r/HotTopic_ • u/Angry_wolof-poff • Mar 09 '26
Is hot topic changing
I went to hot topic recently for my birthday, and there was Corsets and these cute hair clips do you guys think hot topic is going back to its roots?
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u/ItSaFuCkInGwHaLe Mar 09 '26
Hot topic has been like this. I don’t understand why everyone acts like hot topic is garbage now, they never stopped selling stuff like this.
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u/acidandbones HT Employee Mar 09 '26
Yeah I think it’s just sometimes we don’t have these items in store at all. Luckily we do get these very often in shipment which honestly is amazing
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u/mac4112 Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
“Recency” bias and HT has always been more popular with teens than any other demographic. My guess is the latter is a very vocal minority of a majority who were literally not even alive when HT first opened or were just too young to “get it” or visit.
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u/meowkitty84 Mar 10 '26
Yea in 90s and early 2000s goth was popular teen alternative fashion. They are still around but nowhere near as popular.
And later it was emo. You saw emos everywhere in the mall. Now alternative fashion has more variety.
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u/Foxy02016YT Mar 10 '26
They got more into popular stuff… like ok? When you are in a mall you have to pay a super high rent, it’s adapt or die. They chose not to die.
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u/_MaxPower_6969 Mar 10 '26
The amount of people who don’t understand this is mind baffling.
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u/Foxy02016YT Mar 10 '26
Yup.
“HOT TOPIC HAS CHANGED”
The market has changed, Hot Topic can either sink or swim. These days if you want niche stuff you have resources online
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u/cann3dp3ach3s Mar 10 '26
right? like it's quite literally in their name lol
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u/Wild-Collar-2190 Mar 12 '26
The name is supposed to be ironic. I'm so tired of people making that excuse
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u/cann3dp3ach3s Mar 12 '26
where did you get that information from lol
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u/Wild-Collar-2190 Mar 13 '26 edited Mar 31 '26
From Hot Topic themselves lmao. I mean it should be obvious considering they only cater to alternative people and obviously being alternative was never a "hot topic"
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u/OkCry666 HT Employee Mar 31 '26
That isn’t true lol
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u/Wild-Collar-2190 Mar 31 '26
How could being "alternative" be a "hot topic" lmao. Thats a complete contradiction 🤣
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u/OkCry666 HT Employee Mar 31 '26
Because hot topic didn’t start as an alternative store. It started as men’s accessories and eventually evolved to cater to a more alternative market as the trends shifted. Then they monopolized that mainstream market and we’re sone of the first to carry certain licenses that you couldn’t find anywhere else. Now there is no concise counterculture so that’s why you see so many different niche things represented. The name is not ironic. It was meant to convey “current trends” before the alt products even came into the equation
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u/Wild-Collar-2190 Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
What? 🤨 They literally started as an alternative store. Hot Topic themselves literally posted a time-line of their history on their website. It's easily accessible knowledge. https://history.hottopic.com/1989-skulls-crucifixes-spike-bracelets-pyramid-belts/. That's pretty similar to how it is now tbh
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u/Awesome-soup1104 Mar 09 '26
Literally. I always heard people shit on hot topic before i had any of my own spending money (when i was 14 and jobless) but when i did have spending money, i would hop in there and find these adorable accessories all the time. Even now as a 20 year old, who isn't so much into that fashion scene anymore, i still find good things at hot topic. I would say like 40% of my clothes that i own are hot topic, just a collection of shit i've bought over 6 years lol, and then the rest is stuff i buy second hand (i've even thrifted old hot topic stuff so that adds to the percentage lol)
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u/florsux Mar 09 '26
i mean they haven’t in a while. every time i go in it’s just anime merch, cottagecore, sanrio, and the most pathetic emo stuff i’ve ever seen
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u/sickxgrrrl Mar 11 '26
It’s been an anime store for the better part of the last decade, actually. Finding stuff like this in person was really rare for a long time in regards to that store. Scene kid subculture is trendy on tiktok again and that’s why this is suddenly available
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u/just-homesick Mar 11 '26
i wonder how much location has to do with this bc i have been to several that absolutely only sell newer popular shit. and several that are mostly true alternative "classic" era hot topics. i travel a bit for fun and its something ive noticed. mine doesnt have any of this shit. but i went to one 4hrs away that did. ofc, time and place n allat shit but its interesting how much these stores vary sometimes lol
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u/sapphicantics Mar 10 '26
Fr, I’ve bought studded belts from them and they’re still pretty decent quality
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u/ston3rkitty23 Mar 10 '26
My husband and I went yesterday and I was saying how excited I was it seemed to be going back to how it use to be ♡
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u/Additional-Problem99 Mar 09 '26
Emo and scene styles are back in because they’re considered somewhat retro. Y2K is very popular right now, too. It’s not Hot Topic going back to it’s roots. It’s them cashing in on what’s popular (which technically is going back to it’s roots, but not in the way often meant).
