Organic futurism, Gen x soft club and the solidification of 90s minimalism into mainstream.
Under the pretence of “ quiet luxury” and multiple other labels, for the natural shift of the trend cycle to minimalism, those reigning influence over fashion have been altering their styles to suit the mood of the times. Kylie Jenner’s outright luxe and sex themed personal style has toned down to a more “subtly mature” tone, and Jennifer Lawrence, during promotions for her comeback comedy movie “No Hard Feelings” has sparked interest with her style, walking the streets in an all “The Row” (by Mary Kate and Ashley) ensemble. They hold in common elegant silhouettes and neutral colour palettes.
The changing of the season goes beyond just tiktok micro aesthetics. Y2k including nostalgic purging and maximalist expression ruled the past two to three years, and now we finally find ourselves fringing on the transition into minimalism, as progresses in the natural cycle of fashion. However with the nature of micro trends and niche-efiying everything, it is more likely both, in its shades of grey, will exist side by side, as does, in the post internet, polarizing times.
Prada, for their SS24 Menswear show, staged a green goop and steel runway, placing the opposing elements in the process of Prada-fying a fantasy, an almost extra terrestrial blossoming of events. That was the theme of the inspiration, and the presentation was reminiscent of the 90s minimalist aesthetic, Gen x soft club.
Gen x soft club is defined by Sloane Angel Hilton, the creator of the Facebook group for the aesthetic, as being a kind of futuristic that’s a mix of sterile and organic influenced by urban life. The “Soft Club” part referred to club culture trickling down into mainstream culture. (https://www.facebook.com/groups/418594138476027/ )
The aesthetic is being reflected in fashion and art, interiors, photography, music and graphic design.
The Row by Mary Kate and Ashley, already introduced spring 2024 rtw with their steel cold and relaxed energy, and a little bit of what gen x soft club is, already exists within the visual identity of the brand. Quiet luxury has flowered a new interest for this aesthetic from gen z, in its cool, tired and organic tones of solid colours, reflecting a yearning for subtlety and clearance from the hyper decisive requirements of existence and expression today. Spring 2024 rtw, albumed a group dressed for just about everything. Errands, brunch, the airport, terrains and weather changes, gardening, fresh like the families in Ikea catalogues, it doesn’t get more old fashionably joyous than that. Life seems like it would be simple if you wore The Row. To add note, gen x soft club is also heavily influenced by urban life.
Courreges’ icy ss24 precollection hosted simplistic pieces, paired with walkable mules and flip-flop sandals, that looked easy on both the skin and eye. The tailoring was sharp and clinical, with leather straps and one shoulder tops. One particular piece was sheer and had a multicoloured effect on it.
Maria ’s 032c had an almost all black palette, consisting mostly of airy staples. One of the looks was a steel grey set, of a blouse and low waisted maxi taffeta skirt, loose yet affable to multiple occasions. Comfort and craftsmanship are at the forefront again, unlike the smaller life cycle of trendy thrift purchases (stores which are now wastelands for fast fashion throw outs) and the collections were overall reminiscent of the frigid futuristic filters and relaxed luxe of gen x soft club photography (still a crucial step different from quiet luxury or stealth wealth)
ERL, also staged an alien green set, smoothly reflecting off the waxy glitter look, in a boxy silhouette, followed by a wiry collection of greys and silvers. showing the preparedness for a hypothetical intergalactic dystopia. One piece looked like aluminium foil, heavily draped around for protection from the rays of another sun. There was a tilted two piece with a regiment coat ornate with planetary gauds. There were, in each fit, references and reimaginings of multiple different eras and systems and roles embedded in humane culture, taking on just a more extragalactic form.
JW Anderson and Loewe, Instagram trendy brands like Allisagentlespring and Paloma Wool, follow suit.
On the youtube channel Venusstadt [globalism and its aesthetics: part two” (2023)], Jiana explains, that the aesthetic isn’t tied to a specific culture or time-period; it’s like they exist in this vacuous, liminal space and that was the element that’s most striking about these images is that they were contemporary and futuristic back then and STILL feel exciting and futuristic now, because of that minimalism.
In terms of Jewellery and accessories, pendant heavy pieces, and nature inspired motifs have been go to.
XG’s (Japanese produced global group) big comeback has drawn on many trends. In the music video for “GRL GVNG” They sported accessories and (shoes) by KUSIKOHC, KOWGI, Baggira, and Mugler, all brands that contribute to channelling this extragalactic persona.
Baggira, which is a new-wave jewellery brand founded in 2019 by Renata Latypova, draws from nature engineered forms and creates realistic plant looking accessories, 3D printed with a cybernetic touch that works around the the natural shape of the cochlea. Concept stores like APOC hosts a whole range of brands serving this aesthetic.
Gen x soft club is often clubbed with an array of branching aesthetics of the time ( late 90s early 00s ), including Frutiger aero, Superflat pop and Vectorbloom aesthetics, observing twitter account Y2K aesthetic institute by Evancollins and froyotam, all which seem to be making comebacks, in their evolved forms.
