Hyper-real Identities.

The Louis Vuitton and David Sims collaboration of recent runway shows, have taken us back into adolescent years during the 90s. The beauty and impermanence of the teenage years, which comes with rebellion and experimentation, feels especially contemporary as the current youth is enabled to get out and live, ironically dressed in grungy 90s and 00s vintage wardrobes again. As mixing the digital and physical world became fundamental over the past years, photorealism that was once associated with the world of digital is now becoming a symbol for the physical 3-dimensional reality. With faces being hidden for so long beneath safety masks, portrait prints restore and even augment our human identity. They speak louder, in high-definition, aiming to be seen.

These nostalgic prints of the youth, as seen in Louis Vuitton, Palm Angels and Loewe, stand out full of life again. While some re-establish the hyper-real and fungible world that still exists around us, despite the metaverse and avatar-mania of today, others are reminiscent of millenial band tees and their old-school charm. Experimenting with edgy all-over placements, collage-effects against colored backdrops or augmented color enhancements will translate the desired teenage spirit that is full of creativity and experimentation onto shirts, sweaters and even dresses. While the trend remains an early sign across the market, with more daring interpretations across niche brans, the ideas surrounding identity and the much-needed ease of youth are set to speak to more commercial cohorts as well.