‘Normcore,’ the hipster trend du jour spotted by NY Mag’s The Cut blog, is all about ironically wearing mom jeans, baggy fleece pullovers and training shoes. You know, basically dressing the way carpool parents have dressed since time immemorial.
The trend forecasting company K-Hole, (arguably the source of the term, according to The Cut) wrote in a recent publication of its Youthmode trend report: “In Normcore, one does not pretend to be above the indignity of belonging. Normcore moves away from a coolness that relies on difference to a post-authenticity coolness that opts in to sameness.”
So is Normcore post-cool? Is it so uncool that’s it’s cool? Are we uncool for asking these questions? Many wags reliably took to Twitter to joke about the phenomenon — including a couple of major brands and even teen fashionista Tavi Gevinson. A few highlights:
“Normcore” is now a thing; everybody just go naked
— Tavi Gevinson (@tavitulle) February 27, 2014
my favorite part of normcore are these 455$ jorts https://t.co/ka5RonVZ7R pic.twitter.com/02qEUwF4Gj
— nathanjurgenson (@nathanjurgenson) February 26, 2014
IS KHOL’S RISING STOCK PRICE THE RESULT OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF #NORMCORE?
— bassdrop crinklesnit (@dan2600) February 28, 2014
It didn’t take long for brands to latch onto the buzz for some real-time marketing. For some, like The Gap, it was a perfect opportunity to play along:
Red Vines went so far as to stage a photo of a ‘normcore’ looking dude (is that what an employee of Red Vines looks like?) along with a promoted tweet:
Eddie Bauer even replied to a Digiday editor to say that they were otherwise engaged sponsoring a Mt. Everest assent:
Dockers out-Normcored everyone with this tweet about trending topics:
Though, not every brand was on the lookout. A retweet by The Cut from photographer Amy Lombard clearly mentions and showcases MuscleMilk, though the brand, which hasn’t tweeted in four days, has yet to respond:
Elsewhere on the Internet, budding entrepreneurs are also looking to develop their own brands to capitalize on the trend:
More in Marketing
With the rise of the chief AI officer, it’s time to examine ‘czar’ culture
Even if it’s a familiar pattern — hot new thing, new C-Suite exec to tackle said thing, a few years go by and that C-Suite position no longer exists as everyone is now doing said thing (or it was a fad that has since faded away) — does it make sense for businesses to continue to appoint new czars with every new trend?
Why Cava’s bid for brand awareness means prioritizing streaming ads
Fast-casual restaurant chain Cava has been in growth mode over the past year and is leaning into streaming ads in an effort to boost brand awareness.
A history of middle manager stress: The Return podcast, season 3, episode 1
In episode one, McKinsey partner Emily Field tells us more about why middle management is critically important to the workforce.