What’s behind basics fashion boom

“You look so chic,” a friend said as I approached him for a hug recently. I was dressed in a simple pair of calf-length, flared, black linen pants; a black crew neck sweater with an oversized, dark grey, pinstripe suit jacket, black boots and black beanie. To me, it felt like the most simple of outfits based on a personal quest to take the fuss out of getting dressed.

I’m building a capsule wardrobe that consists mainly of three colours — white, black, grey — and their many variations. I’m playing with cuts and silhouettes but trying to keep my clothing choices as simple, and basic as possible. If it’s a tee or shirt and it’s not plain white, black or grey, and crew neck, I’m not spending my money on it. 

Brands such as Good Good Good, which offers the plain tee in a variety of cuts, colours and silhouettes; Cape Town-based Artclub & Friends and NUUN; as well as Uni-Form and Superella come to mind as I think of local brands that offer the kind of simplicity I am after.

I’m not alone, it seems. A recent article from Vogue poses the question: “Have we reached peak basics?”, noting the flurry of brands “selling almost identical clothing. Whether it’s streetwear labels replacing logo-heavy items with blank, elevated essential wear”. There’s a clear trend towards pared back, minimalistic and polished fashion. 

Per the Vogue article, this “antitrend” sentiment is evident across fashion. Google Trends searches for “capsule wardrobe” have surged by 60% in the last year, and the word “uniform” is up by 40%. And check this out: the same article reports that online retailer Farfetch offers more than 1,000 cotton blouse styles, and Nordstrorm has 787 on offer. Asos has 1,627 plain tees from 157 brands and an Amazon search will yield 8,000-plus results when you search for white tees. There’s no better gauge for what’s really trending in fashion than what the buyers are putting in front of us.

The allure of simplicity

It feels like there is so much going on in the world that I’ve had to consciously find ways of amplifying simplicity in every aspect of my life, where possible. What I wear seems to be the easiest way of offloading some responsibility, and cancelling out at least some of the noise. 

It’s not just limited to how I dress. It also extends to my diet and maintaining routine. I’m simply not attracted to complex dishes or flavours at the moment, and I’m finding a lot of comfort in routine because, frankly, it feels to me like there is way too much going on everywhere I look. 

Every time I open any of my social media platforms, I’m either confronted by what appears to be global social polarisation with no end in sight. If it’s not the so-called diaspora wars on social media; it’s the xenophobia and afrophobia in the wake of Chidimma Adetshina’s entry into the Miss SA 2024 finals.

Perhaps, just like me, the people searching terms like “capsule wardrobe” and “uniform” feel drained by it all, and we have not yet moved on from the pristine promise of “quiet luxury”. This is a trend I’ve maintained will not be going away soon, even though the lightning speed of the TikTok trend cycle had many writing the pared down aesthetic’s obituary. 

Sensory overload

Social media-driven trends have a short lifespan precisely because they are not rooted in anything real beyond viral moments that are either fleeting, or specifically engineered by a smart social media strategist sitting in an office somewhere. There is so much information coming at us from every angle at almost every minute of the day. Many of us are so consistently engaged that it feels impossible to shut down. Combine this with the economic pressure many of us are feeling and you have the perfect environment for an antidote to thrive — one that favours calm.

What makes trends stick and endure in the way quiet luxury has — and I am happy to argue will continue to — is when they are rooted in a need. I’m sure many of us agree that pared down simplicity is preferable in the wake of the sensory overload we experience daily. It is the antidote to the throwaway consumerism that is finally becoming unappealing to many. 

I’m certain that increased sustainability efforts also have a lot to do with the boom in fashion basics because it’s the most accessible way for any of us to participate in sustainability as it goes mainstream, even though the choices are either limited or out of reach for most people financially. But more than anything, something soft; something clean, or “chic” as my friend puts it, feels like the best armour in these times.