GEN Z ARE WEARING 'UNIFORMS' EVERYDAY, HERE'S WHY

Newsweek for Apple News Exclusive Feature

Gen Z is ditching maximalist fashion for daily uniforms—and experts say it reveals a generation on the brink of cognitive overload.

The generation celebrated for maximalist self-expression through everything from bag charms to laptop stickers is quietly making a radical style pivot—and the reason has little to do with fashion.

Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, built its cultural identity on self-expression. Think, maximalist wardrobes, personalized accessories, countless Labubus. Now, quietly and in growing numbers, they are getting dressed the same way every single day.

The daily uniform—a consistent formula of clothing worn on repeat, chosen not for novelty but for the relief it offers—is gaining traction among a generation that is, by most measurable accounts, overwhelmed.

Across TikTok, lifestyle creators are documenting their go-to outfit formulas and the unexpected freedom they provide.

One creator, @amydiala, had posted about "cutting out decision fatigue with an everyday uniform," while another, @maddison__lynn, walked her followers through building their own outfit formula. Another creator, @rebeccakytang, showed off her office uniform, captioning the video: "having an office uniform = less early morning decision fatigue."

The videos are resonating because the appeal, it turns out, is deeply psychological.

Why Are Gen Z Making Personal Uniforms?

The American Psychological Association's 2023 Stress in America report found that 18- to 34-year-olds report an average stress level of 6 out of 10, compared with just 3.4 among those aged 65 and older. Some 58 percent of that younger cohort say their stress feels "completely overwhelming" on most days.

Two-thirds say it makes it hard to focus. Half say it leaves them feeling numb.

A large walk-in wardrobe with clothes hanging. Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Rebecca Tang, 27, a U.K.-based finance professional and TikTok creator posting under @rebeccakytang, traces her own uniform back to the early years of her career.

Working 14-hour days, five days a week, she found herself drawn to the same logic reportedly behind Steve Jobs' black turtleneck and

Margaret Thatcher's signature power suits.

"Reading about how leaders like them wore the same thing every day to protect their mental energy reframed it for me," she told Newsweek.

She walked into Banana Republic, bought two pairs of trousers and two skirts, and wore them on rotation with a jumper and loafers for the next three years.

"Like any routine, it made a noticeable difference to my mornings," she said. "Anything you can do on autopilot gets done quicker and with far less stress."

How Gen Z Fights Decision Fatigue

Mental health experts see the trend as a direct and telling response to the pressures bearing down on the youngest adults.

Matt Grammer, a licensed professional clinical counselor and founder of Therapy Trainings, told Newsweek: "I'm sure this is a coping response for Gen Z's cognitive overload. Gen Z is the first cohort of people raised with a culture of constant stimulation—from challenges and decision fatigue due to identity management and identity comparison via social media. What seems to be an insignificant wardrobe choice saves Gen Z from cognitive overload."

Dr. Melonie Boone, a business psychologist and CEO of Boone Management Group, frames the shift in even starker terms.

"Gen Z is navigating a unique paradox: they possess the highest level of digital fluency but face the highest decision velocity in history," she told Newsweek. "When every minute requires a choice—from algorithmic feeds to gig-economy task switching—cognitive fatigue sets in.

"By standardizing their physical environment, they are essentially automating low-value decisions to preserve their mental margin for high-stakes execution."

Her conclusion is pointed: "Decision fatigue is an invisible tax on performance. By adopting a uniform, Gen Z is effectively refinancing their cognitive debt to focus on what actually moves the needle."

For Tang, what began as a practical workaround has evolved into something more considered—a framework for intentional dressing and, unexpectedly, a vehicle for personal style.

Her formula shifts with the seasons and with her life; wool skirts, cashmere jumpers and knee-high boots in winter; a blouse, midi skirt and mules through last summer; light jackets, trousers and flats this spring, chosen for the cycling commute she has taken up.

 "It tends to reflect where I'm at in life," she said.

The uniform, she added, has also made her a more deliberate consumer—naturally gravitating toward fewer, better things, ensuring every item earns its place.

"Outfit repeating feels like a choice rather than a compromise," she said. "And there's something that feels quite chic about that."

In a culture that profits from perpetual reinvention through new trends, new drops, new looks every week, choosing to wear the same thing again is, paradoxically, one of the most deliberate style statements a person can make. But for Gen Z, it may also be one of the most necessary.

Newsweek reached out to @amydiala and @maddison__lynn for more information via TikTok, Instagram and email.

THANK YOU FOR READING

COVER IMAGE CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

READ THE FULL STORY EXCLUSIVELY ON APPLE NEWS