her thrift content on TikTok. Known as @chinchilla.vintage, she has about 52,000 followers. 

 

Miss Chin says how thrifting makes participating in this fashion trend “very affordable”. “Most of my outfits range anywhere from $10-$15, excluding accessories,” she says.

 

Furthermore, the global pandemic has led to more users of social media such as TikTok. “When you talk about social media, Y2K fashion can be quite eye-catching,” Ms Tan says.

 

Both Ms Tan and Miss Wong do not believe that the size-zero sub-trend will follow suit in this current Y2K revival.

 

“Fashion trends revive but not the mediaeval mindsets. We are progressing everyday and we are getting more educated, open minded and accepting,” Miss Wong says.

 

“There are so many influencers on social media advocating that everybody is beautiful in their own ways,” Ms Tan says. “I think with this energy, it definitely helps because when it comes to styling, people get more confidence when it comes to trying out different clothing pieces and embracing their own bodies.”