Aespa’s latest comeback served teasers and a music video with stylistic choices heavily adhering to a blend of these esthetics. Sparkly, crisp rays of silvers and purples, with amorphous bubbles drawing out the flow against a pristine blue backdrop. They sport fine jewellery pieces, resembling tropical flower forms, and garments resembling vibrant deep sea corals. Lens flares, free flowing lines and a glassy palette, other common motifs of Frutiger aero and Vector bloom, are also present.
Other times, like in the collections mentioned above, the accessories seem to be majorly necklaces with minimal and heavy pendants, reminiscent of the ones our moms wore in the early 00s. A lot of these designs are minimal versions derived from multicultural or ‘ethnic’ traditional jewellery.
At the time ( early 90s ) the yearning for incorporating non western and “global” aesthetics (often seen in vacation or ‘exotic’ wear, as ethnically ambiguous) was mostly merely an attempt to differentiate their generation by separating from the western through “culutural enrichment”, and indulging in more “non conventional” and “exotic” (as they were considered then, due to the lens of viewing any non western aesthetic as of the past and artifactual by default because they were not in accordance with western ideals of advancement), Jiana summarizes.
Now it channels a more genuine affection for one’s heritage, and people indulge in their own cultures and honour their traditions’ current and past. ( combined with the mother trend running the curve at the time, which is the minimalistic sensibility ) While the influence of different cultures grows over pop culture (dance styles and music, food and more, over platforms like tiktok), and culture in general grows more tied to marketing identities, more people channel of a smooth blend of multiple influences that can show through play in accents, and colours, shapes and accessories (for the cooler or worse).
Besides fashion and identity performance, traces of gen x soft club show up in the recent rise of trendy house and jungle music or what feels like city/ fashion music. Troye Sivan’s “ Rush” (the video of which was very gen x soft club, with a palette of sober reds, browns, mud greens and lomo colours, the signature bluish filter seen in most of the music videos back then, a loft, and very urban social scapes) , Kylie Minogue’s “Tension”, XG’ s “TGIF”, an array of Kpop comebacks like Somi’s “Fast Forward” , Everglow’s “SLAY” are testament to the comeback of club spirit, into pop.
Adjacently, vibey “easy listening” music, or bar music have also been trending, boosted by aiding ambient reels, like the ones where you choose which interior setting you’d nap the hardest in, or the reels that blew up “thisisberloiz” (blending lofi house and jazz, and playing it over aesthetic scenes from movies) and increasing playlists directly associated with these aesthetics on youtube and Spotify.
The Alt scene much more directly references the aesthetic, like fifi Zhang’s “So Beautiful, So Lonely” , every music video by group Strange Ranger, artist nourished by time, “T + Tik Tak Tok” by Silica Gel featuring So!YoON! and “Bad” by So!YoON!are a few very sparse examples.
During the course of the 90s, multiculturistic imagery and minimalist moods seeped through, inspired by the interconnectivity and cultural exchange, as well as the thrills of the dawning future that the internet first brought about, Jiana from Venusstadt explains [(globalism and its aesthetics: part one” (2023)]. In 2023, in a post ironic, snake biting its own tail circle, we turn back to the aesthetic of Gen X soft club as it holds that futuristic element keeping it timeless, while allowing us to also, mature in the gratifying of our yearning to indulge in nostalgic moods.
References
- Collins, Evan. “Gen-X Soft Club” Are.na, https://www.are.na/evan-collins-1522646491/gen-x-soft-club. [Accessed 10 May 2023]
- Hilton, Sloane. “Gen X Young/Adult Contemporary and Soft Club” Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/groups/418594138476027. [Accessed 10 May 2023]
- Leitch, Luke. “Body Enlightenment: Prada Frees the Man Inside the Menswear” Vogue Runway. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2024-menswear/prada. [Accessed 11 May 2023]
- Leitch, Luke. Vogue Runway. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2024-menswear/loewe. [Accessed 11 May 2023]
- Criales-Unzuela, Jose. SPRING 2024 MENSWEAR, Vogue Runway. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2024-menswear/courreges. [Accessed 27 June 2023]
- Verner, Amy. SPRING 2024 READY-TO-WEAR, Vogue Runway. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2024-ready-to-wear/row [Accessed 27 June 2023]
- Remsen, Nick. SPRING 2024 MENSWEAR, Vogue Runway. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2024-menswear/032c. [Accessed 30 June 2023]
- Leitch, Luke. SPRING 2024 MENSWEAR, Vogue Runway. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2024-menswear/erl [Accessed 30 June 2023]
- Leith, Luke. SPRING 2024 MENSWEAR, Vogue Runway. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2024-menswear/j-w-anderson#review [Accessed 30 June 2023]
- globalism and its aesthetics: part 1, 2023. [user generated content Youtube]. Venusstadt. 28 April 2023. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku3lHHjLh4g [Accessed 1 June 2023]
- globalism and its aesthetics: part 2, 2023. [user generated content Youtube]. Venusstadt. 26 May 2023. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUXlJUV7V8A [Accessed 1 June 2023]
