Buttoned to the Top!

How a single meme can kick start a fashion trend.

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What started as a funny jab at a Lily Rose Depp, turned meme, has seemingly help kick start one of the predicted fashion trends of the year. Random pop culture moments, and culture in general often aid in the emergence fashion trends.

Trench coats were a fashion trend predicted to be pretty large this year. Seen in runway collections from Gucci, Chloe, and others. As well as in stores such as H&M and house of Sunny. Trench coats have always, and in my opinion will always have a solidified position in the fashion sphere. Created in the early 1820s, they were first desined by Macintosh and Hancock. They were intially a waterproff jacket, gaining popularity in WWI, where utilitarian styles were worn by everyone due to the war, lack of materials, and other factors. This iconic coat silhouette has transcended so many eras and innovations.

I wanted to touch on how a single meme, or tiktok video can have such an indirect impact on fashion purchasing habits. In the trench coat meme, I have seen countless videos, and photos of people posting their cute trench coats, tops, and jackets, that are quite literally buttoned to the top! The wearing of trench coats will never be the same, and will forever have the funniest backstory.

Tiktok @Kayleehopbaker

Tiktok@ maisiedazey

Furthermore, taking it all the way back to 2016, when the "Damn Daniel" video first dropped, we saw his insane collection of vans. He then appeared on the Ellen show, and 'boom', all of a sudden white vans are being sold out all over the place.

Fun little videos such as these are the best sales pitches. They are so innocent, and funny, individuals find such a connection with the video itself that they will go out and purchase said item. Societal shifts and culture are the driving force of fashion. simply saying trench coats are going to be a trend in such and such season is one thing. But actually giving the consumer a larger reason to purchase one, a reason the connect with, in this case making fun of a celebrity, is another thing. Internet culture, specifically TikTok is a huge driving force in consumer purchasing behavior, and this meme has been one of the silliest examples.