How long does a fashion style last? This question is a common one for designers, consumers and style freaks everywhere, as the average person just looking to buy clothing will ask this question at least once. Fashion styles are popular for many decades before they become obsolete or fall out of fashion entirely, so how long does a fashion style last? The answer to this question can be quite different depending on the designer, the style and also how much time you want to spend researching and studying a particular style. Some designers and brands can still create new, cutting edge designs that will not go out of fashion for years to come, while others, due to the limited shelf life of their designs, will go out of fashion quickly.
The fall of a fashion style doesn’t always mean that the whole trend is dying out, although most fashion experts do notice a rather steady decrease in the longevity of fashion styles. The return of a fashion style doesn’t always mean that previous fashions are repeating themselves either, although recent fashion trends do seem to suggest that fashion styles are indeed repeating themselves. The question then becomes, how long does a fashion style last? Generally speaking, fashion styles usually last about one year, though some styles, such as the accepted minimalism of the 80’s, may last several more years. Many fashion styles have been worn by people throughout the history of mankind, so the average fashion style that you see worn today probably has been worn before and probably will be worn tomorrow.
How long does a fashion style last depends largely on how much time and effort a designer, manufacturer and/or audience have invested in the creation and/or the continuation of the trend. If a new, untested trend begins to spread rapidly across the country and world, designers, manufacturers and/or audiences will react with shock and disapproval, often in the name of tradition or culture, at the thought of the rapid popularity of a new trend. Unfortunately, many new fashions do not survive this kind of reaction and die out completely, even if they were once popular. Fashion styles that die out quickly usually lack the staying power to become a lasting trend, because there is not enough interest in them among the masses. When a fashion style becomes popular, it usually remains popular for several years until fashions in the opposite direction to begin to gain momentum and become popular again.