Clothing trends are constantly reinventing past looks, and the North West is no exception – harbouring a vintage obsession and adoration for bucket hats.
But the latest trend to hit the city is noughties nostalgia – as people take inspiration from pop culture icons and films such as Mean Girls and Clueless for a ‘Y2K look’.
While many clothing retailers are embracing this funky attire, some local brands are taking it one step further by putting a classic Mancunian twist on the Y2K style.
Here’s a few examples…
Borderline Tacky
Borderline Tacky is a trendy boutique is transporting people back to the early noughties with their selection of Y2K outfits.
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Velour two-pieces are an unmissable trend from this era, and Borderline Tacky has high-waisted fit and flashy bralette up for grabs – as well as unique diamante t-shirts, double denim and tie-front cardigans.
Tie-front cardigans are another staple of Y2K fashion that have made a comeback this season.
Whilst these days we’re a lot more comfortable in high-waisted skinny jeans and plenty of layers, the exposed midriffs and low-rise bottoms are much more reminiscent of the early 00s.
Dirty Disco has taken Manchester’s favourite vintage pieces and turned them into Y2K must-haves by styling cardigans with a singular button done up.
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This is the perfect stepping stone to starting a Y2K wardrobe while still playing it safe, plus those cardigans will definitely come in handy when Manchester’s wintry weather inevitably hits!
One of the biggest hallmarks of Y2K fashion is nostalgia – with brands rapidly reproducing the accessories of our childhoods; such as butterfly hair clips and jelly shoes.
July Child is the perfect case in point; creating lots of funky jewellery items that our younger selves would be equally obsessed with.
From alien heads to peace signs and everything in between, they have perfectly tapped into nostalgic jewellery tastes – and get bonus points for the level of bling.
Juicy Couture was renowned for velour matching tracksuits that caused a storm in the early noughties, and with lockdown still upon us we definitely share their appreciation for loungewear.
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In collaboration with House of Sunny, Norah Store has put a retro twist on this classic look.
The brand’s showstopping co-ords are complete with fur cuffs and a vivid lime green colour palette – everything you need to make a statement.
The claw clip is a classic 90s hair accessory that might give off major librarian vibes these days, but they’re actually back in style with the rise of Y2K fashion.
Rock on Ruby has expanded its selection of quirky printed t-shirts to include these highly desired hair accessories, so you can now effortlessly scrape back your hair and still fit the Y2K style.
The brand is offering a variety of different colours and styles, meaning you can boast this trend with any outfit.
Style
Manchester City finally release special Year of the Horse collection for Lunar celebrations
Danny Jones
Manchester City have officially launched their new ‘Year of the Horse’ kit, along with several other items in their latest lifestyle range.
The collection, which has been released as part of the Lunar New Year Celebrations, was leaked online in late 2025 before being officially teased earlier this year, but now Man City have fully unveiled the limited edition clothing items.
It follows the commercial success of their previous Chinese New Year-inspired kits and wider fashion lines over the last few seasons.
For anyone not up to speed on their Zodiac calendar knowledge, 2026 is officially (you guessed it) the year of the horse, hence this choice for the new ‘Capsule Collection’.
“Set in earthy, neutral tones, the limited-edition Year of the Horse Capsule Collection captures both the stillness of vintage Chinese portraiture and the motion of a team in full stride.”
Revolving around a grey and almost beige colour palette, the full drop includes a new pre-match ‘Anthem’ jacket, a dark graphic design tee, a baseball cap, as well as a soft horse plushie.
The focal point, however, is obviously the jersey itself – though it remains to be confirmed whether or not the special seasonal strip will be worn in any games this campaign as other one-off/special limited edition shirts have been in the past.
The price points range from £15 for the soft toy to £90 for the adult shirt, with the aforementioned Puma KING Anthem zip-up jacket already available in six colours.
What do you make of the latest lifestyle collection, Blues?
Somewhat fittingly, the Year of the Horse and other items finally debuted on the same day that their local rivals across the other side of town, Manchester United, released some new threads of their own: the second Adidas x The Stone Roses collection.
As for this years Lunar celebrations, the official plans for here in Manchester city centre have now been revealed. You can find out more down below.
Manchester United officially launch second Adidas fashion collab with The Stone Roses
Danny Jones
After several weeks of teasers, the latest fashion collab between Adidas, Manchester United and The Stone Roses has officially revealed.
We have no doubt this one will be lapped up just as quickly as the first.
Following images of the new Stone Roses x Man United kit and the focal point of this new collection being leaked online earlier this month, the second drop by Adidas has now been unveiled in full.
Releasing another stylistic video to the tune of the legendary Manc band’s famous anthem, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’, players both past and present from the men’s and women’s team star in the launch video.
As you can see, not only did the players get involved with the shoot as expected, but the clip also includes a snippet of archive footage featuring a young Ian Brown in a short but profound talking head.
The Stone Roses frontman, and indeed other members of the band, have never made their love of United a secret – none more so than the late, great Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield – and the supporters have also shared plenty of it back.
Be it through ‘This Is The One’ being chosen by Gary Neville as the official walk-out song at Old Trafford and various chants sung to Stone Roses tunes, to the previous collab back in February 2024, the two iconic cultural brands pretty much go hand in hand.
Besides the next multi-coloured paint-splashed shirt, which leaked first, as well as a new bucket hat (again, very era appropriate), there are scarves, a graphic design t-shirt, two sets of shorts and even two different pairs of shoes.
Images of the white Stone Roses trainers also popped up in leaks across various Man United fan accounts on social media, but few had seen the black ZX 600 Adidas trainers until now.
What do you make of the latest batch of lifestyle fashion from the club?
Meanwhile, with just days left in the transfer window, it remains to be seen whether new interim manager Michael Carrick will be rewarded for his first two wins against the top two in the league with any reinforcements before the end of January – but there are some rumblings…
Daisy Bradbury -
2nd April 2021 
