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Indie sleaze

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GQ described Pete Doherty as "the original indie sleaze pin-up"

Indie sleaze is a retroactively-identified fashion style that was popular in the United States and United Kingdom from approximately 2006 to 2012, initially associated with the fashion and visual styles of New York's post-punk revival and electroclash scene[1], the British landfill indie movement, as well as early online blogosphere related music scenes such as blog rock[2] and bloghouse.[3][4][5]

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.[6] Characterised by an affordable, messy and lethargic take on vintage fashion styles. 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, the style later became popular with the hipster subculture.

Indie sleaze's embrace by the mainstream in the mid–2000s was an optimistic response to 9/11[7] and the Great Recession and led to a rise in amateur flash photography, hedonistic partying, drug use and the landfill indie musical movement.[5][8][9][10] The visual style experienced a resurgence in the early 2020s, when it was first named and revived as an Internet aesthetic, becoming popular on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.[11]

Fashion

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A woman in indie sleaze fashion

Indie sleaze fashion was characterized by traits of 1970s and 1980s fashion, in addition to grunge fashion,[12] which Daniel Rodgers of Dazed described as "grubby, maximalist, and performatively vintage"[13] and by NME's El Hunt as being defined by a sense of "chaotic spontaneity",[14] The style was particularly popular amongst the hipster subculture.[15][16][17][18] 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".[19][14]

Clothes including metallic bodysuits, studded Lita boots manufactured by shoe company Jeffrey Campbell, lamé leggings, shutter shades, ballet flats,[20] chunky gold jewelry, tight t-shirts with ironic slogans, cropped leather jackets, striped shirts, lensless glasses,[15] sheer tops, big belts, plaid pants,[21] tennis skirts, high-top Converse sneakers,[17] multiple necklaces,[22] fedoras, the Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag, stockings with shorts, wired headphones,[23] band T-shirts, and skinny jeans,[13] as well as other elements such as galaxy prints, "Aztec" prints,[20] side-swept bangs,[17] "waif-thin" bodies,[24] grown out roots of bleached hair,[15] smudged eyeliner, amateur flash photography, cigarettes, and drug use have all been listed as hallmarks of indie sleaze.[21] Oftentimes, clothes were bought from American Apparel.[20][22][25]

History

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Origins (2000s)

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See also: Post-punk revival and Landfill indie

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.[1][26] 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[27] and the early New York punk scene.[6] 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.[28] 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."[29]

In the United Kingdom, this style was then adopted by indie rock musician Pete Doherty; models Kate Moss and Agyness Deyn; and fashion blogger Alexa Chung, who all combined it with elements of 1980s high fashion and 1990s grunge fashion.[30] Doherty, in particularly, has been cited by publications including Vogue, El País and Highsnobiety as the person who largely popularised indie sleaze fashion.[28][13][31]

Indie rock band the Noisettes in 2006

The popularity of indie rock soon heightened with the beginning of the landfill indie movement,[32] as indie sleaze became embraced by the mainstream around 2006. This led to its adoption by electroclash and electronic music-influenced indie rock groups including Klaxons, Late of the Pier, MGMT, Peaches, LCD Soundsystem and Crystal Castles.[14] As this took place, it was embraced by various celebrities and public figures, including singers M.I.A.,[33] Sky Ferreira,[34][35] and Beth Ditto;[20] photographers the Cobrasnake and Terry Richardson,[36][21] actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen;[23] designers Henry Holland and Jeremy Scott; and models Cory Kennedy,[15] Pixie Geldof[24] L'Officiel USA named the character Effy Stonem from the British television series Skins "the perfect representative" for [indie sleaze].[22] 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.[20]

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."[37] Olivia V similarly stated that indie sleaze began before the Great Recession, allowing for a sense of optimism[14], while other sources linked its initial rise in the New York post-punk revival scene as an optimistic response to the September 11 attacks.[7] 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."[38]

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.[12][39]

Revival (2020s)

