How TikTok Is Fostering A New Generation Of Fashion Archivists

Book cover use of this asset requires approval. Please contact your Account Representative. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Guy Marineau/Condé Nast/Shutterstock (11822611v) Vivienne Westwood Fall 1993 RTW runway show. Naomi Campbell Vivienne Westwood Fall 1993 RTW, London, UK – Mar 1993

Secondhand luxury shopping has never been more mainstream. Credit a rising interest in sustainability or the increase in pandemic-fueled online shopping, but thrifting for designer pieces has reached an entirely new pitch.

And within that world, a specific trend has emerged: archival fashion — pivotal pieces in fashion history, such as Vivienne Westwood’s corset, Raf Simons’ bomber jacket, and early 2000s John Galliano-designed Dior. This isn’t just any old vintage shopping. These are pieces that have helped solidify designer careers and are highly sought after. Though wily collectors long knew to sniff out archival pieces, more and more casual shoppers are joining their ranks. Increasingly, they’re broadcasting their finds on TikTok using #ArchiveFashion.

Over the last two years, the Gen Z-beloved platform has allowed budding fashion archivists and fans of fashion history to find a community where they can learn, trade tips, and show off their closets. Unlike marketplaces like eBay, TikTok allows users to have a direct line to interact with each other in a candid way. As a result, the #ArchiveFashion tag has over 14 million views. Whether it’s sharing knowledge about archival fashion (i.e. rare Prada bags from the 1990s) or showing viewers where to find pieces, what to buy, and why to buy them, archival fashion enthusiasts have built a thriving community on the platform.

Twenty-three-year-old Landon Annoni is leading the pack, with over 94,000 followers. The Californian collects and archives fashion from musicians and pop culture icons. It all started when Annoni bought his first archival piece in the year 2016: a chiffon horse-printed top that Stevie Nicks wore during the Buckingham Nicks tour, as well as on Fleetwood Mac’s first tour with Lindsey Buckingham in 1975. Since then, Annoni has collected the Gareth Pugh costume that Lady Gaga wore to the 2013 Artpop album release party and the dress that Harris Reed made for Harry Styles’ Vogue cover shoot, among others. 

@landonsarchive

Anyone @stevienicks fans out there? 🎩 ##fleetwoodmac ##stevienicks ##fashion ##1970s ##70s ##music ##hippie ##myjob ##icon ##fyp ##foryoupage ##foryou ##iownit ##f

♬ original sound – Landon’s Archive

“All the pieces I have are one-of-a-kind, and [as] there are over 15,000 outfits I have amassed, I can’t even choose a favorite,” says Annoni. “The video that people have reacted to the most would be the BTS ‘Life Goes On’ music video outfits! The BTS Army was flipping out that I owned those. They were so happy to see they were being taken care of, which made me feel good about what I do.”

Annoni started posting on TikTok purely to share how he was archiving clothing, but he has since found a niche community eager to have conversations about the craft of collecting. “There are definitely TikTokers that archive some amazing couture pieces,” he says. “TikTok is different from any other platform because they push [your content] to certain audiences to fit what you do. You get to meet and interact with new people every day, which I really enjoy.”

Fellow collector and Sacramento, California resident Ryan Kwong, 26, posts videos featuring pieces from his closet including Haider Ackermann FW14 reversible silk bombers, Raf Simons AW17 disturbed knit cardigans, and Balenciaga FW17 square-toe harness boots. 

@rottenclosetryan

The Haider heads will know what this beauty is. Wow. ##haiderackermann ##archive ##archivefashion ##fyp ##grailed ##grails ##haul ##mensfashion

♬ t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l – WILLOW

“Instagram was failing me as a platform, and honestly, I just wanted to have fun posting content without feeling the pressure of being conventionally ‘cool,’” says Kwong, who runs his own fashion brand.

For many, posting about archive fashion is deeply personal, as content creators tell stories about what they wear and why. Ari Avi, 27, a retail buyer from New York, posts videos of some of her most treasured pieces, from brands like Simone Rocha, Comme des Garcons, and Undercover. In one of her videos, she wonders aloud if what she does counts as “archiving” or simply “being a shopaholic.” 

“Like many others during the pandemic, I was completely consumed by TikTok,” she explains. “I was mostly watching funny videos with nostalgic references and cooking, and I barely saw fashion videos. If I did, it wasn’t quite my same wavelength.” 

In the early days of the pandemic, Avi remembered looking up hashtags for Undercover and Sacai on TikTok, but only finding sneakers rather than runway-focused content. Later, a video about Japanese designer label Hysteric Glamour showed up on her For You Page (TikTok’s version of the Explore or Discover page), and it inspired her to post a Comme des Garçons one.

@ariannasclosetarchive

my first ##margiela ##maisonmargiela ##tabi ##margielatabi from AW14 🖤 ##fashion ##closettour ##tabiboots ##TikTokGGT ##archivefashion

♬ Rhinestone Eyes – Gorillaz

Part of the appeal of archive fashion on TikTok is that it’s educational. There aren’t very many platforms where you can hear people who buy unique fashion pieces talking about them casually and in such an open way — many of these people say how much they paid or how they found these pieces, embodying a transparency that was until recently unheard-of in the world of collecting.

