If you’ve perused social media recently, chances are, you’ve seen this micro trend dominating your feeds.
Avant-basic is for lovers of effortless vintage. According to digital magazine Clothes and Water, avant-basic patterns are,
“reminiscent of the psychedelic styles of the 1960s. Renowned for its simple geometrics, florals and optic prints, the 1960’s was an age of expression which borrowed its inspiration from abstract art and bold colour pallets and patterns of the 1970s.”
The 1960s-1970s saw a popularisation of geo-print separates. These ideas are reworked to create the avant-basic framework. It provides a tone of nostalgia, often finished with a pair of geometric slides.
In December 2020, writer Emma Hope Allwood coined the style name.
i hereby christen this style: avant basic pic.twitter.com/1NO3DxzkfO
— Emma Hope Allwood / EHA (@emmahopeall) December 22, 2020
“It’s algorithm fashion…. quirkiness in the age of mechanical reproduction… vintage without the effort… if summer from 500 days of summer was an insta gal with a mullet.”
Avant-garde patterns are paired with not-so-avant-garde styling. A TikTok from fashion blog @rag.reporrt explained,
“The clothes are different, but so many people wear them, and they all look the same.”
Fast Fashion
The intention of avant-basic is to prevent the overpopulation of fast-fashion styles from filling up consumer’s wardrobes. Though avant-basic is now one of the most mainstream aesthetics amongst influencers, not everyone can pull the style off. In a common fashion world paradox, ethical sources mean steeper prices. In a standard industry response, these styles are being reproduced at fast fashion outlets, for example at mega retailers such as H&M and Shein. Fast fashion companies are those who mass produce on-trend items as cheaply as possible.
Founded in 2008, Nanjing-based Shein is aimed squarely at Gen Z. It appeals to young shoppers via Instagram and TikTok influencers. It’s heavy on promotional discount codes. Clothing comes in price-wise at less than half of a Zara equivalent, according to Societe Generale. They also upload new products online into the hundreds every week.
Lisa Says Gah
One shop is almost entirely responsible for this entire micro trend— Lisa Says Gah.
Stocking brands which include Paloma Wool, House of Sunny and dozens of other similar collections, it also features an in-house line, Lisa Says Gah. It’s truly the it-brand of the moment.
“I hadn’t seen a single brand adored so vehemently by so many wealthy white women since I was a middle schooler walking among a sea of Abercrombie,” Abby Jones wrote on the blog TrueSelf.com.
Source: intheknow.com
New collections brought forward by Lisa Says Gah are typically designed and released with sustainability in mind. Lisa Says Gah boasts ethical practices, from packaging to fabrication.
“In contrast to the Everlane-core blandness that has become associated with ‘sustainable fashion’ — earth tones, wardrobe staples, an overall air of minimalism — the clothes sold by Lisa Says Gah are anything but boring.”
Source: intheknow.com
For a cheaper alternative, Shein has got you covered. That’s if sustainability’s not at the top of your priority list.
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