Adidas flip flops. Hoodies. Washed out jeans. Plain T-shirts.
According to this quasi-fashion trend, Normcore, that has crystallized over the recent months, not making a fashion statement is the fashion statement. Normcore embraces and supports anti-trends which means everyone in Silicon Valley who once barely make an effort to dress up, suddenly holds the glamourous status of becoming a Fashionista.
According to Wikipedia, Normcore is an emerging cultural trend focusing on “coolness that opts into sameness.” It is in response to hipster subculture. Jeremy Lewis, the founder of Garmento calls normcore “one facet of a growing anti-fashion sentiment.” K-hole, a creative trend forecasting collective based in New York City is cited as coining the phrase.
Normcore is an anti-trendy trend, another term for dressing like you’re back in the early 90s.
While the place is far more recognized for creating some of the best innovating ideas in our millennial –which has revolutionized our way of interacting with technology, the community’s distinctive way of dressing ought to be given some acknowledgment. Normcore thus, for better or worse, is shedding light to Silicon’s unique style for the very first time.
Taken seriously, Normcore does, indeed, places unsuspecting people in the height of fashion. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of multi billion dollar social networking site, Facebook –for example, is one that embodies the spirit of Normcore.
Of course, so is the late co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs and probably many more Silicon Valley giants. Given the amount of publicity this phenomenon has since garnered over a variety of different sites (some including HuffPost, Vanity Fair and even the NYTimes) whether you hate it, love it or simply want to laugh at it, Normcore is drawing a substantial amount of attention for a trend that advocates normalcy. Paradoxical isn’t it?
Nevertheless, such outfits donned by them could potentially be heavily imitated, or scrutinize for inspiration. People finding interest in pulling off such devil-may-care-attitude in their daily wear will now realize that Silicon Valley is not just technology-based but suddenly considered to be fashion-forward.
As for Zuckerberg, he can now consider adding the title of “fashion icon” into his list of titles. After all, in the world of fashion, fickleness is part of its generic DNA just as it is for the latest technological devices. What is thought to be “in or out” is ultimately a question of personal taste and style.
Also read: E Commerce site Zalora cross dressed their models for April Fool’s