Y2K is over, now it's the time for Y3K

While the infamous Y2K is already part of everyone's vocabulary, a new wave is entering the fashion lexicon: Y3K. Although still distant, the 3000s have already begun to capture people's attention. At least, that's the prevailing impression – according to Pinterest's Summer Trends Report searches for "Y3K outfits" were up by 6030% on the platform. As it celebrates a faraway future, this trend also attempts to imagine what fashion and beauty might look like in the next millennium – the 3000s.

What is Y3K?

One of the latest trends to come out of Japan, Y3K is based on the idea of a futuristic world. It has a Matrix meets tech fashion – seen in a metallic and gray palette – flair along with space-like looks that could only be seen in sci-fi movies. According to TikTok creator cinnagal, this trend was born and caused ''by the recent shift in reality that we've all felt because of the rise of social media, Photoshop and AI. In response to this shift, Japanese brands started to satirize the near future or digital world". 

Everyone loves Y3K: the data

Even with a hint of satire – but a more high-tech one – Y3K is quickly capturing the fashion world. As reported by Pinterest, retro-future fashion is up +170%, while silver sneaker outfits are up +200%. From Zendaya's archival Thierry Mugler Fall/Winter 1995 robot suit at the Dune: Part Two premiere in London to Candice Swanepoel's edgy metallic glasses in the YEEZY X Gap campaign, some celebrity looks are emerging as significant icons of the trend. Runways have also shown a taste for the future, most notably in Alexander McQueen's circuit-print Givenchy Fall/Winter 1999 collection, or in the robot dress embroidered with Swarovski crystals and electronic chips from the recent Schiaparelli Spring Couture 2024 by Daniel Roseberry. 

Y3K in the beauty and make-up world

But it's not just in fashion that Y3K has been making an impact. In the beauty realm, there's been a rise in metallic eyeshadows, glitter, and eyeliner with unusual shapes and rhinestones – see actress Florence Pugh at the Dune premiere in London with flashy metallic eyeliner or Hunter Schafer as Mugler's Angel fragrance face with silvery make-up by Ammy Drammeh. On top of that, the glossy or ''glazed'' skin, seen in Pat McGrath's make-up for Maison Margiela Spring 2024 Couture and Hailey Bieber for her beauty label Rhode, emerges as a pivot to achieve an alien look. 

The future is now

In cinema and social networks, the future is stereotypically quirky. It has a techy, futuristic, abstract, and non-conformist feel that has been materialized in Y3K. While challenging the conventional and bringing generations closer to a distant era, Y3K also reflects on how humans feel amidst all the technological evolution – knowing there is much more to come. And as the future draws closer, will these predictions come true?