One of the most popular trends in online culture is the “80s Fashion Meme” where an outfit is recreated on a model and then mocked or praised. Recently, my alma mater, Cornell University Press, has been hosting their own style of these memes and has taken them to a new level. Cornell went as far as to create an app that scanned your style meme submissions into the published 80s fashion meme website where you can see your work on other people’s works.
What the Future of 80s Fashion Meme Work Looks Like :
1. E-commerce
There are already several companies selling 80s fashion inspired clothing and accessories. There is The Jean Jacket by True Grace Apparel, the 1980’s Beanie by Ruthie Davis, the Lisa Frank Inspired Jumbo Set by Sticky Fingers, and the Midi Skirt by High Waist Apparel. Many of these items are meant to be ironic and have a tongue-in-cheek quality to them. Although many think that this 80s fashion trend is just a passing fad, if current demand for 80s inspired clothing continues then it won’t be long before more stores begin to sell them.
2. Magazines
A new magazine called Boom is being created by the young founders of the Wildfang fashion company. The purpose of this online magazine is to bring 80s culture back into fashion and is a great marketing tool to link up with other 80s inspired companies. If Boom has consistent content and grows more popular, then it will almost be a guarantee that media companies will want to merge with that format in order to stay relevant.
3. Films
Producers are no longer relying on big budget projects and instead are focusing on smaller indie films. The new indie films tend to be a lot more fun and quirky and are drawing in more fans. Sundance Film Festival, which lives up to its name, has been hosting an 80s themed film festival for years now and many of these films have been produced independently with little to no big budget.
4. Live Events
A few years ago there was a live performance of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s album “Straight Outta Lynwood.” This performance featured a costume that looked very similar to The Simpsons character Troy McClure. The costume was extremely popular and the video went viral, even reaching millions of views on YouTube. Now a musical group named “Weird Al” is touring the east coast with a show entitled “Alpocalypse” and will be performing at least seven dates in 2013.
5. T-Shirts
Many people have been discussing trends in t-shirts like the sheep, the lumberjack and even the “if you’re fat you’re better than me.” It’s interesting to see that there are so many t-shirt trends for this time span as well but many of these shirts have very vague messages. For example, if you live in San Francisco and are sick of people beeping their horns at you while driving your car, then this shirt says “I hate it when they honk. Love it when I do it.” If you live in New York and have been sick of seeing people blocking the sidewalk with their giant bags, then this shirt says “Shit Bag.”
6. Parody Sites
Other t-shirts are completely in-on-the-joke style parodies. For example, there is a parody of Morrissey, a modern British singer who tends to be quite political. This particular shirt reads: “Please don’t let this be the end Morrissey.” Or if you liked your John Oliver impersonation on Saturday Night Live, then you might enjoy this shirt featuring the actor playing John Oliver which says: “You guys know I’m not real right?”
7. Baby Onesies
There are also some baby onesies which are a bit more pathetic and include things like “80s Baby” or “Thought this was the 80s.” There is even a website called “80sBabyShirts” that sells cute baby clothes. It’s hard to see how this trend fits into the other trends, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t be part of a bigger company in the future. There is also an 80’s style baby formula container that is available for sale.
8. Hairspray Flats
Even shoes have been inspired by celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift who have created their own line of shoes. There are many different styles ranging from retro fashion to flirty business wear. Even if you are not a celebrity, you can still find these shoes online and in stores so that you can have a pair of red shoes that match your hair color or dress up your black jeans. There are also products available on Amazon like these 80s inspired flirty sneakers which are super comfortable and great for party season.
