Critics were divided, the US release date couldn’t have been worse (a few days after 9/11) and the sequel was a flop. Yet few films have predicted fashion’s own present like 2001’s Zoolander. The memeable absurdist comedy about the “three-times male model of the year” was a cinematic Cassandra: correctly predicting themes, styles and sensibilities of the industry that still ring true today.
Pucker up … Blue Steel became a way of life
The joke around Derek Zoolander’s trademark look, the Blue Steel, was how ridiculous it was. Still, the shocked but vacant stare with the exaggerated pout later became the facial pose on social media. Officially defined as “duck face” (after the Japanese term “ahiru-guchi”, duck mouth), the look gained traction on Instagram in the early 2010s, when people finally took a break from smizing. But tweakments such as lip-filler and forehead botox mean that faces have begun artificially morphing into the pose. So now everyone can be really, really, really Zoolander, without even trying.
Donald Trump kept telling tales
There is a popular theory that Trump crept into the hearts and minds of the American public through his appearances on his reality TV show The Apprentice. But he also made fleeting cameos in films such as Two Weeks Notice, Little Rascals and Home Alone 2. His one line in Zoolander? “Without Derek Zoolander, male modelling wouldn’t be what it is today.” A fabulous little fib that he imparts very believably. Shocking to hear in 2026, I know.
The onesie became a winter staple
The morning after the VH1 Fashion Awards, Derek and his model flatmates Brint, Rufus and Meekus (played by Alexander Skarsgård) are all hanging out, when Zoolander’s nightwear of choice is revealed to be a onesie covered in penguins. A decade later the onesie would become ubiquitous, with high-street sales skyrocketing after One Direction brought them into people’s living rooms. File next to man-buns – and never forget Zoolander did them first.
Sweat shop abuse continued
At the start of the film, a shady fashion cartel are intent on keeping sweat shop labour going, despite the prime minister of Malaysia’s plan to ban it. One fiendish fashionista complains: “50% of my inventory is manufactured in sweat shops in Malaysia!” Zoolander satirised fashion’s cognitive dissonance about sweat shop labour deftly. 25 years on, it’s still, tragically, very much an issue.
Very niche drinks orders became the norm
Donatella Versace likes her espresso served in a pink-and-gold china cup, Anna Wintour’s order is reportedly a grande, extra-hot whole-milk latte from Starbucks, while Calvin Klein infamously got his staff to compare the hue of his milky coffee to a Pantone colour swatch to get it “just right”. In the film, Derek, Meekus, Brint and Rufus share a love of the orange mocha frappuccino, while freaky designer Mugatu (Will Ferrell) loses it when his latte is too foamy. Fashion’s niche drinks orders have arguably only become more extreme – as any fashion intern with a long list of hyper-specific morning matcha and iced coffee orders will tell you.
It’s Posh’s world, and we’re just living in it
after newsletter promotion
Zoolander has more guest stars than an episode of Friends. Hi David Bowie, Tommy Hilfiger, Paris Hilton, Gwen Stefani, Tom Ford, Winona Ryder, Mark Ronson, Donatella Versace, Lil Kim and Sandra Bernhard. Groaning under the weight of its own star power, there is one cameo that feels slightly more significant than the others. Victoria Beckham delivers the line “he’s a fashion icon!” about Derek. Given her move from non-smiling Spice Girl to non-smiling creative director in the last 25 years, she could have been talking about herself.
Gasp! Fashion retirements remain shocking
When Derek announces his early retirement from modelling at the triple funeral of his flatmates (“I’m sure there’s a lot more to life than being really, really good looking,”) the assembled mourners are shocked. But the surprise catwalk curtain call has become familiar: Jean Paul Gaultier stood down in 2020 after 50 fantastique years, Dries Van Noten said goodbye in 2024, while stylist Law Roach “retired” on Instagram in 2023 before sneaking back two years later. Cheeky. Even Derek himself came out of retirement for Zoolander 2.
Top magazines went the way of the dodo
“Not many people read your Time magazine, or whatever it’s called,” Derek tells journalist Matilda. At the time of release this was a joke at the expense of our model hero. Time magazine’s paid circulation was 4m copies per week. Now, not only is Time’s paid digital circulation at about 370,000 but many of the fashion magazines featured in the film have long ceased production: Look, Marie Claire and InStyle to name but a few. Hearing that line in 2026, it hits differently. Earth to Matilda, Derek was right, not many people are reading your magazine (although maybe they are reading your Substack).
‘Derelicte’ became the distressed trend
Mugatu’s Derelicte collection, crassly inspired by unhoused people, was a stinging comment on how far-removed fashion can be from reality. While John Galliano had already produced a collection inspired by those living along the Seine and purses resembling bin bags did appear on the catwalk (Lanvin), the Derelicte collection, which included a battered cardboard box worn as a dress, a feather boa of inflated condoms and a cape made of rubbish, picked at a concept which the likes of Demna later focused in on at Vetements and Balenciaga, elevating wear-and-tear as the distressed look.
To read the complete version of this newsletter – complete with this week’s trending topics in The Measure – subscribe to receive Fashion Statement in your inbox every Thursday.
