The Run-Through with Vogue

Episode: Why Fashion Still Loves the ’90s—and What to Do About It
Date: August 19, 2025
Host: Nicole Phelps (Director, Vogue Runway), joined by Mark Holgate (Fashion Features Director, Vogue) and Luke Leitch (Contributor, Vogue)

Overview

This episode dives into fashion’s enduring romance with the 1990s. Nicole Phelps, along with Mark Holgate and Luke Leitch, explore why the decade refuses to fade from fashion’s imagination, how nostalgia shapes creativity, and what generational shifts mean for references and trends. The trio reflects on personal stories, fashion’s evolution, and the future of nostalgia, all while dissecting why '90s codes remain central to the industry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why the ’90s Won’t Let Go (01:19 — 05:35)

• Mark Holgate: The ’90s are remembered for a sense of innocence, independence, and pre-digital freedom before fashion was taken over by conglomerates and globalization.
  • “The 90s, it was just kind of in some ways smaller, a little bit more kind of eclectic and individualistic.” (01:28)
  • Designers acted on instinct, not marketing strategy.
  • The era predates the ubiquity of the internet, making it feel mysterious and closed off compared to today’s instant fashion access.
• Luke Leitch: Modern fashion’s DNA is rooted in the ’90s, now being endlessly revisited as the industry's "teenage years". There’s a collective nostalgia for the last analog age.
  • “A lot of what we experience as modern contemporary fashion was in a way formed in the 90s. ...Maybe modern fashion is itself in a form of middle age and having a midlife crisis at the moment.” (03:23)
  • The longing is not just industry-specific but cultural, driven by a desire for a pre-digital life when things weren’t constantly observed.

2. The Individualism and Aesthetics of the 1990s (06:33 — 08:35)

• The decade saw flourishing independent voices: Helmut Lang, Margiela, Miuccia Prada, Tom Ford, McQueen, Galliano, Marc Jacobs, and more.
• Different cities, different vibes:
  • London: Boho, eclectic, vintage, Portobello Market culture.
  • New York: Minimalism, streetwear, the rise of sneaker culture, early techno-driven fabrics (nylon).
  • “I think you probably had a very different view of the 90s if you were here in New York, perhaps, versus ... London.” (08:35)

3. The Power and Pitfalls of Nostalgia and Re-Edition (12:21 — 13:53)

• The internet has accelerated and flattened nostalgia, making every era quickly accessible and blending the lines between past and present.
• “Something has happened in the last 10 years where we talk more about codes and DNA now.” (12:53)
• 2018 marked a notable year of 90s re-editions: Donatella Versace’s tribute collection and Marc Jacobs’ grunge revival reified the past as current.

4. Changing Generational Attitudes: Digital Natives, the New Nostalgia (13:53 — 16:54)

• For those who lived pre-internet, the past feels more 'real'; digital natives see eras flattened together.
• The “brand” mindset barely existed for 90s designers. Today, marketing and legacy (brands’ "DNA") dominate youth designer discussions.
  • “McQueen wasn’t talking about it. Hussein Shalayan wasn’t talking about it. ...They weren’t thinking of themselves as brands.” (14:48)
• Subcultural "tribes" still exist in the internet age but are more gatekept and less visible en masse.

5. Cycles of Reference & Generational Perspective (16:54 — 19:40)

• Each new generation revisits the styles of ~25 years prior, e.g., current fashion’s Y2K/Indie Sleaze revival.
  • “You take the date 2015 and subtract 25…the age of today’s rising designers, and result, you’re in 1990.” (16:59)
• Nostalgia is driven by lived experience; each generation romanticizes its own formative style years.

