Actual Y2K Brands Want In on the Y2K Trend

On a Thursday afternoon in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, a trendy speakeasy buzzes as editors and influencers — dressed in Juicy Couture’s velour tracksuits, faux-fur bucket hats, and tiny-framed sunglasses — dance to the Spice Girls’ classic “Wannabe.”

It almost feels like a time capsule from 2003 — except it’s 2025. And save for a few campier Y2K looks, the guests — mostly a mix of Gen-Z twenty-somethings and Millennials — blend seamlessly into the present.

That’s exactly the sweet spot, as event host Milani sees it. To unveil the launch campaign for its Conceal and Perfect Primer, “America’s Next Top Primer” (another Y2K nod to the hit show “America’s Next Top Model”), the beauty brand is leaning into “newstalgia” — striking that sometimes elusive balance where older consumers feel acknowledged, and younger ones see credibility and allure.

“It’s about going back to that rubric of knowing who you are as a brand, then tapping into the cultural zeitgeist and asking, ‘What from that era makes sense to bring forward?‘” said Jeremy Lowenstein, Milani’s chief marketing officer.

More than hopping on the latest fleeting trend, brands that emerged in the Y2K era — like Milani, founded in 2001 — see referencing iconic themes from the past as a viable long term marketing strategy.

Other early-aughts favourites like shearling-boot maker Ugg and denim label True Religion are taking a more subtle approach. Ugg leans on its design heritage to “build a bridge” between its past and present, said Carole Diarra, the brand’s global vice president of marketing. A recent campaign, for instance, paired contemporary “it” designer Telfar Clemens with 1990s and early 2000s rap icon Lil’ Kim. True Religion, meanwhile, kept signature design elements like thick stitching and the horseshoe logo, but lowered its prices and repositioned its marketing around what chief marketing officer Kristen D’Arcy sees as the brand’s more organic, day-one community — Black and brown hip-hop stars, pro athletes and urban influencers, rather than the early-2000s Hollywood it-girl aesthetic it was once known for.

Of course, brands are careful not to lean too far into yesteryear. Many of their Y2K contemporaries — Ed Hardy, Sean John, and Baby Phat — are largely defunct, while others like Hard Candy and Von Dutch are struggling to regain their relevance.

The key to mastering newstalgia, marketers say, is balance — nodding to the past while pushing forward with a multi-layered strategy. That means leading with product and design, maintaining a clear brand identity and tapping into community (or engaging with real people who shop the brand), and leveraging social media.

“All generations are interested in storytelling, a sense of purpose,” said Diarra. “They want to know why we work with talent, why we did those collabs … And they’re like, ‘oh my gosh, this brand has history; that brand is real … it has cred.”

Beckoning the Newstalgia Era

A challenging economic and political climate, the rise of generative artificial intelligence (and its perceived threats to creativity and human capital), and young consumers’ fascination with “cred” — whether a brand or product has substance and a genuine history — are all driving consumers’ appetite for the past.

“Millennials are looking for glimmers because [we’ve] worked hard to get where [we] are,” said Jenn Low, founder of conscious jewellery brand Wanderlust & Co., who’s been channeling 1990s and Y2K-era optimism with collections featuring flip-phone pendants and cassette tape charms. “When brands offer nostalgia in an authentic, fun way, it reminds us why we chose our paths in the first place.”

For Gen-Z and Gen Alpha, the overstimulation of living in a fast-changing, high-tech world leaves many craving “newness, but in the past,” said Diarra. Newstalgia allows brands to control their own narrative and play up their cultural credibility by bringing forward select themes that once established them as part of the “fashion zeitgeist,” she said.

“We’re in a time where nothing seems real now and the past gives us a time when things were real,” Diarra said.

For Milani, which launched in 2001 to “democratise beauty” by catering to underrepresented Black women with affordable yet premium makeup (blush was a key category), now felt like the right time to revisit some of the conversation-starting themes from “ANTM.” While the show has recently faced backlash on social media for controversial moments — including judges’ comments on contestants’ weight — it’s most recognised for helping expand fashion’s definition of beauty.

The brand’s latest campaign channels the show’s aspirational energy while tapping into Gen Z’s focus on diversity. In the campaign, contestants appear before a panel of judges, unveiling their best photo from that week’s shoot — the winner wears Milani’s primer.

“When you think about what [“ANTM”] represented, it was aspirational,” he said. “It gave the everyday consumer… the opportunity to reach that [high-fashion] level. It sits at the core of what Milani stands for — access and inclusivity.”

The Art of Evolution

Making newstalgia a long-term strategy requires brands to employ a multi-faceted marketing approach. That means creating quality product, a clear brand identity, treating customers as a community and ensuring a distinct and elevated message across the brand’s website, stores and social media.

“We start with product first,” Lowenstein said. “We look at future trends and make sure we show up with innovation … then it comes time to say, ‘how can we support this [with marketing]?‘”

When Diarra joined Ugg in 2021, one of her first priorities was to define a set of “brand codes” — key product design elements like the signature chestnut colorway, iconic stitching, and sun logo. The chestnut-colored Ugg, for instance, is the hero product used to mark the start of fall on social media with the brand’s annual #UggSeason campaign on Instagram.

Diarra said design codes have been “a game changer because they allow us to take all the things people recognise from us over the years and bring them into the future.”

Ugg also expanded beyond its typical celebrity partner roster to include NBA stars like 76ers guard Jared McCain and emerging designers like Ambush’s Yoon Ahn alongside rap artists like Cardi B. To build deeper connections with its customers, it’s strengthened its local presence in key cities like Tokyo and London, with new stores that act as community hubs.

True Religion also leaned into the “recognisable cachet” of its product design (thick stitching and “positive” elements like Buddha symbolism) while doubling down on a modern, digital-first marketing strategy, said D’Arcy. Many of its campaigns are fronted by organic fans like rappers Chief Keef (who named a 2011 mixtape after the brand), YG and 2 Chainz, as well as newer artists including Megan Thee Stallion, Sexyy Red and Anitta. The marketing team has also chronicled rap references dating back to the brand’s original heyday — and now uses that archive as a tool for shaping collaborations today.

“It’s carrying forward the product [and] this genuine love of the brand with new people — both the superstars and other layers of folks throughout our influencer marketing strategy,” said D’Arcy, referring to “tier 2” partners like lesser-known college athletes and social media influencers.

While newstalgia emphasises speaking to consumers across generational cohorts, it’s helpful in execution to think beyond demographics like age and race, Ugg’s Diarra said. Instead, brands should focus on themes such as values, attitudes, and cultural affinities to stay relevant and connect cross-generationally without it feeling forced.

As a digital-first brand, Wanderlust is also hoping to channel some early aughts brick-and-mortar energy in May with the opening of its first physical stores in the US — in New York and Philadelphia.

“It’s about coming back full circle — our journey started online and we’ve evolved,” Low said. “Now it feels like the love story is complete because we get to show up physically … bringing all of our services, all of our warmth and all of our creations.”