Every clothing aesthetic conjured on TikTok comes equipped with a set lifestyle to-do list. Want to be a Clean Girl? Go to the gym at 6am, drink green juice. Quiet Luxury? Dress modestly, act conservatively. Both of which are shrouded under the guise of self-care and minimalism.
Taking it a step further, both of these aesthetics (and plenty more), come as a result of the state of the wider economic zeitgeist. On one end, there is desirability in the highly curated and aestheticised lifestyle; on the other, conservative values are creeping back in.
Fatphobia is rebranded, disordered eating is aesthetic, and elitism is at the forefront.
During times of economic recession, trends shift towards modesty and simplicity.
When the economy struggles, arts are one of the first sectors money stops funnelling into. Clothing, as an art form, reflects its context, and the lifelessness of clothing today displays that. The most topical example of this is Pretty Little Thing’s 2025 rebrand, where they shifted away from colourful, skimpy club outfits to business casual beiges and greys,
‘greiges’, if you will.
The erasure of third spaces, such as clubs, contributes greatly to this (although that’s a whole other conversation). Gone are the days of glaringly pink unicorns plastered all over the tram to Meadowhall, PLT, their new Sans Serif, ‘Old Money’ branding is here to stay.
Fans started to notice a shift prior to their rebrand this March. They spotted slimmer, whiter models as opposed to their somewhat diversified selection before this. They also noticed their adoption of ‘Clean Girl’ makeup and modest clothing (think pantsuits, sweater sets, etc.), far from what their original target market wants and the image they built their brand on.
PLT appear to be following suit of the 'Quiet Luxury' trend, however the irony is lost on them. As mentioned earlier, aesthetics involve more than just appearance, they have a whole lifestyle accompanying them. Quiet Luxury emphasises the importance of high quality fabrics, refined consumption and exclusivity. PLT’s ethos could not be further from this. Here’s what went wrong with PLTs rebrand:
Material composition, is it really “redefined luxury”?
PLT failed to touch on if their new “accessible luxury” line followed any updated ethical guidelines. The short answer is no. Focalising economic accessibility is a quick-fire way brands excuse themselves from lacking ethical practices. Remember PLT’s Black Friday sale, where everything was “up to 99% off”? They sold dresses for 8p and heels for 25p, sparking outrage amongst environmental critics and consumers alike.
With an increase in price, comes an expected increase in quality. This does not reign true for PLT, with many of their clothing products still being polyester-heavy. Polyester has an energy-intensive process, contributing to environmental harm via Co2, water pollution and its release of micro plastics. It is a non-biodegradable material and being processed through fast fashion, is not built to last.
During the intense lead-up to this rebrand (PLT unfollowed everyone except their founder, introduced a new muted colour palette and removed everything from their Instagram account) customers associated their newfound formality and appearance of luxury to mean their clothing quality would also increase. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Empowering women includes ALL women
It is not only the materials used that are concerning, it is the continued practices behind them. PLT framed their rebrand in a way that empowers every woman, with their ‘diversity’ page hosting a section on ‘Female Empowerment’ . “We’re big on the sisterhood” they write. There is added irony in that PLT, under parent company Boohoo, came under fire in 2020 for exploiting garment workers in Leicester, earning £3.50 a hour. 80% of garment workers are women, yet empowering all women doesn’t include the ones in which they are exploiting. They fail to touch on the practices used in this. Even avoiding a page on environmental promises, something even fast fashion boss SHEIN do (however, their sincerity is questionable…).
This rebrand sparked controversy for a handful of reasons, with consumers starting to see through their aforementioned lack of authenticity, and how their statements conflict with their actions. Today, modestly dressing trendy, and this rebrand and extermination of their former self highlights PLT’s assumed superiority to their past self.
Recession dressing is in, but underrepresented body types and glorifyed fast fashion is out.
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