6. Personal Memories: Iconic Moments of the '90s (19:40 — 24:09)

• Mark Holgate: First day at British Vogue, elevator mishap with Isabella Blow; witnessing McQueen’s “Birds” show; Hussein Chalayan’s furniture-clothes.
  • “Seeing my first McQueen show…the Bagley Warehouse in King’s Cross. It was incredible.” (20:10)
• Luke Leitch: The '90s as a period of optimism and rejection of 80s excess; shops like Browns, obsession with Vivienne Westwood and micro-trends.
  • “I will never forget, you know, that 90s flair that …I keep seeing coming back over and over again.” (23:02)

7. New York in the ’90s & Iconography (24:09 — 27:42)

• The decade allowed independent labels and young designers (Daryl K., Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, DKNY) to define the city’s look.
• The fascination with Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy as an enigmatic late-90s style icon: “Her aura is so, so powerful. ...There are also just. There's a few images, and because there’s just a few of them, they become…” (26:55)
• Pre-Instagram icons gained mythic status due to scarcity and mystery.

8. The September Shows & The Burden of Debut (28:24 — 31:55)

• Upcoming debut seasons: immense pressure for creative directors under social media scrutiny.
  • “I think it’s really tough to make a debut. And I think especially tough in a season where there are so many people doing it.” (29:01)
• The rise of brief tenures; constant creative churn may dilute brand identity.

9. Brand Names vs. Designers’ Names: The Heritage Formula (31:03 — 32:22)

• Debate over whether endless reinterpretation by hired creative directors weakens brands.
• Notable excitement around independent designers (like Phoebe Philo) going solo.
  • “It would be nice to see some people perhaps backing names in their own labels…” (31:55)

10. Looking for What’s Next: Is It Time for Futurism? (32:22 — 34:41)

• Today’s youth consider recent eras (Y2K, Indie Sleaze) as “ancient” nostalgia.
• Luke Leitch calls for fashion that breaks from referencing past decades in favor of “futurism”.
  • “I think we’re really due a period of futurism. ...To assume that we’re always going to be looking back is very anti-fashion almost because fashion has to be about innovation as well as reference.” (33:29)
• Optimism and technology could revive forward-looking fashion as happened in the 60s.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “There is a broader nostalgia for this moment that was the last moment that has the mystery of not being digital.” — Luke Leitch (04:09)
• “I don’t think there was an overwhelming sense of global anxiety to the extent that there possibly was not long after the turn of the millennium.” — Luke Leitch (21:34)
• “If she’d been around today, it’d be a very, very different situation.” — Mark Holgate on Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (27:39)
• “The newest thing in fashion is always the people who are interested in it.” — Luke Leitch (18:43)
• “To assume that we’re always going to be looking back is very anti-fashion almost, because fashion has to be about innovation as well as reference.” — Luke Leitch (34:21)

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Highlight | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:19 | Mark Holgate: Why the ’90s feels special/pre-digital sentiment | | 03:17 | Luke Leitch: 1990s as origin point of modern fashion, nostalgia | | 06:33 | Iconic designers and the explosion of creativity in the ’90s | | 07:09 | What was ’90s fashion? UK vs US perspectives | | 12:21 | Internet-era nostalgia, collections reediting the ’90s | | 16:54 | Fashion’s 25-year nostalgia cycle; “indie sleaze” vs ’90s | | 19:50 | Personal memories: British Vogue elevator, McQueen show | | 23:02 | Mark and Luke’s reflections on microtrends, 70s vs 90s flares | | 24:09 | The power of New York in the ’90s; Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s mystique | | 28:38 | Scrutiny on modern designers’ debuts; debut fatigue | | 31:13 | The designer vs house debate; rise of the solo designer brand | | 32:22 | How new generations relate to recent nostalgia; call for futurism | | 34:41 | Tying futurism to optimism and technological shifts (’60s as reference) |

Conclusion

The episode is a thoughtful, lively exploration of why the 1990s continue to captivate the fashion imagination. Mark, Luke, and Nicole unravel the interwoven threads of memory, nostalgia, generational style shifts, and technological change. They ponder whether fashion can break its fixation on the past to invent a new visual language and leave listeners with a hopeful call—perhaps it’s time for fashion to embrace futurism, optimism, and the unknown once more.