American Escapism - The Revival of ‘Tourist Core’
If you are going back and forth on whether to buy the tacky “I Love NYC” hat, buy it and get a matching baby t while you’re at it.
In a nearly post covid world, people are thirsting for travel and new cultural experience. Tired of seeing the same city or American countryside every day, tourists flock to Europe and other vacation destinations to get a taste of the landscapes, cuisines, and cultures they’ve only been able to consume on social media for the past couple of years. For younger generations, often a brand-new experience.
While tourist graphics have been considered tacky (chugy for the gen z readers) for the past couple of years, American escapism is reviving their narrative, even romanticizing it. Think about this scenario: You are wondering the streets of Florence, strawberry gelato dripping down a homemade waffle cone, when you run across a street vendor selling “Italia” hats for 5 euro. In the sweltering heat of the summer, a cheap hat is just what you need, and even better one that doubles as a souvenir.
Photo I took of a French couple vacationing in Italy. Peep the Brazil shirt.
People are proud of their travels, eager to showcase their experiences on social media, and overall, sick of caring so much about what is considered chic and fashionable. Throwing on the “I love Barcelona” t-shirt or the “Italia” hat is so ironically tacky yet sentimental that it is destined to be the next cool girl trend.
To complete the look like your favorite celebs, Hailey Bieber and Emily Ratajkowski, pair tourist core graphics with micro shorts, miniskirts, and adidas sambas or dress it up with baggy trousers and chunky gold hoops for the perfect cool girl summer abroad.
Hailey Bieber modeling for Rhode skin in a fun England baby tee.
Retailer, Edikted has released affordable tourist core sets for many European and central American countries under the collection name: Global Icons. Check out the collection here: https://edikted.com/collections/global-icons
Emily Ratajkowski modeling her new Brazil collaboration collection with Mirror Palais.
Check out the capsule pieces here: https://www.inamoratawoman.com/collections/mirror-palais-x-inamorata
