What’s trending this year
BY AURELIA MOUTON AND LAURA MUTYAMBIZI
As the year kicks off, Die Matie considers the year past and the year ahead in trends! It is a new year, which means that there are new trends all round, from music to fashion to social happenings.
OUT
Livestreams
As showgoers and party people settle into the “new normal” amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, new (and old) forms of safe and socially distanced entertainment emerge sans a laptop screen and struggling WiFi. Swop out sad nights reminiscent of lockdown and hit the streets! Just don’t forget your mask, and get that booster shot to ensure some safe partying.
Doomscrolling
Avoid spending hours on end with your eyes glued to your cell phone screen. Doomscrolling—the act of excessive consumption of negative news and social media discourse—leads to an increase in anxiety, depression and harmful thoughts.
‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’
Say goodbye to our favourite detective, Jake Peralta, as cop-comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine wrapped up its eighth and final season in September last year.
Side note: There is nothing wrong with a little nostalgic binge-watch every now and again!
Drake
As last year wrapped up, Spotify and Apple Music announced Drake as the top trending artist in South Africa, only for him to be quickly replaced by American rapper Gunna upon the release of his album DS4EVER this year.
Trend shopping
Whilst it might be tempting to splurge on the latest Instagram-worthy “fits”, take a second to consider the longevity of the pieces of clothing and whether the trend will stick around long enough to make it worth your bucks.
It is estimated by The Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company that, should high consumerism demand continue at its projected rate, one quarter of the total impact of climate change could be attributed to unsustainable fashion shopping by the year 2050. By that time those neon plastic plakkies will be ancient history atop a pile of fashion waste.
Also beware of those cute online thrift stores with hefty price tags! Oftentimes, pieces that are sold as high-end thrift items have been bought at a fraction of the price from a hospice or charity shop; they are then sold as “sustainable”, despite having undergone severe price hiking.
IN
Live shows
Pop in for movies under the stars at Boschendal’s drive-in cinema on Saturdays at 20:00, or keep an eye out for live music performances at some of the local pubs like Aandklas, Bohemia or The Daisy Jones Bar.
Check out the official Rocking the Daisies 2022 website, as the iconic festival just might be making a comeback in the latter part of the year!
The Centre for Student Counselling & Development (CSCD)
Rather focus your nervous energy on a good old counselling session! Stellenbosch University’s CSCD offers psychotherapeutic as well as academic support free of charge to all its students.
‘Euphoria’ season 2
Don your glitter and get ready for the drama as Rue and Co kick off a new season of club-meets-high-school-halls.
Fair warning: this show is nothing like the average high school experience and comes with quite a few trigger warnings.
Local is lekker!
As South African amapiano artists, such as Major League DJz, DJ Maphorisa and Uncle Waffles, make up much of the live acts for Afro Nation 2022, the SA deep house genre is taking its place on the world stage.
On local charts, Stellies student Will Linley, third-year BCom (International Business), is heading straight for SA’s top track spot with his song “miss me (when you’re gone)” on both Apple Music and Spotify charts.
Conscious shopping
Some sustainable and budget-friendly ways to combat contributing to fast fashion include doing research into the seasonal lines of your favourite shops. Check ahead to ensure you secure only what is necessary for the season and what fits your wallet, as well as your tastes.
Avoid falling for the trend-train and rather invest in staples that will always be in fashion (think classic white tee, bucket hats and Birkenstocks). A trend buy here and there cannot do too much harm, but make sure to not fall into trend-traps!
Other forms of sustainable shopping include checking out hospice shops, thrifting from reputable sources or simply revamping old pieces in your closet in new ways.
Consider what is fashionable AND useful!
