Trends come and go, fads pass, and top knots die out (praise the lord!).
I think your average folk only see a 'hip and happening' product at its peak.
They don't attend the living room gig to see an act before they make it; they don't know about quirky shoe-makers turning VHS videos into creepers (I need to get that shit patented).
More often than not, I'm one of those people. Bobbing along while the ebbs and flows of fashion pass me by.
However in the case of Fjällräven bags (tricky name), thanks to living on the Northern Line - a.k.a the land of the 20 somethings - my London commute gave me a front row seat to the rise and fall of its popularity in its entirety.
Within the space of, I would say, six months, this accessory went from rare, to everywhere, to spare (...and that rhyming thing worked extremely well).
These are very functional bags, with sturdy handles, nifty zips, spacious interiors, and comfy straps.
They've also got this alluring and quirky Scändinavian vibe, in bright block colours - thus, naturally, we were drawn to them like a moth to The Killing.
August 2015 - first sightings
These were the cool kids. The kids who can wear fringes that stop halfway up their forehead. The kids that find couture in charity shops.
First you saw one and assumed it was some alternative indie brand somehow linked to Kate Moss.
Then, every quirky Kim and her friend was wearing them. Plus, these things are unisex (classic kooky Scändi), so the lads were in on it too, with their vintage Converse.
October 2015 - the source
I was Miss Marple. I was Sherlock Holmes. I was in Urban Outfitters.
Pennies were dropping all over the place, and not just because their photo booth was out of order.
There they all were. And not the odd one. An entire wall.
And, I must point out, these pretty basic bags are an extortionate amount of money. The 'classic' will set you back £65. For a canvas bag. I guess you can charge anything if you put 'classic' in front of it.
Now it suddenly made sense. How else would all of the individual kids be wearing the same bag? Urbs is the reason all individuals look the same. I should've realised sooner!
December 2016 - the beginning of the end
There was a slight problem with the product.
I've typed it once, I'll type it again: they are very practical bags. Very good for day raves and work, but also the kids' colouring books and school stuff.
The middle-aged movement had begun, and the age bracket was widening. At first they seemed to be old-school ravers clinging on to their cool credentials, but soon, it was just mums and librarians, and sometimes mums who are librarians.
The vintage Converse soon became Skechers, and thus the craze was no more.
Trends come and go, fads pass, and top knots die out (praise the lord!).
Fjällräven bags are out.
What's next to fall? Herschel? Knomo?
Do we care enough? Probs not.