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The term "indie sleaze" was coined in 2021, the same year that the style became popular again through TikTok, by an Instagram account dedicated to the aesthetic, @indiesleaze, launched by a woman named Olivia V.[18] The term was inspired by indie music, the 2000s magazine Sleaze, and the Uffie lyric "I'll make your sleazy dreams come true."[40] Searches on Google for "indie sleaze" spiked in early 2022.[41][42] This revived interested in indie sleaze in the early 2020s was attributed by publications including Dazed and Elle to the style's affordability, carefree nature and post-pandemic partying.[20][21]

Numéro had called the aesthetic the "ancestor" of the Brat style which emerged following the 2024 release of Brat by Charli XCX.[43] Numéro also cites musicians the Dare, the Hellp and photographer Maya Spangler (also known as Stolenbesos) as contributing to the revival of the aesthetic in 2024.[43] There was a 43% increase in searches for "indie sleaze" on Depop in 2024.[44]

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.[45]

Criticism

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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."[19] 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.[24] 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."[46]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Hunt, El (February 15, 2022). ""There was a sense of optimism": how '00s indie sleaze made a massive comeback". NME. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  2. ^ Tenreyro, Tatiana (October 13, 2022). "Welcome to the Year of Indie Sleaze". SPIN. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "The Kooks on growing up and the indie sleaze revival — "It was very debauched"". hungermag.com. April 29, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Indie Rock's Future is Female". ODDCRITIC. February 25, 2025. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Tashjian, Rachel (December 9, 2022). "Indie Sleaze Pioneer Hedi Slimane Embraces His Roots". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  7. ^ a b 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.
  8. ^ Curran, Shaun (May 15, 2025). "The Kooks' Luke Pritchard: 'My wife saved me. I felt pretty lost'". The i Paper. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  9. ^ "How Indie Sleaze Went High Fashion". ELLE. May 5, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ a b Kearney, Michael (June 19, 2023). "Nostalgia in trends: The 2014 Tumblr aesthetic has returned". Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c 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.
  14. ^ a b c d 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.
  15. ^ a b c d George, Cassidy (June 2, 2022). "Revisiting Indie Sleaze, as It Happened". Vogue. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ a b c 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.
  18. ^ a b 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.
  19. ^ a b 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.
  20. ^ a b c d e f 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.
  21. ^ a b c d Hyland, Véronique (May 5, 2022). "How Indie Sleaze Went High Fashion". Elle. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  22. ^ a b c 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.
  23. ^ a b 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.
  24. ^ a b c 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.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "The Dare Wants You to Free Your Ass on 'What's Wrong with New York?' │ Exclaim!". The Dare Wants You to Free Your Ass on 'What's Wrong with New York?' │ Exclaim!. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  27. ^ "The End of the Trend: How the 'Revival' of Indie Sleaze Highlights Our Lack of Cultural Cohesion". Strike Magazines. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  28. ^ a b Rodríguez, Rafa (September 9, 2023). "Thin, sloppy, addicted and tyrannical: The most controversial fashion trend returns". El País. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  29. ^ Welch, Will (October 15, 2009). "A Different Stroke". GQ. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  30. ^ Holland, Henry (October 7, 2022). "How Should Brands Tap into the Indie Sleaze Revival?". Creative Review. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  31. ^ SMITH, MORGAN (November 18, 2022). "IT'S GONNA BE AN INDIE SLEAZE GIRL SUMMER FOR CELINE". Highsnobiety. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ 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.
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ Zhou, Maggie. "Indie Sleaze, Tumblr Girl & Twee: The Resurrection Of 2014 Internet Aesthetics Is Here". Refinery29. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  40. ^ 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.
  41. ^ 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.
  42. ^ 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.
  43. ^ a b v.schutz@numero.com (January 12, 2025). "Indie sleaze: the trend of the 2010s is back in fashion". Numéro. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  44. ^ Maguire, Lucy (September 3, 2024). "5 womenswear trend predictions for Spring/Summer 2025". Vogue Business. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  45. ^ Zetlaoui, Léa (January 8, 2025). "13 trends that will make spring-summer 2025 fashion". Numéro. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  46. ^ 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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