From the trends that defined culture to the designers who made a difference, a comprehensive look back at the moments that defined 2023. 

The Shows That Mattered
Designers around the world aren’t taking anything for granted these days. This year, runway shows felt more personal, more creative and more heartfelt than pre-restriction times. A new lust for adventure took Francesco Risso to Tokyo, presenting his bold FW23 <a href="https://www.goat.com/apparel/brand/marni">Marni</a> collection to 2,000 guests alongside a live orchestra. In London, Mowalola enlisted a crew of rising creative forces to model her hypercharged seasonal collection, from Yves Tumor to artist Slawn, who came down the runway holding his newborn baby. Coperni also invited some unlikely guests to be part of its Milan presentation: robotic dogs. They nipped at garments like real canines, echoing the unforgettable drama of McQueen’s spray-painting robot in his 1999 ‘Savage Beauty’ show.
One of the most talked-about runway stagings came from <a href="https://www.goat.com/apparel/brand/prada">Prada</a> in June, where sheets of slime cascaded down from the ceiling onto the steel floor as the brand’s freedom-inspired men’s collection came down the catwalk. Also in Milan, Miuccia Prada’s other namesake house, Miu Miu, was the nexus of the corpcore trend that swept fashion this year, originating at her FW23 runway show starring Emma Corrin, Mia Goth and Ethel Cain. Sparking a flurry of social media discourse, the collection breathed new life into the drab palettes and business-casual silhouettes of office attire.
2023 was also a year of milestones, ends and new beginnings. Kim Jones celebrated five years at the helm of <a href="https://www.goat.com/brand/dior">Dior</a> men’s with a futuristic spectacle; Jerry Lorenzo presented his first Fear of God show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles; Sabato De Sarno put his minimalist stamp on Gucci after Alessandro Michele’s departure at the house; and Pharrell ushered in a new era for Louis Vuitton with his blockbuster debut in June. Demna made a show-stopping couture comeback in the summer, which saw <a href="https://www.goat.com/en-de/editorial/eliza-douglas-interview-greatest-magazine">GREATEST alum Eliza Douglas</a> wear an armored metal gown. Then, in October, Sarah Burton presented a tearful swan song collection for Alexander McQueen after 10 years at the brand’s helm. Lastly, though not technically a fashion show, it would be remiss not to mention Phoebe Philo’s pitch-perfect return to the fold in October with her namesake label, which sent the fashion sphere into a frenzy.&nbsp;

The Birth of the Microtrend
There were so many <a href="https://www.goat.com/editorial/spring-summer-2023-fashion-week-trends">trends</a> in 2023 that many have heralded this year the death of the trend itself. Instead, we saw micro-swells of blink-and-miss dressing, driven by TikTok trends which looked more closely at what teenagers were wearing in their bedrooms than what came down the runways in Paris. Nevertheless, from officecore to chefcore, blokecore to balletcore, the rise of the “weird girl aesthetic” by way of Bella Hadid, and a resurgence of emo, grunge and cowboy aesthetics—there was a moment, however brief, for all manner of style sensibilities in 2023.&nbsp;

Designers Clock in for Their 9-5
Fitted shirting, demure knits, frazzled hair and sensible suiting. Business-wear has long been the de facto uniform of glassy inner-city skyrises, but this year, boardroom attire broke out of the corporate world and into the fashion imagination with the rise of officecore. While bubbling up in collections from <a href="https://www.goat.com/brand/balenciaga">Balenciaga</a> and Off-White, a tidal wave of “<a href="https://www.goat.com/editorial/preppy-sleaze-trend-2023">smartening up</a>” was seen in many different ways in 2023. Starting on the catwalks of Miu Miu and Thom Browne, it rippled out to sightings of celebrities dressed as if commuting to 9-5s, while streetwear giants weren’t afraid to go preppy either. If 2023 had a pervading dress code, it would have to be business-casual.&nbsp;

Wake Me Up Inside
In direct contrast to the buttoned-up stylings of corpcore, another wave of nostalgia was felt in the revival of emo. The rebirth of indie sleaze awakened an appetite for chaotic 2010s dressing two years ago, and now its moodier, grungier little cousin has <a href="https://www.goat.com/en-gb/editorial/nu-metal-trend-revival">re-emerged too</a>. Layers of black, punky stripes, heavy metallic hardware and steel-capped leather boots that riffed on emo stylings were hard to miss in 2023, supplemented by more elevated pieces.&nbsp;
Data from alias’ <a href="https://www.alias.org/paper/alias-seller-report-2023">Seller Report</a> told us skinny jeans sales shot up 1269% while demand for gothic faves <a href="https://www.goat.com/apparel/brand/chrome-hearts">Chrome Hearts</a>, Hood By Air and Rick Owens hit new peaks. The trend’s particular brooding energy was embodied best by figures like gothic internet chef Gabbriette and Miami Heat basketball player Jimmy Butler. “I’m emo now. Leave me alone,” the latter stated at a conference in October, along with the reveal of his viral punky makeover.