“Initially, I just wanted to share my collection because I’m really passionate about it… but as I posted more videos, more people started asking me questions and I thought, I can use my platform to help others develop their own collections,” she explains. Avi often talks about where and when she bought things, and tries to encourage others to search on the secondhand market for pieces they love — often without having to pay the original retail prices. 

“It took me around eight years to curate my collection, which may be surprising to some, but it really takes time to find the right pieces,” she says. “My mom always told me patience is a virtue, but I never thought it would apply to finding vintage Prada.”

Londoner Millie Adams, 23, who runs Studded Petals Vintage, posts items she sells, from knee-high Dior boots to Versace Fall 1994 leather jackets, as well as finds she intends to keep for her personal archive. Her most viral video (780k views) is of her unveiling a 1980s Christian Dior wedding dress (which she bought when she was “very, very single”). The rarest piece in her collection is a museum-quality 1988 Vivienne Westwood gold corset.

@studdedpetals

The rarest piece we’ve ever had…Vivienne Westwood 1988 corset ##archivefashion ##viviennewestwoodcorset ##viviennewestwood ##unboxing ##fyp

♬ Peaches – Justin Bieber

“I’ve always had a love of high fashion and especially appreciate pieces from the ‘90s, so getting into the vintage resale business was a natural progression and a great way to fulfill my love of these items without hoarding just for myself,” Adams reasons. “I love to share my rare finds with everyone and I love knowing they’re going to other fans of archive fashion.”

For some, archive fashion is a way to interact with other fans around the world who they wouldn’t necessarily encounter in real life. Avi even connected with a childhood friend she once went on a cruise with and a neighbor who turned into a great friend on the platform. 

“In the beginning, I didn’t see very many TikTok creators [focused on archive fashion], but after I started posting, the For You Page showed me so many different people worldwide with amazing collections and style,” she says. “Before, I wasn’t really trying to show off my collection on Instagram, I was just wearing my clothes. On TikTok, however, I wanted to fill a gap in content I hadn’t really seen, and wanted to show a different facet of fashion.”

At the end of the day, the fact that an item is rare or designer is beside the point. “The outfits are often outrageous, memorable, and larger-than-life,” says Annoni. “Connecting an outfit to a specific song or point in your life and being able to own and hold it is a feeling I cannot describe.”

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Why Are We So Obsessed With “Ugly” Shoes? Psychologists Weigh In

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 01: Suzan Mutesi is seen wearing Crocs shoes with Jibbitz charms at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2021 on June 1, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt Jelonek/WireImage)

After depriving myself of any opportunity to spend money on things that weren’t absolutely unnecessary for about a year, I finally decided to break my “nothing new” shopping approach and purchase the absolute ugliest pair of Crocs I could find: Realtree Baes, a platform version of the brand’s traditional clog covered in camo print. They arrived at my door a week later, and I haven’t taken them off since.

I’m certainly not alone in my newfound love of “ugly” footwear. While many people scoff at some of the latest shoe styles — Bottega Veneta’s Puddle Boots, Christopher Kane’s Z-Coil sandal, Balenciaga’s many styles of Crocs, etc. — many more are taking out their credit cards. 

“Ugly fashion attracts attention because it is different,” explains Carolyn Mair, Ph.D., a cognitive psychologist who specializes in fashion. We tend to ignore “normal” or average objects since we know how to process them, she says, but we pay more attention to complex or unusual objects — ugly shoes included. 

By drawing the viewer’s attention, she adds, ugly fashion becomes fascinating. “It may be considered aesthetically unpleasing,” she says, “but it’s this exact feature that appeals to others… Wearing something different that draws attention could be interpreted as risk-taking, which may be perceived as exciting, adventurous, and fun.” 

PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 10: Alejandro Acero wears neon yellow / green rain “Puddle” rubber ankle boots from Bottega Veneta – Made with Biodegradable Polymer, with a Monobloc Chelsea boot design upper, and bulky rounded toe, on May 10, 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)

Iterations of conventionally unattractive shoes have been making waves in fashion for years. Christopher Kane debuted Crocs for his Spring 2017 runway collection back in September 2016, followed a year later by the first Balenciaga x Crocs collaboration in October 2017. Dad sneakers (or grandpa sneakers) have risen in popularity in the street style circuit, with shoes like the Fila Disruptor and Balenciaga Triple S becoming cult favorites amongst fashion’s elite. And let us not forget we’ve entered the Golden Age of clogs, with many designers putting their own spin on the clunky footwear that was once the province of Dutch field workers and Brooklyn moms. 

A year-plus of social distancing and time spent at home due to a global pandemic has only given further rise to the popularity of ugly-yet-comfy footwear. While going out was no longer a thing, we ditched high heels for easier-to-wear styles for our masked-up trips to the grocery store. According to online retailer Klarna, there’s been an 872% increase in searches for “Crocs” since last June, and a 391% increase in searches for “clogs.”

