Blast from the past: these y2k fashion brands are cool again
Time to dig out the low-rise denim and body glitter
Ah, the Noughties – the decade that yielded rhinestone-spangled baby tees, low-waisted jeans and handbags so tiny you could only fit a Juicy Tube and your Motorola Razr in there. While those who were around for the somewhat questionable trends of the 2000s have tried hard to forget them, Gen Zers are suddenly embracing them. One look at Depop or TikTok (where the hashtag #Y2K generates around 2 billion results) confirms that Noughties fashion is back in a big way – period.
The decade’s most iconic brands are taking advantage of the resurgence. Von Dutch is making a comeback, for example, with fans including Bella Hadid and former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson.
The American apparel company has set up shop in Europe and just dropped its new luxury Italian Denim Collection. And it’s not the only Noughties label that’s seeing a revival – here are the other y2k brands that are back at the forefront of fashion.
Juicy Couture
Back in 2001, walking around with the word ‘Juicy’ on your butt in diamanté pretty much meant you were Queen of the Noughties. Twenty years later and Juicy Couture’s clothes are back in style, with the Spring/Summer 21 collection giving a fresh twist to the label’s signature pieces. We’ll certainly be sporting one of their velour tracksuits as part of our post-lockdown transitional wardrobe.
Skechers
Chunky trainers were the requisite footwear of the early 00s – and all the better if they were Skechers, popularised by the great Britney Spears herself. The formerly fashionable brand has been trying to once again secure a foothold in the realm of cultural relevance for a while now. Drops like the amazingly extra Premium Heritage collection have attempted to recapture its previous success though 00s nostalgia, appealing to style savvy Zoomers. Little wonder the footwear brand has seen its stock rise by 70% in the past year.
A Kappa tracksuit was undoubtedly one of Y2K’s style staples and, thanks to the Italian sportswear label’s exciting recent collabs, it looks set to be a fixture of the 2020s too. At the end of last year, it launched its first collection with huge Colombian singer Karol G, as well as a line of Kappa X Juicy Couture co-branded tracksuits, shoes and accessories in the ultimate 00s alliance.
Baby Phat
Once beloved brand Baby Phat went the way of thin eyebrows and dresses over jeans (Bye, Felicia!) circa 2010, but it’s back, baby. Now CEO Kimora Lee Simmons and her two daughters are bringing the label’s OTT glitz and glam to a whole new generation. We seriously stan its most recent drop – a jewellery line featuring a kitty logo chain necklace and gold hoops that contain the jewel-encrusted words ‘Baby Phat’. They’re the perfect way to finish off any fit for a snatched y2k look.
