Viva Talks: The fashion and culture trends that dominated 2022

Kim Kardashian has been faced with criticism following her choice to wear Marilyn Monroe's iconic Happy Birthday Mr President dress to the Met Gala. Photo / Getty Images

A growing discussion around appropriation and references, and which celebrities we are choosing to platform, has been a big part of the fashion and pop culture discourse throughout 2022.

While they have often attracted controversy, the formerly married Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have sparked numerous headlines over the past year for vastly different reasons, while a number of major fashion houses have had to reckon with their own scandals.

On the final episode of the year for Viva Talks, the official companion podcast to the NZ Herald’s Viva magazine, Viva editor Amanda Linnell is joined by commercial editor Emma Gleason and fashion and creative director Dan Ahwa to dissect the biggest trends and stories of the past 12 months in fashion and pop culture.

Gleason said there has been an increasing focus on what celebrities and brands are being platformed and the social responsibility around celebrities. She noted Kanye West’s public fall from grace after he started promoting anti-semitic views online and in interviews, and also highlighted one of the year’s biggest stories involving his ex-wife.

“Kim Kardashian at the Met wearing that Marilyn Monroe dress caused a lot of discussion about history and who has access to it. [And] she dropped a lot of weight to wear that dress and has kept it off, and it’s quite jarring when you look at old photos,” Gleason said, noting the increasing focus on responsibility surrounding fashion and culture.

They also discussed a growing trend for body positivity and the impacts that is having on the industry, alongside a resurgence in ultra-skinny imaging, as well as viral fashion trends from the year, including the “clean girl” aethestic that has dominated fashion, with concerns over how it appropriates minority culture.

Also, it’s time to “Feel the Heat”. Summer is officially upon us, which means it’s time to put the long sleeves and track pants away for another year and switch into your summer style.

It’s all in the latest issue of the Viva quarterly magazine. The Viva Talks panel discussed the cover shoot with Ngahuia Williams at her Piha home, a feature on the growing cultural resurgence for mermaids, and have all the tips and insight you need this summer.

• Listen to the full episode of Viva Talks below for more insights, and find more from Viva Premium at nzherald.co.nz/viva
• Viva Talks is a fashion, beauty and culture podcast from the team behind Viva, New Zealand’s top fashion magazine.