Move over, clothing hauls and unboxing videos: the growing phenomenon of videos offering unexpected, quirky or, on occasion, surprisingly practical ways of styling the clothes you already own are taking off.

A Gen Z take on “make do and mend”, these styling hack videos have blown up in 2023, taking social media by storm. On TikTok, the hashtag #fashionhacks has more than 17.4bn views, and #stylinghacks has 1.2bn. Stylists’ tips and tricks often involve reimagining an item of clothing so that it is worn upside down or back to front. Almost anything, it turns out, can be worn as a top – so long as you’re not fussed about having sleeves.

The interest chimes with the growing awareness of waste in our wardrobes. Earlier this year, a Business of Fashion report found that a “growing niche of consumers are pledging to buy fewer or no new clothes, amid growing anxiety about the climate and the cost-of-living crisis”.

So, with sartorial innovation and sustainability in mind, can these left-field social media hacks work in the offline world? I put five of 2023’s most popular hacks to the test.

Cropped shirt hack