Indie sleaze

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Pete doherty 2007.jpg
Pete Doherty (1).jpg
GQ described Pete Doherty as "the original indie sleaze pin-up".

Indie sleaze is a fashion style that was popular in the United States and United Kingdom from approximately 2006 to 2012. Characterised by an affordable, messy and lethargic take on vintage fashion styles, especially the 1970s, the style was particularly popular amongst the hipster subculture and indie rock bands.

Contents

Originating in the late 1990s and early 2000s amongst New York City's post-punk revival scene, which encompassed bands like the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol, the style began as a way for bands to visually reference the 1960s and 1970s artists they were musically influenced by. In the following years, the style was adopted by English musicians, models and internet personalities including Pete Doherty, Alexa Chung, Kate Moss and Agyness Deyn, who brought the style into mainstream popularity while expanding it into a more maximalist style which also embraced elements of 1980s and 1990s fashion. During this time, it was embraced by the British landfill indie movement and early online blogosphere related music scenes such as blog rock. [1] and bloghouse [2] [3] [4] It experienced a resurgence in the early 2020s as an Internet aesthetic, becoming popular on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. [5] Indie sleaze's embrace by the mainstream in the mid-2000s was an optimistic response to 9/11 [6] and the Great Recession and led to a rise in amateur flash photography, hedonistic partying, drug use and the landfill indie musical movement. [4] [7] [8] [9]

During the 2000s, the style was largely referred to as simply indie style or hipster style. Around 2016, online Facebook groups had coined the name indie über-sleaze, shortened to simply indie sleaze in 2021.

Fashion

A woman in indie sleaze fashion Gold Bow, Red Hair, Leopard Print Coat.jpg
A woman in indie sleaze fashion

Indie sleaze fashion was characterized by traits of 1970s and 1980s fashion, in addition to grunge fashion, [10] which Daniel Rodgers of Dazed described as "grubby, maximalist, and performatively vintage" [11] and by NME 's El Hunt as being defined by a sense of "chaotic spontaneity", [12] The style was particularly popular amongst the hipster subculture. [13] [14] [15] [16] Vice 's Arielle Richards described indie sleaze as a combination of other trends and styles, such as twee, scene, and electropop; NME 's El Hunt wrote that indie sleaze was defined by a sense of "chaotic spontaneity". [17] [12]

Clothes including metallic bodysuits, studded Lita boots manufactured by shoe company Jeffrey Campbell, lamé leggings, shutter shades, ballet flats, [18] chunky gold jewelry, tight t-shirts with ironic slogans, cropped leather jackets, striped shirts, lensless glasses, [13] sheer tops, big belts, plaid pants, [19] tennis skirts, high-top Converse sneakers, [15] multiple necklaces, [20] fedoras, the Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag, stockings with shorts, wired headphones, [21] band T-shirts, and skinny jeans, [11] as well as other elements such as galaxy prints, "Aztec" prints, [18] side-swept bangs, [15] "waif-thin" bodies, [22] grown out roots of bleached hair, [13] smudged eyeliner, amateur flash photography, cigarettes, and drug use have all been listed as hallmarks of indie sleaze. [19] Oftentimes, clothes were bought from American Apparel. [18] [20] [23]

Etymology

During the 2000s, the fashion now referred to as "indie sleaze" was largely referred to as simply "indie style" or "hipster style". [24] [25] [26] GQ writer Meaghan Garvey discussed indie sleaze as being a "replacement" for the word hipster, due to the term's stigma. [27]

The term "indie über-sleaze" was coined in 2016, when the Facebook group then-named Post-Post-Y2K posted a poll asking for suggestions for a new name for the group. During this poll, a user suggested "indie über-sleaze", which was popular in indie rock circles at the time. In 2018, Dalia Barillaro, an aesthetics documenter, created a separate Facebook group using that same name and the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute (CARI) added the aesthetic as a category on their website. [28] The term was inspired by indie music, the 2000s magazine Sleaze, and the Uffie lyric "I'll make your sleazy dreams come true." [28]

The term was shortened to simply "indie sleaze" in 2021 by the Instagram account @indiesleaze, which was dedicated to the aesthetic, launched by a woman named Olivia V, who largely popularised the name. [16] That same year CARI renamed the category on their website to simply "indie sleaze". [28]

