Forecasted by millennials as the aesthetics of futuristic wardrobe, 2019 fashion is dimming lights to make way for neon and glow-in-the-dark apparels.

Let There Be Darkness

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Photo 1 of 8 Photo credit: Saint Laurent
Photo 2 of 8 Photo credit: Saint Laurent
Photo 3 of 8 Photo credit: Saint Laurent
Photo 4 of 8 Photo credit: Saint Laurent
Photo 5 of 8 Photo credit: Saint Laurent
Photo 6 of 8 Photo credit: Saint Laurent
Photo 7 of 8 Photo credit: Saint Laurent
Photo 8 of 8 Photo credit: Saint Laurent

Not unlike skateboards on the streets and rewinding cassettes with pencils, glowing clothes (mainly printed tees) and accessories have been a phenomenon of the 1990s. The faint tint of bright green and yellow can only be spotted in the absence of light, and is examplar of the eccentric and timeless trend revived on this year's runways and capsule collections. 

Taking the style further was creative director Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent winter 2019; feathers, stripes and polka-dots were aglow under flashing LED lights, in a fully-dark show. Neon accessories like sunglasses and heels appeared to float on invisible bodies, as the models filed through the futuristic, disco-like setting. 

From Day To Night

Top Day, 
Bottom Night

Swipe down to see the glow-in-the-dark effects (Photo credit: Givenchy)

The statement made by this trend is to take plain day-time essentials and imbue it with a glow-in-the-dark wow factor, by night. Givenchy's pre-fall 2019’s capsule collection of black and white sneakers and bum bags explored this concept when the accessories glow neon green in the dark.

Artistic director Clare Waight Keller intended to portray the theme of duality in the collection which resulted in a tribute to the house’s logo and name, told through simplistic designs.

See also: Play Tourist With 5 'Out-Of-Town' Bag Collections. 

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Photo 1 of 6 Photo credit: Givenchy
Photo 2 of 6 Photo credit: Givenchy
Photo 3 of 6 Photo credit: Givenchy
Photo 4 of 6 Photo credit: Givenchy
Photo 5 of 6 Photo credit: Givenchy
Photo 6 of 6 Photo credit: Givenchy

Out Of The Club

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Photo 1 of 2 Photo: @kendalljenner
Photo 2 of 2 Photo: @kendalljenner

Onto the music festival circuit; Coachella 2019 saw a progression from the overdose of boho-chic, with bikinis, pantsuits and  the unigorable glow-in-the-dark top worn by Kendall Jenner. 

The supermodel dedicated a festival Instagram post of her dancing in a crescent moon print shirt that glowed after sunset. The top's tongue-in-cheek pattern was emphasised with the caption, “Glow in the dark friends.”

In summary, the vintage-effect neon trend may come across as a tacky comeback of 90’s fad but when done right, the uniqueness of the fabric is here to stay. Or at least, will surface when the next generation discovers it and follow through with their own spin. 

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