Back in 2004, students were very different from students today. From things like social changes, new technology and getting used to the “new normal.” Yet, students are all somewhat very similar. 

Fashion and attire is something that has changed and grown since ‘04. From the low rise jeans, and dresses over jeans were very popular outfit choices. Students have progressed since the Y2K era, whether that would be in attire or as people. 

The Y2K era covers the late ‘90s and the early-to-mid-2000s. When the internet was young, and had not flourished as much as it has today.

As for students now, fashion has influenced students in ways more than just attire.

“I’d say fashion to me means showing your personality and taste through clothes. To me it’s not about ‘what’s trending,’ it’s about the style I truly feel comfortable and confident in,” Emily Domingue ‘23 said.

When it comes to distressed fashion, Nicole Gomez ‘24 is anything but new to it.

“Fashion is a form of expression to me. For me, it’s a way to show who ‘I’ am and I feel internally in a bold way. I feel more comfortable with myself,” Gomez said.

Inspiration is something that you have to encapsulate from not only yourself, but from others too. 

“I feel like I draw inspiration from pretty much everything. I’ll see stuff like a mannequin or art and be drawn to it,” Karla Diaz ’22, the co-president of the Fashion Club, said.

How is fashion from back then and now similar and different?

Fast fashion also plays a role in student attire. Getting the trendiest clothes, which are mass produced all across the globe. It’s questionable due to labor in third world countries.

“I think trends are similar in the sense that everything has come back; for instance, baggier clothes or even distressed clothing. It’s all the same but it’s also just more modern. I feel like it’s different in the sense that it’s more attainable so it’s faster to produce. Therefore it’s a bit questionable,” Diaz said.

Gomez added that fashion has slowly grown bolder over the years. 

“In early years people were more neat and conservative with their attire, then it slowly grew more into creativity. People became more comfortable with expressing themselves in the form of their clothing styles. Fashion now has been more open than ever to people expressing their culture, to just using it as a form of art,” Gomez said.

Trends come and go… but what are some personal favorite and popular trends of the Y2K era?

“My most favorite fashion trend would have to be the rise of alternative fashion in the ‘90s. This certain subculture really stands out to me because it came from people who didn’t feel like others,” Gomez said.

Micro-trends always differentiate, especially for teens in this day and age. 

“My most favorite trend would have to be the 2000’s alternative pop. I love lace-up flare jeans and I love the low-rise baggy jeans look.” Domingue said. “Fashion, then and now, are definitely similar because the past is what inspired the style today. The 2000’s emo/alternative, Y2K and streetwear has come back.” 

Students can express themselves and how they feel with their clothing. It can be dark, light, bold, even sometimes crazy. Through it all, some students are comfortable with using fashion as a form of expression, and others aren’t. But finding themselves through what they’re passionate about is what matters most.

Correction: The digital version of this article misspelled the interviewee’s given name. She is Emily Domingue, not Emily Duane.