How to Utilise Trends & Stay True to Your Personal Style
Retro Peepers Commercial Shoot; Photography by me, Kat Hannon
One of the great things about being a creative is that you are constantly searching for inspiration to spark your creativity. Looking out for trends can really help to capture your imagination and aid you in coming up with new ideas for your next project.
Nowadays, we live in a world of trends and fashions which change every other week. Of course, this is a good thing because it means that you always know what’s current and you always have a constant stream of creativity to dip into when you’re feeling lost or uninspired.
However, there is certainly a right way to approach trends when you’re working in the creative industries like photography…
What’s Trending Right Now?
As you will already know, trends change every day. With the rise of video marketing, Tiktok, Instagram reels and other digital platforms, we see that trends come and go in the form of fashion, music, soundbites and aesthetics.
There are a bunch of trends that are floating around right now, but one of my favourites is the concept of a ‘material girl’; this has been huge on platforms like Tiktok where you can see an endless stream of videos featuring 90s and early 2000s fashion to the sound of Madonna singing: “we are living in a material world and I am a material girl”. The material girl concept seems to be intrinsically linked to femininity and the stereotypical ‘girly’ look incorporating fluffy cardigans, long pink eyelashes, butterfly earrings, colourful make-up looks and sparkly accessories that glitter in the light. Not only does this style take you back to a mishmash of looks from the 80s, 90s and 00s, but the whole aesthetic is characterised by the concept of ‘more is more’ rather than ‘less is more’; the entire look is shown to be expensive and vintage all at the same time- think Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan.
This trend has also been seen in various fashion magazines like Harper’s Bazaar where they recently showcased an editorial by Caleb & Gladys depicting Coco Rocha. Rocha is photographed in a series of luxury outfits with lavish accessories which show her to be embracing the colourful, sparkle driven features of the material girl look. Caleb & Gladys also capture a hint of Twiggy in Coco with the heavy make-up on her eyes and the cutesy playsuits and dresses that give off that rebellious teenage girl mystique.
The thing that’s especially interesting about this trend is that it promotes the ideas of materialism, vanity and femininity, but in a way that is somewhat empowering. It’s as though millennial women are reclaiming their right to be as girly and narcissistic as they like, because they can. Given that these are traits we don’t usually celebrate, you might be thinking that this comes across in a way that is a little off putting, but actually it has the opposite effect. This lavish self-love seems to say that you can be exactly who you want to be and you should ignore all the haters. We have misconceptions about people’s character based on the way they present themselves, but the material girl look is telling us to embrace of feminine beauty, have fun and do what we want.
How Can Trends Help Inspire Creativity?
Trends are good for a few reasons. Firstly, they help you to keep track of what people are talking about which is important when marketing yourself no matter what industry you are in. Just because you see a trend doesn’t mean you should hop on it for the sole purpose of impressing others, but it can give you more guidance on the hot topics and discussions that are happening so that you can voice your own opinion on the subject.
Secondly, trends are a good tool for brainstorming new ideas when you are feeling mentally drained or you are experiencing a creative block. Seeing how other people in your industry are interpreting trends can help to kindle your imagination and get your creative juices flowing.
How Can Trends Impact Your Own Personal Style?
The one downside about following trends is that it can deter you from your own tastes and style. We are all guilty of people pleasing, and sometimes, going along with exactly what everybody else is doing can lead to you losing yourself a little bit. Whenever you take inspiration from a trend, make sure you don’t lose sight of what you love. Only use the style if it is relevant to your work and you feel truly inspired by it, otherwise it becomes about popularity rather than authenticity.
Also remember that you can be a trend setter rather than a follower. Sticking to doing what you love and niching up always leads you down a path which is better suited to your personality. It might sound like a cliché, but if you stay true to yourself, it often results in more success and happiness in the long run. Keep creating the things that inspire you and, one day, you will wake up and realise that you’ve started a whole new trend without even meaning to!
How To Make A Trend Your Own
So, ultimately, there are ups and downs to trends when you are working in the creative industries, but you just need to know how to use them. The best way to use trends without losing your personal style, is to interpret rather than copy. This means if you find a trend that you love the look of, put your own spin on it rather than following the crowd. The sign of a successful, trend-inspired project is when you can still your own personal style shining through, despite outside influence.
It’s all about turning a trend on its head and making it into something completely different and unexpected; people loves things that stand out, so don’t be afraid to make your mark.
What are you waiting for? Go set some trends!
If you are looking for a photographer to creatively direct a project or shoot you are planning, please feel free to get in touch with me at contact@kathannon.com or fill out the contact form on my website.
