The 90s aesthetic has been a fixture in fashion for a few years now, but it’s the video side of it that’s most interesting from a production standpoint. VHS grain, DV camera footage, mixed-media edits, time-code overlays, what used to be a technical limitation has become a deliberate creative choice. And when it’s done well, it gives a campaign something polished content rarely has: texture.

We bring this texture into our fashion video production.

Why the VHS and DV Aesthetic Works

The appeal isn’t nostalgia for its own sake. The real reason this look works is that it signals authenticity. VHS footage feels like something that actually happened, not something staged. DV cameras were what people used to document their actual lives in the late 90s, and that lo-fi intimacy translates well to fashion, where getting too polished can read as cold or corporate.

There’s also a generational dimension. Millennials recognise the aesthetic from childhood; Gen Z have absorbed it through culture and are actively seeking it out. Both audiences respond to the same thing: a video that feels lived-in rather than manufactured.

How to Get the Look Right

You have two routes: shoot on original equipment, or simulate it in post. Both can work. The honest answer is that most production budgets lead to a combination of the two.

• Shooting on actual VHS or DV: The imperfections are real and impossible to fake convincingly, colour bleed, tracking glitches, low dynamic range. If the authentic look matters, it’s worth sourcing an original camera. Second-hand consumer DV cameras are still widely available.
• Digital simulation: Tools like DaVinci Resolve, After Effects, and various Premiere plugins can replicate grain, scan lines, and colour shifts. Combined with careful art direction (wardrobe, props, location), the result can be convincing, and is far more controllable on a tight shoot schedule.
• Mixed media: Intercutting genuine VHS or DV footage with modern digital creates deliberate contrast. This approach tends to work well for fashion brands that want to reference the era rather than fully inhabit it.
• Music: The track matters as much as the picture. An 808-heavy beat, a UK garage track, or a lo-fi R&B cut can do more to anchor the aesthetic than any visual effect.

Campaigns Worth Looking At

Skims: Sabrina Carpenter Campaign

Skims shot this campaign with Sabrina Carpenter in a deliberately 90s visual language, grainy footage, vintage-styled lingerie, intimate lo-fi framing. It works because the product and the aesthetic genuinely align. The softness of the campaign suits the product category without feeling throwaway.

Gap x Palace: 90s Streetwear

The Gap x Palace collaboration leaned fully into the era, oversized fits, bold logos, VHS-style footage of skaters in everyday settings. The campaign felt like it was found rather than made, which is exactly what this aesthetic demands. For co-branded content, it set a strong example of how to give both brands equal weight without compromising either.

Umbro x MTV: Rave Culture

Umbro and MTV’s collaboration tapped into UK 90s rave and acid house culture, a slightly different reference point to the American streetwear nostalgia that dominates most 90s fashion content. The mixed-media edit and bold graphic overlays feel genuinely period-specific rather than trend-chasing.

Working with This Aesthetic at Salt & Gorse

We’ve used lo-fi visual approaches across a number of fashion and lifestyle shoots, particularly for social-first content where an over-produced look can work against the brand. If you’re developing a campaign and want to explore what this direction might look like for your brand, get in touch.

For context on how we structure a shoot from brief to delivery, our production process guide covers the full workflow, including how we approach art direction for period-specific or reference-led projects.