As far as fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen is concerned, the dearth of social interactions since early 2020 has us looking to our wardrobes to help us engage more than ever. Wearing something that may be considered a conversation piece is a way to connect. 

“If you and I have been indoors, and we haven’t had in-person interactions, going outdoors and wearing ugly footwear like the [Balenciaga] Croc stiletto will cause people to look at our feet, and they will begin to engage us,” she says. “Then we’ve gained our social points for the day.” 

Even as the world begins to open back up and many of our lives return to some sense of normalcy, ugly footwear shows no signs of slowing down. Remember Isabel Marant’s iconic Bekett sneaker from the early 2010s (which some refer to as the OG ugly footwear)? It’s back and will cost you a cool $770 per pair today. Birkenstocks and Tevas are also enjoying an extended moment of glory, thanks to designer team-ups. But while there’s no denying that we’ve become pretty obsessed with heinous shoes, the question is why? Novelty alone is not enough to explain the fact that Italian label Avavav’s unseemly finger feet boots are almost entirely sold out. 

According to Dr. Matt Johnson, founder of consumer psychology blog PopNeuro and host of the neuroscience and marketing training program Neuromarketing Bootcamp, the answer comes from the ways our choice of footwear can affect us on a deeper level. “The brands we buy and the clothes we wear have a deep impact on our mood and our behavior,” he says. “Some of this comes down to the item of clothing itself: how it feels on us, and how we think of ourselves while wearing it. We come to associate specific moods and mental states with specific items, so much so that when we put them on, we’re instantly transported into that state.”

Dr. Mair adds that this tendency to invest a garment with greater meaning is known as “essentialism,” or “an intangible property that makes an item unique.” In the case of clunky, bulbous styles like clogs, she says that some may believe them to send out a more welcoming message to others: “We tend to interpret round, curved shapes as soft, warm, and approachable, and jagged shapes as hard, cold, and potentially dangerous.” 

So is ugly footwear here to stay? According to the experts, it is. Dr. Johnson mentions that throughout the pandemic, we’ve grown accustomed to the comfort of spending time at home — and the comfortable, ugly shoes that come with that. As life begins its slow return to normal, a few nostalgists may be excitedly dusting off their towering heels, but many of us will never look back. 

“While people will ultimately ditch the sweatpants as they begin to head out into the world, the emphasis on comfort will likely remain,” Dr. Johnson says. “This may mean that traditionally uncomfortable heels may give way to more comfortable competitors.”

However, if it were only about comfort, we’d all be laced into matching Adidas Boosts. The instinct toward the ugly “comes back to differentiation,” Dr. Johnson adds. “People don’t want to just look good, they also, crucially, want to look different.” Crocs fit that bill, but they also fit another even more narrow category of items: So uncool that they’re cool. 

“It’s a confidence move to wear Crocs, as if saying, ‘I’m so cool that I can wear these ugly shoes and still be cool.’ Or better yet, ‘I’m so cool, I can make Crocs look cool, ’” posits Dr. Johnson. That stands even when there are multiple versions storming up and down the block. Though, as Dr. Karen adds, once enough other people start adopting the “ugly shoe,” it starts to shed its irony and become “pretty.” 

Whether you’re a lover or a hater, a comfort seeker or an ironic flag-waver, the ugly shoe will likely continue to grace runways, streets, and our social feeds for seasons to come. If you’ve been contemplating buying a pair of your own, there’s no better time to dip a toe in. May I suggest Crocs? 

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Katie Holmes Wore Sweatpants With The Sandals Everyone Loves To Hate

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 29: Katie Holmes is seen walking in SoHo on June 29, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

On Tuesday, Katie Holmes was spotted in SoHo looking not the least bit phased by the current heatwave in New York City. For the comfy-casual look, the Dawson’s Creek alum paired a black muscle tee with khaki-colored joggers, a matching baseball cap, and the summer shoe fashion loves to hate: Birkenstocks. Specifically: black, leather 1774 Arizona sandals with silver hardware.

This isn’t the first time the actress has worn the controversial shoe style. When she’s not wearing her go-to pair of Gucci loafers, she’s often in Birkenstocks. This same time last summer, she was seen donning the sandals on the streets of Manhattan with an LBD from Maison Mayle and a gold charm belt. In August, she wore them again, with a monochrome gray tank-jeans combo and a coral pink bag. Between then and now, she’s worn Arizona sandals with midi denim skirts and wide-leg jeans, proving that they truly are the perfect match for any warm-weather outfit. 

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 29: Katie Holmes is seen walking in SoHo on June 29, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

Holmes is joined by a long list of people that wear the German footwear brand. In the celebrity world, this year, Kaia Gerber has been spotted on more than one occasion wearing her fuzzy Arizona sandals with socks and leggings post-Pilates in Los Angeles. Ashley Olsen, Tracee Ellis Ross, Dakota Johnson, and Gigi Hadid, too, have been known to dabble in the “ugly” shoe style. 

If you haven’t already, join the ranks by shopping the Arizona sandal in all its forms, below.

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