The Algorithm Has Stolen Gen Z’s Style: SKITTLES Flip Your Fit Is Bringing Back the Rainbow

• Half (48%) of Gen Z say social media makes their personal style less creative as the pressure for validations dictates the wardrobes for the majority (57%).

• Fashion déjà vu: A third of Gen Z (39%) feel pressured to adopt social media trends but with the same trends on repeat meaning unique style has been buried in a wave of uniformity.

• A generation playing it safe: Two thirds (65%) see looks they’d love to wear but don’t feel confident enough to try, as over half (56%) fear judgement for experimenting with their style.

Is your personal style really your style, or your algorithm's? To celebrate the launch of its new Flavour Flip, SKITTLES is flipping the algorithm and calling time out on the copy-paste fashion trends taking over your FYP. On Tuesday 15th September, just in time for London Fashion Week, SKITTLESis offering young Brits the chance to ditch their algorithm-approved uniform, flip their fit and finally wear the look they’ve always wanted to.

Visitors to the SKITTLES Flip Your Fit Salon will be encouraged to embrace the unexpected, with bold styling advice from maximalist Abigale Masters and a team of beauty experts helping them experiment with flavour-inspired fashion, hair, make-up and manicures to discover a look that's anything but predictable.

New research commissioned by SKITTLES among 1,000 Gen Z adults under 30 across the UK reveals a generation surrounded by fashion déjà vu. 42% of Gen Z see the same fashion trends repeated on their social feeds multiple times a day, while a fifth (19%) see the same or similar outfits once a day. Half of the UK’s young people (48%) agree that social media has made their personal style less creative or expressive.

And the influence goes beyond what's appearing on their screens. 57% of Gen Z say social validation - from likes and compliments to positive reactions - influences what they wear, while 39% say they feel pressure to dress in what's trending on social media. Half (51%) have even decided against wearing an outfit or posting it online because they were worried about how it would be received.

But Gen Z isn't short on ideas – there's a gap between the styles they want to explore and the confidence to actually wear them. Almost two-thirds (65%) say they see looks they'd love to try but don't feel confident enough to wear, while over half (56%) say fear of being judged for dressing differently stops them experimenting more with their style.

Yet, underneath that pressure to play it safe is an appetite to flip the script. If confidence, budget, social media and trends weren't a factor, Gen Z say they'd experiment with everything from Old Money styles (16%), Y2K looks (16%) and vintage aesthetics (13%).

And the motivation is personal: Over a quarter (28%) want to experiment because it would feel more like the real them, while others love the colours, patterns, or visual look of it (17%), and some simply want to be more creative with their style (17%).

Enter SKITTLES Flip Your Fit. Created to give Gen Z the confidence to put that experimentation into practice, the salon arrives just as London's streets come alive with experimental and bold looks for Fashion Week, inviting young Brits to break out of their algorithmic uniform and bring the rainbow back to their wardrobes.

Inspired by SKITTLES Flavour Flip – where familiar-looking SKITTLES deliver an unexpected flavour on the inside – Flip Your Fit takes the same spirit of surprise into style, encouraging visitors to challenge what they think "works", experiment with unexpected combinations and discover that sometimes the looks you least expect are the ones that work.

Curating the looks and on hand for personalised style advice will be self-proclaimed ‘happy maximalist’, Abigale Masters. Known for her unapologetically bold colours and playful silhouettes, Abi is the perfect stylist to help salon attendees step outside their usual aesthetic and find the confidence to try something unexpected.

Abigale Masters, creator and ‘happy maximalist’, says – “Social media can be an amazing source of inspiration, but when you're seeing the same trends again and again it can be easy to forget what you actually like. Personal style should be about experimenting, getting things ‘wrong’ and finding unexpected combinations that make you feel good. I want Flip Your Fit to give people permission to try the look they’ve saved to their moodboard but never had the confidence to wear.”

The flip doesn't stop there. Alongside style advice from Abigale, the Flip Your Fit Salon will bring together expert hair stylists, make-up artists and nail techs, alongside colour and styling specialists, to help visitors experiment their way to an unexpected new look. Think flavour-inspired beauty twists, fruit-inspired manicures and unexpected colour combinations that are just as flipped as SKITTLES Flavour Flip.

And you don't need a salon appointment to Flip Your Fit. Throughout the campaign, SKITTLES, Abigale Masters and other creators, will challenge young Brits across the UK to step outside the look their algorithm expects from them – whether that's wearing a colour they've always avoided, experimenting with an unexpected combination or finally trying the outfit that's been sitting on their saved folder. Because sometimes the looks you least expect are the ones that work.

Emily Owen, Senior Brand Manager at Skittles, said: “SKITTLES has always celebrated colour, individuality and the unexpected, so when our research revealed almost two-thirds (65%) say they see looks they'd love to try but don't feel confident enough to wear we wanted to do something about it.

“Flavour Flip is all about challenging expectations – what you see on the outside isn't necessarily what you get on the inside – and Flip Your Fit brings that same spirit to personal style. We want to encourage Gen Z to step outside their algorithmic uniform, try something they wouldn't normally wear and bring a little more of the rainbow back to their wardrobes.”

SKITTLES Flip Your Fit Salon

Where: 227 Hoxton Street, London, N1 5LG

When: Tuesday 15th September 2026

Featuring: Creator and self-proclaimed ‘happy maximalist’ Abigale Masters

Register: To register your interest in attending SKITTLES Flip Your Fit Salon and to be styled by Abigale Masters, visit Eventbrite.