ARE YOU SLEAZY?
Have you been itching to party like EFFY STONEM recently? Reminiscing on ALEX TURNER’S infamous valentine’s love letter to ALEXA CHUNG? Wanting to scream to SKY FERREIRA in your bedroom? No fear – there’s an INDIE SLEAZE revival in the air.
ABy MIA LAMBDINlthough only given a title in early 2021, “indie sleaze” was a phenomenon from the mid noughties to the start of the 2010’s, inspired by indie guitar music and a sense of pretentiousness, yet the trend fizzled out as “hipster” started to become too mainstream.
Alexa Chung, Cory Kennedy and Sky Ferreira are just some of the trailblazers leading the style, all photographed by Mark Hunter – also known as ‘the Cobrasnake’. His infamous candid shots of celebrity nightlife showed influential figures showcasing the indie sleaze style, described as a culmination of the ‘scene’ and ‘twee’ trends – with American Apparel items, thrifted yet preppy clothes, messy makeup and cigarettes being the standard look. Power couples of the time like Pete Doherty and Kate Moss, as well as Alex Turner and Alexa Chung were photographed at Glastonbury –clad in cropped leather jackets and band tees whilst infamous ‘Skins’ character Effy Stonem was shown clubbing on TV.
The revival of indie sleaze can pay thanks to the shortening of trend cycles and the subsequent reintroduction of a range of Y2K trends in the past few years. The style was originally recognised and named by TikTok trend forecaster Mandy Lee, and further promoted by the Instagram account “indiesleaze”, who posts nostalgic point-and-shoot images of sleazy trendsetters daily – it seems there is now a Y2K trend for unconventional crowd. The recent comeback could also be attributed to the use of vintage, blazers, loose knitwear and tweed being used by designer brands and seen on the runways towards the late 2010’s.
It's been noted that at the time of it’s conception, indie sleaze was a reaction to the optimism surrounding Obama’s presidency – the economy had crashed and followers of the trend utilised thrifting as an alternative way of fashion and created a completely new subculture. This makes sense as to why the trend has made a comeback so soon – in a postpandemic era that is overwhelmed by TikTok and the abundance of micro-labels that come with every variation of aesthetic to follow, the most subversive thing to do is take on a carefree attitude and blend the line between trendy and tacky. The candidness associated with the indie sleaze era due to Hunter’s infamous photography mirrors that of the emergence of ‘photo-dumps’ on Instagram and the success of new social media platform BeReal – sharing a less curated and stylised portrayal of yourself to others is a key aspect of indie sleaze. Thrifting unconventionally in a retro clothes-clashing way subverts the recent trend of Depop sellers buying cheap and marketing whatever they find as ‘vintage’, then charging triple the price paid for the item. Dressing cheap and for yourself to have a messy night out with friends subverts the Metaverse and spending a portion of your life in a headset – indie sleaze at its core is about authenticity, something fashion trends need more of in 2023.
'sharing a less curated and stylised portrayal of yourself to others is a key aspect of indie sleaze.'