“During the pandemic, the fascination with the 70s and the cottagecore aesthetic was suggestive of an analogue, pre-globalisation period, during which we were learning to crochet and bake banana bread in order to escape from the reality of the situation,” Dr. Strasdin adds.

The pandemic, Forbes-Bell agrees, has played a big part in the staying power of the 00s. “The pandemic caused a shift in the way people viewed their clothes from “how does this make me look?” to “how does this make me feel?” As a result, we demanded more from our clothes to make us look and feel good, both physically and emotionally. Our style has become an easy tool to embody positive feelings like comfort and joy so it’s understandable that people would be drawn to clothes that remind them of a time when ‘life was good’,” she explains.

Perhaps once the pandemic is truly in the rearview mirror and laws that threaten women’s reproductive rights, politicians that abuse their positions of power and the climate crisis have all been remedied, we will see fashion begin to turn away from the 00s and towards the future instead. But for now, there’s an episode of The Simple Life waiting for you and there’s nothing like the escapism of a Juicy Couture tracksuit to lounge in while watching it.

Is there more to fashion’s 00s obsession than meets the eye?