12 jan 2025

After Y2K, the 2010s indie sleaze aesthetic is back on trend

As the 2000s are still dominating our moodboards and wardrobes, the 2010s are slowly but surely becoming our new obsession with the revival of the indie sleaze aesthetic. Among the icons of this sexy, at times trashy style, one can remember Amy Winehouse, Sienna Miller or Kate Moss.

Despite the steady presence of Y2K aesthetic – for instance in the latest Louis Vuitton x Murakami campaign, in singer Tate McRae’s music videos and with Paris Hilton’s recent comeback – the late 2000s and 2010s are increasingly overshadowing it.

Called “indie sleaze”, the trend refers to the looks and lifestyle spotted in England and in the United States in the past decade. The word was coined in 2021 by Brooklyn-based content creator Mandy Lee and its use has massively increased since 2022.

The indie sleaze style, or the ancestor of “brat”

As the ancestor of the trend launched by Charli xcx, the indie sleaze aesthetic borrows equally from punk, rock, new wave and clubbing culture. It is messy, wild and sloppy.

Recalling a time when social networks like Myspace or Tumblr, and Cobrasnake’s nightlife photographs were all the rage, the essentials were holed tee-shirts, runs in your tights, dirty ballet flats, leopard prints, skinny jeans, thin scarves, low-cut tank tops, but also pointed boots.

The idea was to look like you had just stepped out of a concert or after-party with your make-up dripping down your face and an attitude worthy of the 1970s and 1980s rock stars. If you would have asked about the fashion climax of that era, you would have gotten the Dior men’s shows by Hedi Slimane and the collections by American Apparel – a highly problematic label due to the inappropriate behaviour of its designer – April 77, The Kooples and Cheap Monday as an answer.

Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Amy Winehouse… The sexy icons of indie sleaze

The sexy, cheeky and festive trend was set by rock and electro music bands, including The Libertines, The Strokes, Justice, Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys, and their male and female groupies.

The great icons of this outrageous style were Kate Moss, who used to date the bad boy Pete Doherty, and her black skinny jeans and leopard fur coat, Sienna Miller and her boho look, Alexa Chung, Keira Knightley and her low-rise jeans and studded belt, Amy Winehouse and her worn-out ballet flats, Sky Ferreira and her leather jacket, Lily Allen and her large eyeliner, or M.I.A. and her colourful, vintage outfits.

To these very badass girls we can add it-girl Cory Kennedy, model Agyness Deyn, actress Mischa Barton (Newport Beach), singer Alison Mosshart (The Kills), singer Alice Glass (Crystal Castles), Pixie Geldolf, Irina Lazareanu, Alice Dellal, as well as singer and actress Taylor Momsen. TV shows like Gossip Girl and Skins had also left their mark on pop culture at the time.

The comeback of the 2010s as an alternative to the clean girl aesthetic

The aesthetic of those celebrities and of the music at that time began to reemerge during the Covid pandemic in 2020. As the clubs closed, the world became nostalgic of a time when parties were in full swing and no mobile phone could capture with high quality these moments of debauchery. The 2010s also saw the early beginnings of social media, which were not as widespread as they are today. To meet people, you simply had to go out.

The revival of indie sleaze, a trend synonymous with having fun and letting go, also appears as a reaction to a certain form of hygienism promoted by the “clean girl”’s look and lifestyle. With the rise of platforms like Instagram, the archetype of the healthy girl with a minimalist style has emerged and become a stereotype.

In the 2010s, the expression ‘indie’ reflected a willingness to stand out from the crowd, with an emphasis on DIYs and rare findings from the thrift shop.

A revival that sometimes is too bland

Today, an Instagram page entitled “indie sleaze” brings together inspirational images. Figures from that era, such as Uffie, Justice and MGMT are making a comeback. The track of that era, Nightcall by Kavinsky, is also back in the spotlight thanks to a new version performed with singer Angèle at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Wireless headphones, vinyl turntables and film cameras are trending once more.

The Dare – Girls (2022).

Yet the idea of a trashy, spontaneous and hedonistic counter-culture has somewhat been lost. For instance, producer The Dare copies and recycles every aspect from that era, but lacks the charm and authenticity of it. His persona is more a pose than a relevant creative gesture. The same goes for the band The Hellp and photographer Maya, aka Stolenbesos – everything about them is nice and pretty, but almost too bland. Back in the 2010s however, people used to enjoy themselves more and looked at themselves less… A far cry from our ultra-documented lives today.

Some artists who lived at that time are rather sceptical about this revival. Kavinsky has recently told us: “I don’t really get the whole revival thing. I’m not feeling nostalgic at all. These days, it would be impossible for us to party that hard. We’re no longer in shape, we’re too old to be as stupid as we used to be back then. Our bodies and brains have aged. We’re much less inclined to act like brats. Besides, I’m still seeing the same people I met back then and we’re still friends. We’ve grown together.

“People used to party all night long like tomorrow didn’t exist. It’s funny to look at old pictures of that time.” Uffie

Uffie explained that she was amused by this revival: “I was talking about it recently with some of my friends from the Klaxons. This comeback has blown our minds. Seeing vintage photos of us partying, lying in a bathtub with colourful clothes, being posted on Instagram makes me laugh, and I think it’s pretty cool. It was a fun time, with a great sense of freedom and innocence, even if the outfits weren’t always the best ones. People used to party all night long like tomorrow didn’t exist.”

It’s funny to look at old pictures of that time. We all love taking a little walk down memory lane and fashion works in cycles. We had the nineties, then the 2000s revivals. So it’s quite logical that we’re now interested in the Myspace years. I have to admit, I’m a big fan of revivals,” the singer adds with a hint of nostalgia in her voice.

As for singer James Righton, ex-member of the Klaxons, he admits being flattered by this revival in the columns of Numéro: “I’m happy if it makes people happy! By that I mean that it was fun at the time and if people enjoy looking back at that era, it’s no bad thing.