Referencing the Reference

Can I rant a little bit? Thanks.

We reached critical mass on nostalgia a long time ago. Like anything else, the derivative nature of mainstream art is nothing new—after all, the first movies with sound were mostly remakes of silent films and many of the most classic songs people cite as examples of how much better music was in the past are covers and/or have been covered endlessly—but, in 2024, what we lack in fresh ideas, we make up for tenfold with speed. Speed to market, yes, but also speed of dissemination, of saturation, of fatigue.

It used to be fun to hear a song that sampled the song you danced to at prom or see the continuation of a universe you wanted to live in as a child or a finally wear a reissue of a design you couldn’t get your hands on the first time but after a while, you kinda can’t help but think “what’s new?”

Right now in fashion, references are all the rage. Trends come back around constantly—that’s the whole meaning of the trend cycle—but, throughout history, there’s been a spin, a twist, a renewed appreciation, a new context on what’s old: now, it just seems like they’re recreating exact pieces from our youth bar-for-bar.

Again, this is not really new. Being a vintage enthusiast means seeing plenty of pieces made in the 90s that reference the trends of 60s or the 70s, the 80s redoing the 50s and the 40s, even the 70s rehashing the Edwardian era. But, I also don’t think this is just me getting old. I think we’ve reached Peak Reference.