Thanks to Cardi B, Sock Sneakers Were More Popular Than Ever in 2018

2018 was the year of Ariana Grande. Like, we’re ashamed to even say it, but what TF was Beyoncé even up to? (JK, we all know she was on tour, but we’re trying to make a point.) Ari smashed records. She released her first number one hit. She thank u, next-ed every other artist on the map. And you know what? She did it all in a giant fucking sweatshirt.

Cardi B had a similar experience in 2018. Most of the songs on her (only, and certified platinum) album, Invasion of Privacy, charted on the Hot 100. She broke into multiple genres, including pop and reggaeton. She had a freaking baby.

And what about Rihanna? Well, in typical Rihanna fashion, she spent 2018 closing New York Fashion Week and reinventing the makeup tutorial. Oh, and she was in a movie?! Thanks to combined revenue from that, her blockbuster makeup collection Fenty Beauty, lingerie line Savage x Fenty and, obviously, her music, our favorite Barbadian goddess upped her net worth to an estimated $210 million in 2018, making her an “up-and-comer,” according to Forbes, on the list of America’s richest self-made women.

In short, these women fucking murdered 2018, and we’re not the only ones who noticed.

In the past few weeks, the media have been running some calculations to determine the biggest trends of the year. (So that we can top them in 2019, obviously.) And you may or may not be surprised to learn that the fashion industry saw some pretty major influence from our aforementioned Queens of ’18.

Let’s start with Grande. You know her look? The oversized hoodie paired with over-the-knee boots and a high pony? Yeah. She did that. And now, it’s huge. In fact, Lyst says internet searches for oversized hoodies have increased by 130 percent in the past year alone—undoubtedly influenced by Grande’s fashion choices.

Source: Instagram

Next, we’ve got Cardi. You know that lyric? “I like those Balenciagas/The ones that look like socks”? Right. Us, too. Well, it’s not unlikely that it helped to sell out the now-famous sock sneakers globally. Oh, and she also raps about clothing retailer Fashion Nova, like, all the time. And guess what? Cardi B’s line with the brand sold out in about four hours. Right.

Source: Instagram

And last, but certainly not least, we come up on Rihanna, who pretty much singlehandedly caused a 19 percent spike in search inquiries for balaclavas in 2018. Do you even know what that is? Because, if not, it’s this:

Source: Instagram

Anyways, long story short, if you’re trying to tell us that you don’t turn to celebs (and especially these badass women) for your daily fashion inspo, we literally know you’re lying. So in 2019, let’s all just embrace it, OK? Cool.