Techwear’s New School
Gorpcore has been around for a few years now; a sporty mode of dressing which borrows its shapes from hiking attire, hewn from super-functional fabrics resistant to rain and wind. Bonus points if the garment zips up in 25 different ways. With Salomon sales up <a href="https://www.alias.org/paper/alias-seller-report-2023">120% on GOAT</a> this year, it’s a trend that has firmly set up camp. But beyond the movement’s much-adored forefathers—Arc'teryx, <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/brand/salomon">Salomon</a>, The North Face, et al—in 2023, the best tech-y fashion was created by smaller independent makers. These ranged from London-based designer Johanna Parv’s feminine takes on cyclewear—debuted at Lulu Kennedy’s Fashion East showcase this year—to Korean label Post Archive Faction’s poetic approach to the language of gorpcore.

Yes, Chef!
Since its first season in 2022, HBO’s tense kitchen comedy-drama The Bear has been nothing short of a runaway success. With Jeremy Allen White exploding into public consciousness as the series’ hot-headed lead, so too has risen an influx of kitchen staff stylings on the streets. The recipe to the chefcore look lies in an effortless, thrown-together energy—a perfect white tee with vintage jeans or workwear pants, house keys attached with a carabiner clip; baggy shorts paired with shoes you can stand in for 15 hours, like <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/brand/crocs">Crocs</a> or Birkenstocks. This person hasn't looked in the mirror to get dressed but they somehow look really great. Chefs, after all, don’t have the time to worry about curating the perfect outfit.

Luxury Turns Down the Volume
For the past few years, the luxury market has been all about excess and overt displays of wealth. Logo-mania and bolshy signature styles which could only belong to a given brand have been the norm. This year, though, luxury fashion started going stealth mode: plain ultra-soft cashmeres, accessories which only whisper of wealth and restrained shapes by way of <a href="https://www.goat.com/apparel/brand/the-row">The Row</a> and Loro Piana rose in popularity. While shows like Succession have fed into the rise of this trend, so too has a shift in consumer appetites which have seen streetwear make space for suiting, and all-out designs give over to minimalistic craft. While some say the trend has already come and gone—that it was just a neat sounding microtrend, rather than a landslide move to minimalism—others are certain the old adage “less is more” will lead the charge in 2024.&nbsp;

Blokecore
Blokecore all but dominated 2023. Merging English lad culture, football uniforms and the eff-off energy of Britpop by way of Oasis and Blur, the modern evolution of the bloke is a man you’ve probably seen all over your Instagram search page. He’s standing outside of the pub with a Guinness in hand, wearing a perfectly fitting pair of Levi’s, a blue striped Inter Milan football jersey from 1998, Wales Bonner Sambas and a <a href="https://www.goat.com/brand/cdg">Comme des Garçons</a> tote bag casually slung over his shoulder. At GOAT, football jersey sales surged by <a href="https://www.alias.org/paper/alias-seller-report-2023">114%</a> while adidas’ Sambas and Gazelles were some of the most sought-after sneakers across the board. And with girlish offshoots of the style—or “blokettes”—exploding across social media this year, especially around the Women’s World Cup, 2023 was the year everyone went truly football mad.&nbsp;

Return to Girlhood
Harnessing a very different energy, another prevalent trend in 2023 centered around ideas of girlhood. Ballet shoes, bows, schoolgirl tailoring and coquettish beauty looks were everywhere, while designers who have spent their careers exploring this particular sort of feminine energy were catapulted to new popularity, from Sandy Liang to Simone Rocha. The ballet flat made a landslide return, with <a href="https://www.goat.com/brand/maison-margiela">Maison Margiela’s</a> cleft-toed Tabi and Liang’s pointe style leading the charge. The trend’s playful effect reverberated through menswear stylings too, with looks that riffed on a girly softness—such as skirts layered over trousers—spotted outside of fashion weeks on both sides of the pond.&nbsp;

Changing of the Guard
For the first time in a while, this year saw a shift in the usual musical chairs at fashion houses. Many brands appointed smaller designers just starting out in their careers rather than established names, while others promoted in-house designers into the big seat. The first biggest shake-up of the year was perhaps Daniel Lee’s debut at Burberry following his departure from <a href="https://www.goat.com/brand/bottega-veneta">Bottega Veneta</a> in 2022, where he sky-rocketed the brand to a fever-pitch of global demand in just three years. The second was the announcement that Pharrell Williams was to take up the mantle at Louis Vuitton men’s, which has been without a public creative leader since the untimely passing of Virgil Abloh in 2021. His joyful, star-strewn debut in Paris this June was indisputably the fashion event of the summer.&nbsp;
Exits came just as quickly with Tremaine Emory leaving Supreme after two seasons and Givenchy announcing the final months of the Matthew Williams era, while Seán McGirr took over for Sarah Burton—storied designer and longtime friend of Alexander McQueen—at McQueen’s eponymous house. Straight out of Fashion East, Maximilian Davis was enlisted to reimagine heritage Italian label Ferragamo, while Peter Do turned his hand to the minimalist ideals of Helmut Lang. Over in Milan, Sabato De Sarno debuted at <a href="https://www.goat.com/brand/gucci">Gucci</a>, marking a departure from the maximalist transformation under Alessandro Michele. And at the tail end of October, rap superstar A$AP Rocky was named creative director of PUMA.&nbsp;
In short, this year saw triumph, drama and shakeups with the arrival of new forces set to shape fashion’s future.

