The taste for academic styles has experienced an unexpected upheaval across recent FW22 shows. Infused with distinctly rebellious undertones, designers have incorporated fashion narratives around study halls, libraries and cafeterias. The college look resonates youthful and timeless ideas, yet the somber feel of the season – facing realities of crisis and war – is adding a subversive edge to the classic prep theme. Academic Grunge allows cliques and peer-groups to visually identify as a youth that fully returns to universities and schools, while the world is in a troubled state.

Accelerated by the returns of Gossip Girl, Euphoria and other high school series, a #DarkAcademia aesthetic has been popping-up across social media and trickled down on to the runways. From sets of pleated skirts and boxy blazers to more slouchy sweaters and masculine shirts, the scholastic style feels more casual than established prep aesthetics now. With grunge culture being rooted in the 2000s , it suits the Y2K  fashion choices across Millenial cohorts. For FW22, classic polo collars and classic prints are accompanied by baggy pants and mini hemlines to recreate this distinct 00s teenage feel.