Vice Media writer Arielle Richards cited the term as an "umbrella aesthetic" encompassing a number of separate fashion trends from the time, including those of the scene twee, hipster subculture, as well as the style of electro-pop musicians. [29]

History

Origins and popularity (2000s–2010s)

In the early 2000s, New York's post-punk revival scene, which included bands such as the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol helped spark a resurgence in guitar-based indie music. [30] [31] This musical revival coincided with a broader cultural nostalgia for analog technology and retro aesthetics. Reflecting these influences, many of these bands adopted fashion styles reminiscent of 1960s and 1970s rock acts, such as the Velvet Underground and Television, as well as glam rock [32] and the early New York punk scene. [33] El País credited this style as being revived through the influence of Hedi Slimane's late 1990s designs for Yves Saint Laurent's Rive Gauche line. [34] In a 2009 interview with GQ , the Strokes' vocalist Julian Casablancas explained their clothing style by stating:

"When [the Strokes] first started playing gigs, instead of getting into a costume for the shows, we talked about how we should dress every day, in real life, like we're playing onstage, I don't care about clothes, but it's about wearing something that gives you social confidence. Or maybe helps you pick up chicks." [35]

In the United Kingdom, this style was then adopted by indie rock musician Pete Doherty of the Libertines, alongside models Kate Moss and Agyness Deyn, as well as fashion blogger Alexa Chung, who all combined it with elements of 1980s high fashion and 1990s grunge fashion. [36] Doherty, in particularly, has been cited by publications including Vogue , El País and Highsnobiety as the person who largely popularised indie sleaze fashion. [34] [11] [37]

Indie rock band the Noisettes in 2006 Shingai Shoniwa and Dan Smith of the Noisettes 2006.jpg
Indie rock band the Noisettes in 2006

The popularity of indie rock soon heightened with the beginning of the British landfill indie movement, [38] as indie sleaze became embraced by the mainstream around 2006. This led to its adoption by electroclash, new rave [39] [40] [41] [42] and electronic music-influenced indie rock groups including Klaxons, Late of the Pier, MGMT, Peaches, LCD Soundsystem and Crystal Castles. [12] As this took place, it was embraced by various celebrities and public figures, including singers M.I.A., [43] Sky Ferreira, [44] [45] and Beth Ditto; [18] photographers the Cobrasnake and Terry Richardson, [46] [19] actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen; [21] designers Henry Holland and Jeremy Scott; and models Cory Kennedy, [13] [47] Pixie Geldof [22] L'Officiel USA named the character Effy Stonem from the British television series Skins "the perfect representative" for [indie sleaze]. [20] This popularity was also notably tied to the popularity of MySpace and the early days of Tumblr, where many participants posted photographs of their outfits, generally at parties. [18]

Samantha Maxwell of Paste wrote that indie sleaze "feels like a reaction to the early years of Obama's presidency: The economy may have crashed, but there was still a sense of sparkling optimism in the air." [48] Olivia V similarly stated that indie sleaze began before the Great Recession, allowing for a sense of optimism, [12] while other sources linked its initial rise in the New York post-punk revival scene as an optimistic response to the September 11 attacks. [6] Welsh singer Gwenno stated that the indie sleaze period was "very debauched, and probably the last moment where kids had been able to do whatever they want." [49]

In the late 2000s, the soft grunge fashion style and Internet aesthetic evolved directly from the indie sleaze trend, once Tumblr users began to merge it with darker fashion elements like fishnets, chokers and combat boots. [10] [50]

Revival (2020s)

Beginning in 2021, the style gained a revived interesting, with the popularity of the Instagram account @indiesleaze and revived discussion through TikTok. [16] This revival was attributed by publications including Dazed and Elle to the style's affordability, carefree nature and post-pandemic partying. [18] [19] Searches on Google for "indie sleaze" spiked in early 2022. [51] [52]

Numéro had called the aesthetic the "ancestor" of the Brat style which emerged following the 2024 release of Brat by Charli XCX, [53] as well as citing musicians the Dare, the Hellp and photographer Maya Spangler (also known as Stolenbesos) as contributing to the revival of the aesthetic in 2024. [53] There was a 43% increase in searches for "indie sleaze" on Depop in 2024. [54] The Spring/Summer 2025 fashion collections have also contributed to the aesthetics revival with Numéro noting the collections from Armani, Ann Demeulemeester, Roberto Cavalli and Rabanne having indie sleaze influences. [55]

