How clothing trends affect your identity

As clothing brands and social media trends converge on increasingly similar silhouettes, colours, and aesthetics, fashion is beginning to feel visually uniform. Instead of reducing individuality, this sameness has shifted identity from clothing itself to how we style and present ourselves online.

Photo Credits: Neural Fashion

Every time you go on a shopping spree, you may notice that all clothes look the same. Fast fashion brands converge on similar colour palettes, silhouettes, and aesthetics, so you can play around and create your own style while still staying in the loop of trends

Here, I want to bring up the issue of the inauthenticity of identity.

Fashion brands are increasingly producing similar clothing based on viral TikTok aesthetics and runway trends. This creates a more uniform fashion market, where consumers are encouraged to buy into pre-made identities rather than develop their own personal style.

Trendy identity aesthetics include Clean and Vanilla girl, Y2K, and Quiet Luxury aesthetics, which you can find on TikTok, Instagram and even Facebook.

All clothes look the same

The rise of algorithm-driven fashion trends has led many brands to homogenise their products, reducing individuality and encouraging consumers to express their fashion identity through trend participation rather than personal style.

I am not going to lie, I’m a victim of the Clean Girl aesthetic whenever I go out. Because it makes me feel socially accepted. Saves me from the awkward looks on people’s faces.

I go to Bershka, Hollister and all those mall brands you see in your local shopping centre. As a 24-year-old Gen Z woman, a trends fanatic, I end up buying nothing because everything looks the same.

So what are these brands trying to promote? From what I’ve seen, Algorithm-driven fashion trends have made these brands more uniform, encouraging people to express identity through trends rather than personal style.

From the sculpting crew necks to low-rise baggy jeans. To some extent, you see it everywhere in the same, exact colourss

These brands define the trends by creating limited options for shoppers to create their personal style.

Birkenstock reported a 16 per cent rise in revenue in fiscal 2025. Tapestry, parent company of Coach, said net sales jumped 13 per cent year-over-year last quarter. Significantly, of the 2.2 million new customers it added globally during that period, 35 per cent were Gen Z.

Meanwhile, Hollister, owned by Abercrombie & Fitch, outperformed its parent label in the most recent quarter.

According to chief executive Fran Horowitz during a November earnings call, Hollister’s same-store sales climbed 15 per cent year-over-year.

Expression of personal style is not expressed the way it needs to be.

How is your identity affected

There is an underlying issue in our society where fashion negatively affects our personal identity.

1. Identity becomes externally shaped

People often use clothes to express personality, values, culture, or creativity. If everyone buys the same trend-led styles, identity becomes shaped by social media rather than self-expression.

2. Pressure to conform

Trends like “vanilla girl,” “clean girl,” or “old money aesthetic” create visual standards people feel pressured to follow in order to seem attractive, relevant, or socially accepted.

3. Consumption replaces creativity

Instead of styling unique combinations, people are encouraged to purchase entire curated aesthetics.

4. Short-term identities

TikTok trends move fast, so identity expression becomes temporary and disposable rather than authentic or lasting.