Oasis have officially announced that Richard Ashcroft, the English singer-songwriter and former frontman of The Verve, will perform as a special guest for the band’s reunion shows in 2025. Ashcroft’s appointment as a support act confirms — if it wasn’t abundantly clear already — that indie is back for 2025, and we’re all going to get a taste of the 90s again, whether we like it or not.
Oh, and a whiff of it, too. Perfumes from the 1990s are having a huge resurgence, in case you were wondering why the smell of Calvin Klein Eternity and Joop! Homme was beginning to waft down the corridors of the tube again, giving us all a heavy dose of déjà vu. Don’t worry, Drakkar Noir isn’t on a comeback list.
Up until now, the 2000s has been the decade of choice, especially amongst Gen Zs just young enough to remember it through a hazy fog of nostalgia instead of the piercing, cringey clarity of their elders. But every titan must be toppled eventually. So, as we pump that reverse pedal to the 90s, here’s some advice on how to do them right, now and up until they peak in summer 2025.
What to wear
If you’re looking for 90s indie style inspiration in 2025, your moodboard will undoubtedly include the two heavyweights: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Jennifer Aniston. Both icons of the era with personal styles (and fictional styles, thanks to Rachel Green) so enduring that they still frequently appear on Instagram feeds to this day, Kennedy and Aniston are all about that signature 1990s minimalism. Think vintage Calvin Klein and Prada, or Cos and Weekday for more budget friendly options. Think high waisted, straight leg blue jeans. Think white shirts and oval-shaped sunglasses. Think simple black leather jackets.
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Meanwhile, embrace the grungier side of the indie revival via brands like Chopova Lowena and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, whose tartan skirts and ear-adorned hats look straight out of a Freaks and Geeks themed editorial shoot. Oh, and remember the baggy t-shirt over hoodie/longsleeved tee look that nearly every single male TV character donned in the 90s? That’s going to be thriving — this time for men and women (and everyone in between!)
Plus, there’ll be the obvious peak in Oasis throwback-core. Get your Stone Island order and bucket hat haul in early or watch and weep at the rise in cost. Dynamic pricing and all that.
What to drink
“The 90s seemed like such a fun and carefree time when people had a bit more dolla, so reliving those halcyon days is enjoyable,” says food and drink writer (and the Standard’s ‘On the Sauce’ columnist) Josh Barrie.
As for his picks of 90s drinks? “Reef, the 90s alcopop, is back on the shelves, which is great because you can strawpedo it,” he says. And for slightly (just slightly) more mature tastes, “Mojitos are also very 90s and my little sister, who’s 18 and at university, says everybody’s drinking them. Any good bartender should be able to make a quality mojito but 384 in Brixton is great, or if you ask for one in Scarfes, another of my favourite bars in London, they might look at you quizzically but they’ll them for you.”
Meanwhile, if you’re expecting a Cosmo comeback, you’d be wrong. The contents of your local bar’s martini glasses will actually be staying much the same. “The espresso martini is still having a moment and is supposedly so uncool, but I think they’re so uncool that they actually are cool,” he reckons.
Bonus points if, when drinking alone or awaiting a guest, you whip out a copy of High Fidelity, American Psycho or Bridget Jones (especially if you have the original 90s editions, very chic).
What to listen to
“I feel like [the indie revival] started last year with the renewed interest in shoegaze, the subgenre of indie that was running before Britpop really exploded,” says music journalist El Hunt. “A new generation of music fans are coming to that music in a pure way, discovering it through TikTok or without any baggage.”
She notes Slow Dive as a band who were “underdogs” in their first round of fame who have suddenly shot to popularity all over again — and then some. “They've been together longer as a reunited band than they were the first time round,” Hunt notes.
Then there’s the newfangled version of Britpop, being unmade and remade by fresh, young artists like Nia Archives (whose music will pair perfectly with your Chopova Lowena grunge look, by the way).
“When people talk about indie sleaze what they’re referring to is 2001 to 2009, starting with The Strokes album Is This It, around that time, to more brash, over the top genres of indie, like nu-rave and bands like The Klaxons, or Uffy, who influenced Charli xcx a lot.” If that’s what you’re into, then no one is quite doing Indie Sleaze 2.0 like dance-punk singer songwriter (and indeed Charli xcx collaborator) The Dare.
But ultimately, Hunt concedes, it really is all about Oasis. “They were one of the most culturally significant bands in the UK for a while,” she says, “of course that’s going to plant seeds in people’s heads and start thinking about [that era].”
