Gen Z, like each generation before them, is creating their own style guidelines. Born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Generation Z rejects many of their predecessors’ silhouettes while embracing and reinventing long-buried styles. Their fashion DNA has sparked equal parts outrage and imitation, both online and in real life. However, these trends are driven by changes in how this generation shops, finds inspiration, and expresses itself.
First and foremost, Gen Z style emphasizes individuality. “[Millennials] grew up texting our friends, ‘What are you wearing?’ When we arrive and our friend is dressed similarly, it gives us more comfort. If [someone from Generation Z] walks into a room and sees someone wearing the same outfit as them, they will most likely be upset,” says style expert Kim Brannigan, a content creator known for her tutorials on how to elevate tried-and-true outfit formulas for post-graduation life.
Members of Generation Z want to wear items that no one else has. That ethos, combined with a concern for sustainability, makes vintage and thrift shopping an obvious choice. ThredUp, a secondhand clothing retailer, published a report in 2023 indicating that Generation Z is driving an explosion in the secondhand clothing market, according to Vogue Business. According to Danielle O’Connell and Alix Gropper, the stylist duo known as Danielle & Alix and whose clients include Alix Earle and Lindsay Lohan, Gen Z clients’ “biggest ask” is to incorporate vintage pieces into their looks.
Gen Z, a constantly connected generation, looks to the internet for inspiration and admiration. Kara Wagner, a stylist for Stitch Fix, a personal styling service, says younger clients are increasingly using internet trends to describe what they want. “TikTok references in our Fix Request Notes from Gen Z and millennial clients have increased 14% since last summer,” Wagner says. Given how much of their lives are spent online, Gen Z values clothing that is suitable for photographing and displaying on the internet. “You see a lot of clothes that challenge perception. “You also see garments that reference other periods in pop culture,” says stylist and content creator Timothy Chernyaev.
With its controversial trends and internet-inspired clothing, Generation Z is now heavily influencing how we think about fashion. Take a look at the eight trends that define Generation Z style.
Gen Z has made skinny jeans uncool again. While millennials grew up wearing denim that became increasingly fitted and cropped, as Generation Z matured, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction, favoring longer, looser shapes ranging from baggy jeans to cargo pants. “Loose-fitting and oversized are the most popular requests [from Gen Z clients] for street style and everyday wear,” says stylist and creative director Danyul Brown, whose clients include model Amelia Gray.
“Gen Z likes to play around with their proportions a bit more with oversized clothing,” according to Brannigan. When styling oversized items, Brannigan recommends pairing them with more fitted pieces. “‘Little shirt, big pants, or little pants, bigger shirt,’ is a simple rule to remember. If you want to experiment a little more…with oversized pants, if you’re wearing an oversized shirt, instead of a T-shirt with a super high neck, scoop it to show your collarbone or push up your sleeves to show your wrist,” Brannigan suggests.
The ’90s made a comeback, with slip dresses, baby tees, and bucket hats regaining popularity. The Y2K renaissance ensued, with waistlines dropping, pastel-tinted sunglasses resurfacing, and women everywhere pulling Juicy Couture sweatsuits out of storage. Julia Fox made headlines for her pubic bone-bearing pants; Addison Rae and Bella Hadid were spotted in Ed Hardy; and Ice Spice walked the Grammys red carpet in a custom Baby Phat ensemble that looked straight out of the early 2000s.
Gropper and O’Connell point out that brands such as Coach and Tommy Hilfiger, which peaked in the early 2000s, have recently experienced a resurgence. According to Vogue Business, Gen Z consumers increased their spending on Coach in February 2025, causing the parent company’s sales to rise by 5%. And Coach is returning the favor. “The talent they have chosen to now represent the brand, like Ariana Greenblatt, Dove Cameron, and Lil Nas [X], exemplify their shift toward catering to a Gen Z audience,” according to Gropper and O’Connell.
Now, Generation Z is looking to the 2010s for inspiration. The generation that grew up as remote work became popular is taking workwear out of the office, rebranding pinstripes and pantsuits as corpcore and the office siren aesthetic. “They’re mixing oversized blazers (which have grown 25% year over year in sales) and incorporating menswear-inspired pieces,” Wagner shares. (More than one millennial, however, has warned against it on TikTok, recalling the days of pencil skirts and statement necklaces with a shudder. Peplums, which dominated runways in 2023 and red carpets in 2024, are also making a comeback.