In Memoriam
2023 saw the loss of several influential figures who have shaped contemporary culture. Visionary designer Paco Rabanne died at home in Portsall, France, aged 88. He rose to prominence in the 1960s for his use of strange materials like metal and plastic, his sensual designs later becoming synonymous with the space-age glamor of the disco era. Dior’s longest-serving creative director, the legendary Marc Bohan, also passed away this year. During his 30-year tenure, Bohan cemented Dior’s status as a pillar of Parisian haute couture. Los Angeles legend and streetwear pioneer Chris “Spanto” Printup tragically died following a car accident in New Mexico, just months after beating cancer. His globally adored label Born x Raised turned 10 this year and celebrated the occasion with a long-overdue Nike Dunk collaboration.
Style icon and original It girl Jane Birkin passed away in July. Beyond her storied relationship with Serge Gainsbourg, Birkin was a French film darling in the 1960s, and the namesake of Hermès’ most famous bag. Irish music icon Sinéad O'Connor also passed away in 2023. Her life was split between her soulful, searing music and provocative activism, drawing attention to issues such as child abuse and women’s rights. This year, we also pay respects to GREATEST cover star and Euphoria actor Angus Cloud, who tragically died in July aged just 25.&nbsp;

Figures That Broke Through the Noise
Each year sees the eruption of a few cultural forces who, in their own unique ways, push forward new ideas, style sensibilities and ways of being. One thing that unites the diverse cohort of individuals who were at the cultural heart of 2023—across music, fashion, art and entertainment—is their unapologetic individuality.&nbsp;
Actor Taylor Russell’s influence stretched beyond the silver screen and into the world of fashion, with her face seemingly on the cover of every leading independent magazine, while her daring outfits—including a viral stiff-steel coat at Paris Fashion Week—were voraciously documented online. Designers Sandy Liang, Mowalola and Willy Chavarria pushed the needle at their respective brands, offering daring and personal new ways of dressing. Meanwhile, artist Dan Colen showed how fashion labels can make an impact beyond their creative message with his project Sky High Farm, a charity and workwear brand tackling food insecurity. Miss Mawma herself, Alex Consani, was the model of the moment in 2023, gaining traction for both her runway appearances and warm social media presence.&nbsp;
In the entertainment sphere, actors Greta Lee and Ayo Edebiri stepped into the spotlight after years of honing their craft, making waves in 2023’s most heart-wrenchingly beautiful film Past Lives and this year’s most popular TV series The Bear respectively. In the world of music, British producer and DJ Fred Again took the world by storm with his highly original electronic sound, subsequently selling out tickets to events in milliseconds. Ice Spice proved she was more than just a one-hit wonder with her EP Like..? while gracing magazine covers in her signature Bronx-informed Y2K dress code. Genre-bending Spanish artist Rosalía, meanwhile, completed her blazing Motomami tour and released a slew of new hits, including a single with Björk to save the salmon of Iceland.
In the universe of style, it’s safe to say 2023 was a creative whirlwind. Here's to an even stormier 2024.

Marni Roundneck Sweater 'Tulip'

Marni Maxi Check Viscose Sheath Dress 'Maize'

Mowalola Embossed Pattern Grained Faux Leather Mini Skirt 'Black'

Mowalola Small 19 Bundle Bag 'Burgundy'

Coperni Cut Out Cropped Biker Jacket 'Black'

Coperni Zipped Knit Dress 'Black'

Fear of God Wool Overcoat 'Beige'

Alexander McQueen Corset T-Shirt 'Black'

Gucci Wide Patent Belt 'Nero'

Marine Serre Clashing Tartans Wrap Mini Skirt 'Blue'

Marine Serre Zipped Corset 'Blue'

Off-White Check Asymmetrical Skirt 'Multicolor'

Paco Rabanne 1969 Small Moon Bag 'Silver/Light Pink'

Rick Owens Pull On Fogpocket Bogun Boot 'Black'

Undercover Blouson 'Khaki'

Martine Ali Spider Stud 'Silver'

Aimé Leon Dore Cashmere Suit Trouser 'Charcoal'

Comme des Garçons PLAY Knit Sweater 'Grey'

Balenciaga Striped Large Fit Shirt 'Navy/Light Grey'

Maison Margiela Ivy Derbys 'Black'

Bottega Veneta Intrecciato Leather Zip Pouch 'Black'

Bottega Veneta Intrecciato Leather Messenger Bag 'Black'

adidas x Wales Bonner 80'S Track Pants 'Night Sky'

ERL x Levi's 501 Denim Jeans 'Blue'

2023: The Year in Style

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2023: The Year in Style