Criticism

Arielle Richards of Vice criticized the alleged resurgence of indie sleaze as fake, writing that it was "created by a bunch of overworked millennials trawling Instagram, TikTok, and Google, in a bid to provide the winning take on something that isn't really happening." [17] Stylist 's Naomi May similarly wrote in 2022 that indie sleaze as a trend was a "myth", pointing to the retirement of key figures of indie sleaze, such as Deyn, Holland, Chung, and Doherty, and the body positivity movement as evidence. [22] Daniel Dylan Wray of The Quietus wrote that indie sleaze itself was "contrived into existence as a genre/label" despite having "never existed to begin with", adding, "With indie sleaze, there appears to be little else going on other than some people wallowing in the past while trying to convince themselves that it, or maybe even them, possesses some sort of contemporary relevance." [56]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tenreyro, Tatiana (October 13, 2022). "Welcome to the Year of Indie Sleaze". Spin. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  2. ↑ Cunningham, Katie (December 17, 2021). "'Everyone was partying for their life': Bang Gang, bloghouse and the indie sleaze of the mid-2000s". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  3. ↑ "The Kooks on growing up and the indie sleaze revival — 'It was very debauched'". hungermag.com. April 29, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Indie Rock's Future is Female". ODDCRITIC. February 25, 2025. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  5. ↑ "BBC Radio 6 Music - 6 Music's Indie Forever, Indie Sleaze's NYE House Party - 'Indie Sleaze' is back: the unexpected revival of a 2000s trend". BBC. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  6. 1 2 McCarthy, Amy (March 10, 2023). "Meet Me in the Bathroom: documentary shows how 9/11 shaped New York's indie music scene". The Conversation. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  7. ↑ Curran, Shaun (May 15, 2025). "The Kooks' Luke Pritchard: 'My wife saved me. I felt pretty lost'". The i Paper. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  8. ↑ "How Indie Sleaze Went High Fashion". Elle. May 5, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  9. ↑ Cosslett, Rhiannon Lucy (January 26, 2022). "Gen Z are bringing back 'indie sleaze', and I suddenly feel ancient". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Kearney, Michael (June 19, 2023). "Nostalgia in trends: The 2014 Tumblr aesthetic has returned" . Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 Kessler, Alex (January 17, 2022). "Are You Ready For The Return Of Indie Sleaze?". British Vogue . Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Hunt, El (February 15, 2022). ""There was a sense of optimism": how '00s indie sleaze made a massive comeback". NME . Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 George, Cassidy (June 2, 2022). "Revisiting Indie Sleaze, as It Happened". Vogue . Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  14. ↑ Renwick, Finlay (January 21, 2022). "Here's what the rise of "Indie Sleaze" means for your wardrobe". British GQ . Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 Roby, India (October 26, 2021). "The Late-2000s Hipster Era Is Due For A Fashion Comeback". Nylon . Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 Slone, Isabel (January 12, 2022). "The Return of Indie Sleaze Style". Harper's Bazaar . Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  17. 1 2 Richards, Arielle (March 7, 2022). "The Indie Sleaze 'Revival' Isn't Real – It's Just An Echo Chamber". Vice . Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rodgers, Daniel (October 29, 2021). "WTF is Indie Sleaze and is it actually making a comeback?". Dazed . Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Hyland, Véronique (May 5, 2022). "How Indie Sleaze Went High Fashion". Elle . Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  20. 1 2 3 Lee, Sophie (November 4, 2021). "The Return Of Early 2010s Indie Sleaze". L'Officiel USA . Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  21. 1 2 Gilchrist, Ava (June 28, 2022). "Allow Us To Reacquaint You With 2008's Most Questionable Trend, Indie Sleaze". Marie Claire Australia . Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  22. 1 2 3 May, Naomi (April 20, 2022). "TikTok, Indie Sleaze is a myth, stop trying to make it happen". Stylist . Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  23. ↑ Scarabelli, Taylore (February 8, 2022). "The Indie Sleaze Revival Is a Hot Mess". Interview . Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  24. ↑ Nesvig, Kara. "What Is Indie Style? Here Are Staple Pieces, Outfit Ideas & More". Teen Vogue . Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  25. ↑ Krentcil, Faran. "'Such a cool time to be alive': Why Gen Z is so nostalgic about 'indie sleaze'". BBC . Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  26. ↑ SLONE, ISABEL. "The Return of Indie Sleaze Style". Harper's Bazaar . Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  27. ↑ Garvey, Meaghan. "What Was Indie Sleaze? (And What, If Anything, Is It Now?)". GQ . Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  28. 1 2 3 Kraus, Rachel (February 18, 2022). "The creator of @indiesleaze shares her vision for the 'vibe shift'". Mashable . Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  29. ↑ Richards, Arielle. "The Indie Sleaze 'Revival' Isn't Real – It's Just An Echo Chamber". Vice Media . Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  30. ↑ Hunt, El (February 15, 2022). "'There was a sense of optimism': how '00s indie sleaze made a massive comeback". NME. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  31. ↑ "The Dare Wants You to Free Your Ass on 'What's Wrong with New York?'". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  32. ↑ "The End of the Trend: How the 'Revival' of Indie Sleaze Highlights Our Lack of Cultural Cohesion". Strike Magazines. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  33. ↑ Tashjian, Rachel (December 9, 2022). "Indie Sleaze Pioneer Hedi Slimane Embraces His Roots". Harper's Bazaar . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  34. 1 2 Rodríguez, Rafa (September 9, 2023). "Thin, sloppy, addicted and tyrannical: The most controversial fashion trend returns". El País . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  35. ↑ Welch, Will (October 15, 2009). "A Different Stroke". GQ . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  36. ↑ Holland, Henry (October 7, 2022). "How Should Brands Tap into the Indie Sleaze Revival?". Creative Review . Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  37. ↑ SMITH, MORGAN (November 18, 2022). "IT'S GONNA BE AN INDIE SLEAZE GIRL SUMMER FOR CELINE". Highsnobiety . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  38. ↑ Cosslett, Rhiannon Lucy (January 26, 2022). "Gen Z are bringing back 'indie sleaze', and I suddenly feel ancient". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  39. ↑ "Indie sleaze icons CSS: 'It makes me so happy to see all the guys with lipstick'". The Independent. June 20, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  40. ↑ Hunt, El (February 15, 2022). "'There was a sense of optimism': how '00s indie sleaze made a massive comeback". NME. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  41. ↑ "NTS Guide to: Indie Sleaze". NTS Radio. November 28, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  42. ↑ Burden, Emma. "Who is The Dare and 'What's Wrong With New York?'". MTSU Sidelines. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  43. ↑ Kendall, Zoë (July 15, 2022). "7 of M.I.A.'s most iconic outfits". i-D . Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  44. ↑ Pauly, Alexandra (May 5, 2022). "Sky Ferreira? At the Met Gala? Indie Sleaze Is About to Go High Fashion". Highsnobiety . Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  45. ↑ Russell, Kim (January 28, 2022). "How to get the indie sleaze look". The Face . Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  46. ↑ Wickes, Jade (May 17, 2022). "The Cobrasnake's Mark Hunter on indie sleaze and his new photobook". The Face . Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  47. ↑ Colyar, Brock (April 24, 2023). "Cory Kennedy Was the Internet's First 'It' Girl". The Cut. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  48. ↑ Maxwell, Samantha (April 27, 2022). "Nostalgia for the Mid-2010s Froyo Shop in the Midst of the Indie Sleaze Revival". Paste . Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  49. ↑ Trendell, Andrew (July 28, 2022). "Gwenno on working with Manics and the "debauchery" of "indie sleaze"". NME. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  50. ↑ Zhou, Maggie. "Indie Sleaze, Tumblr Girl & Twee: The Resurrection Of 2014 Internet Aesthetics Is Here". Refinery29 . Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  51. ↑ Czajka, Wiktoria (May 4, 2022). "Crack out your old CDs: indie sleaze is back". Shift London. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  52. ↑ Manso, James (March 4, 2022). "Why 'Indie Sleaze,' 'That Girl' Aesthetics Are Taking Over TikTok". Women's Wear Daily . Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  53. 1 2 v.schutz@numero.com (January 12, 2025). "Indie sleaze: the trend of the 2010s is back in fashion". Numéro. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  54. ↑ Maguire, Lucy (September 3, 2024). "5 womenswear trend predictions for Spring/Summer 2025". Vogue Business. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  55. ↑ Zetlaoui, Léa (January 8, 2025). "13 trends that will make spring-summer 2025 fashion". Numéro. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  56. ↑ Wray, Daniel Dylan (February 21, 2022). "Myths Of The Near Past: Why The Indie Sleaze Revival Is A Lie". The Quietus . Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
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