TIKTOK'S
RETRO STYLE RESURGENCE
You don’t need to be one of TikTok’s one billion active monthly users to have heard of the app, or even be subject to its influence. Fashion is just one genre that has exploded on the video sharing platform since it took the social media world by storm; and with 39 billion videos of creators’ #ootd (Outfit Of The Day) content alone, it’s no surprise it has such a huge influence on the cycles of fashion. With some of TikTok’s most popular creators like Charlie D’Amelio and Emma Chamberlain finding themselves front row at runway shows, it’s clear that the app’s impact on the fashion industry is going nowhere fast.
With a 50% increase in Google searches for 70s, 80s and 90s fashion since last year, we took a deep dive into #fashiontok, to discover which decades have seen the biggest resurgence, which items we’re the most nostalgic over, and how much money you can make by selling the items you might find hidden at the back of your wardrobe. We analysed videos with more than three billion views collectively to find out which decade has the most influence on current fashion trends. We also analysed Google search data to find out which items from each period are the most highly desired, and looked at Ebay to rank the items according to their worth.
TIKTOK’S TOP FASHION DECADES
Most of TikTok’s Gen Z users were not born, let alone making their own fashion choices in these decades - but that hasn’t stopped them from causing a fierce resurgence of retro styles from long gone eras, influencing current fashion brands, and selling out online platforms of their vintage clothing.
Blowing every other decade out of the water, the 90s came out on top - with videos under hashtags such as #90sfashion and #90saesthetic amassing more than 1.79 billion views, more than double that of the next decade in the rankings.
The 80s followed, with 614 million views under its fashion related hashtags, and the noughties completed the top three, with hashtags like #00sstyle and #2000sfashion racking up 564 million views altogether.
1. 1990s
Responsible for the beloved satin slip dress and kitten heels, the 90s gave us lots to be thankful for. With the likes of Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell at the helm of fashion for this decade, it’s no real surprise to see the resurgence of our favourite 90s trends in current fashion cycles. Hashtags like #1990sfashion have pulled in over 1.79 billion views overall, filled with videos showing off plaid miniskirts, acid wash t-shirts, and baguette bags slung over shoulders.
2. 1980s
From perms and shoulder pads to leg warmers, the 80s have also seen a revival, with 80s fashion related hashtags pulling in more than 600 million views on the app, thanks to style icons like Madonna and Princess Diana shaping the fashion that we still love today. The decade was responsible for turning sportswear into streetwear, with brands like Nike making a splash among the power suits, scrunchies and leather jackets that gave the 80s its inherently iconic looks.
3. 2000s
TikTok can also be held responsible for the comeback of various noughties trends like low slung jeans, aviator sunglasses and velour tracksuits. Led by trendsetters like Beyonce, Sarah Jessica Parker, David Gandy and Pete Doherty alongside quintessential TV shows like the O.C and Gossip Girl; this decade made us all want to look like early 00s Marissa Cooper and late 00s Blair Waldorf. Combining the fashion of the late 90s with that of the early 00s, Tiktok has revived the Y2K trends that remind millennials of their tween years and has driven Gen Z’s appetite for second hand shopping and sustainable thrifting.
Asia
MOST DESIRED ITEMS OF THE 90s
1. 90s jeans - 313,500 Google searches
2. 90s sunglasses - 181,100 Google searches
3. 90s baggy jeans - 128,900 Google searches
Europe
Most Desired Items of the 80s
1. 80s jeans - 140,500 Google searches
2. 80s leg warmers - 109,500 Google searches
3. 80s jacket - 108,100 Google searches
North America
Most Desired Items of the 00s
1. 00s shoes - 2,310 Google searches
2. 00s tracksuit - 1,530 Google searches
3. 00s glasses - 1,230 Google searches
TOP 20 MOST IN DEMAND RETRO ITEMS
The 70s, 80s and 90s are the decades with the most in demand items, matching the rise in Google searches and the popularity of their respective videos on TikTok. Six of the top 20 most in demand retro items were from the 70s, another six were from the 90s and five were from the 80s.
The most in demand retro item is a 70s dress, with over 500,000 searches globally each year. A 50s dress follows closely behind, with more than 330,000 searches annually and 90s jeans round out the top three, with just over 310,000 searches each year.
Dresses and jeans are the most highly desired vintage items, both with versions from four separate decades featuring in the top 20; a dress from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, and 70s, 80s and 90s jeans/baggy jeans.
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TOP 20 MOST VALUABLE RETRO ITEMS
Claiming the highest resale value is the little 90s shoulder bag, having seen a huge resurgence on social media, on the high street and even in high fashion houses in recent years. Followed by 80s trainers and an 80s leather jacket, any one of these three items could make you more than £1,000 on average when resold on eBay, depending on how rare the item is.
Once again, the 70s, 80s and 90s are the decades in the lead - each with four or five pieces featuring in the top 20 most valuable retro items, while vintage jackets seem to earn the most when it comes to specific products, with the top 20 including five different jackets from the 50s, 60s, 80s and 90s.
1. 90s shoulder bag
Sitting pretty as the most valuable retro item is the 90s shoulder bag, fetching an average of £2,704.42 on eBay (and even more if you’re lucky enough to have a vintage Chanel lying around).
2. 80s trainers
In second place are 80s trainers, with the likes of Nike and Converse making sportswear cool enough to be worn as casualwear within the decade, and bringing in an average of £1,831.26 on eBay if you manage to find a rare pair tucked away in the attic.
3. 80s leather jacket
Completing the top three is the leather jacket, a staple item that also features in seventh place as the kindred 90s leather jacket - and bringing in an easy £1,464.74, it isn’t likely to disappear from our wardrobes anytime soon.
Style suggestion: Men’s Moto Racer Jacket and Women’s Rocker Cropped Leather Biker Jacket
4. 80s jacket
Beyond the classic leather jackets that adorned everyone’s shoulders in the 80s was perhaps the most beloved of 80s jackets - the windbreaker. Worth an average of £1,391.38 on eBay in 2022, it’s highly likely we all have one of these stashed somewhere in our homes.
Style suggestion: Women’s Running Track SD Windcheater Jacket and Men’s Hooded Polar Printed SD-Wind Attacker Jacket
5. 50s dress
Rounding up the top 5 most valuable retro items is the 50s dress, think Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. A key piece of fashion history, a 50s dress could now make you around £1,261.89.
No matter which items and decades this list might have you inspired by, whether it's an 80s leather jacket or a 70s dress, it’s always worth hanging onto some items as you never know when the trend will cycle around again. You can also visit our flagship Oxford Circus store to search for some gems in our vintage Superdry and Nike sections.
Methodology:
We compiled a list of relevant fashion hashtags for each decade, and analysed them on TikTok to rank them according to which had the most views. We also compiled a list of 140 key items from across each decade and used Google Keyword Planner to analyse the search volumes in order to rank these according to which were the most in demand. Finally, we sourced the resale prices of each of these via eBay and took the lowest and highest prices for each item to create the median price, excluding anomalies and rare items. We then ranked the items according to which ones can be resold for the most.
Note that although “Y2K” is extremely popular on TikTok, it denotes only a short period of 1999-2000 and for the purposes of this research we looked only at full decades, to allow for a fair comparison.
All data correct as of January 2022.