TV shows have never been as influential in fashion as in 2021, bringing back pieces like the beret, the retro tracksuit and the corset. The phenomenon is here to stay, it seems, and it could even transform the industry’s digital landscape with new online platforms making it possible to buy clothes spotted in our favourite series
The number of available streaming platforms plus the various Covid lockdowns have led many of us to devour TV series, binge-watching episodes at top speed, sometimes switching between series with totally contrasting worlds, from Squid Game to Emily in Paris. It didn’t take much for the shows available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and the likes to start influencing our shopping habits, especially in fashion.
Throughout 2021, series have continued to impact our clothing searches and purchases. The red jumpsuits, retro tracksuits and pristine white slip-on sneakers from Squid Game, the corsets from Bridgerton, the checked coats from The Queen’s Gambit, the Nike Air Jordans from Lupin, and of course the ultra-fashionable gear from Emily in Paris... From the very beginning of the year, our wardrobes started to resemble those of our fictional heroes.
The craze was such that whole styles were even born thanks to these shows, with trends like regencycore, royalcore or cottagecore. And that’s something which, until now, had never happened, even if shows like Gossip Girl and Sex and the City have influenced fashion in the past. And it looks like this is just the beginning...
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The fashion world’s new playground
Designers and major fashion houses themselves are starting to ride the wave, starting with Gucci, which has featured one of its collections in a mini-series co-directed by the filmmaker Gus Van Sant. Balmain too, under the leadership of its avant-garde artistic director Olivier Rousteing, announced this summer the launch of its own mini-series, in partnership with British TV’s Channel 4. After all, if you’re going to showcase your creations, you might as well do it in your own world. But this tactic is even more effective when the series in question is watched by tens of millions of viewers.