I was born in the ’80s; 1989, to be exact, and though I spent a mere four months in that wonderful decade, I believe it left a significant and, until now, subconscious mark on my taste in fashion.
High-top sneakers, brightly colored windbreakers and snapback hats litter my room. I love the stuff, and lately, my obsession has put quite a dent in my wallet.
Almost every extra penny I have is used to clutter my closets and drawers with garb based on fads from 30 years ago.
I am by no means a trendsetter though. In fact, much like Mr. Downey Jr., the ’80s have already made a tremendous comeback in nearly every facet of popular culture.
There are countless emerging clothing brands that are drawing their inspiration from ’80s fashion. Cut lines, colors and fabrics all reflect classic 1980s trends.
This is probably because many of the minds behind these companies were, themselves, children of the “Reagan Era.”
Ben and Bobby Hundreds have been capitalizing on this trend by recycling since 2003, with their brand “The Hundreds.”
Growing up in the ’80s, the boys witnessed the rise of punk rock, skateboarding and hip-hop on the fashion-rich California coast and have designed much of their apparel by combining all of these styles, while at the same time keeping their line-ups fresh and unique.
Apparently, it’s paid off. Since their humble beginnings in ’03, their brand has done nothing but explode, with their clothes and accessories appearing in over 400 high-end boutiques around the world.
They are just one of the many clothing companies clawing to get a piece of this rewind in time. 
The music industry has no problem reminiscing on the ’80s either. The latter part of the decade saw the rise of electronic dance music, which is still very prevalent today in the same relative form or other.
Most major cities in the world is sprinkled with dance clubs offering wild light shows and blaring music, in nearly the exact same way as 30 years ago. The influences there are undeniable and obvious.
But even genres of music that have progressed since then do not seem like they want to let the ’80s go just yet. Modern hip-hop great Jay-Z released a song on his most recent album The Blue Print 3 with a sample from the 1988 Rod Stewart revised hit of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.”
The album debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 476,000 copies in its first week. Again, this is only one of the thousands of examples in the ever-growing music business.
So, whether it be fashion or music, the 1980s have most assuredly found a way to wiggle and wedge their way back into our lives.
This very well could be due to the fact that, looking at history, fads are constantly repeating themselves, even if it’s only for a small window of time. Even if whole trends or fads aren’t repeated, elements of the styles are reflected in current fashion and music.
But maybe this time it’s different. Maybe this time the fads will turn into trends and stick around. Maybe in the end, fashion and music will just be conglomerations of fads from different eras.
Actually, I pray that they do, because if not, I am going to need a new wardrobe soon.
Micah Green is a junior majoring in communication. He can be contacted at [email protected].