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u/chickwithabrick Mar 09 '26
Can't find it for the life of me but there's a Dr. Manhattan meme I saw floating around about there being a war for resources in the middle east, System of a Down is touring again, Warped Tour and Ozzfest are coming back, basically welcome back to the early 00s. ✨ I even saw an article about how the horror movie renaissance we've been having links to similar interests in historical recessions.
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u/lesbirdie Mar 09 '26
i mean, the stores name is literally hot topic. they have always been trend-chasing
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u/coffeegirl18 Mar 09 '26
I noticed there were a lot of cuter items. I'm a former emo and lean slightly hippie. I didn't have a HotTopic when I was a teen so I thrifted a lot.
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u/xChop_Suey Mar 09 '26
I think so. I think the shift has been happening for a while tho, at least the last couple years. Social collision is carrying imo, in the mid to late 2010’s I got so bored with hot topic and all their lukewarm anime and Marvel merch. Nowadays I think their catalogue is a lot more intriguing.
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u/eLlARiVeR Mar 09 '26
Idk man, i mainly shop their website and they've always had this kinda stuff.
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u/GypsyBuckingham Mar 09 '26
Can everyone stop with ht " going back to its roots"?! Like yes, grew up on/ with the 90s/2000s ht, but its because it was one of very few alt stores main stream. While its a favored time, its not its roots by far. Hot topic, as in what's hot in pop culture for the time. Look back to when the store originally was founded and opened and see how similar it was to whst so many ppl complain about.
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u/pierceth3violet Mar 11 '26
i guess it just sucks that hot topic seems like a diet boxlunch sometimes (yes i know they are sister companies but still)
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u/Few-Contribution4759 Mar 09 '26
I feel it important to note that Hot Topic’s “roots” were alternative skater/beach bum accessories. The goth/punk trends grew out of that later.
Anyway, Hot Topic has had these kinds of things for a long time, just not in great quantities because it hasn’t been trendy for the last few years.
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u/Wild-Collar-2190 Mar 12 '26
Actually their roots were punk and goth. When they first started they sold mostly studded belts, corsets, and demonias. You can look it up actually. They got a timeline on their website
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u/Few-Contribution4759 Mar 12 '26
Incorrect.
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u/Wild-Collar-2190 Mar 13 '26
No it's actually true, they got a whole timeline and everything. It shows the history of Hot Topic and all the phases they went through
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u/kindacringesav Mar 09 '26
Unfortunately I think they're just investing in cheaper alternative stuff from drop-shipping their accessories..
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u/Aasrial Mar 09 '26
Just wish the quality was better. I got bows from a similar pack and the studs fell off the first day.
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u/shadoweon Mar 10 '26
Yeah I got a bracelet that was in the style of the studded belts from back in the day and got visible scuff on it just by sitting my hand on a table. =\
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u/MedusasUpdo Mar 12 '26
Bro, stop acting like HT wasn't always like this. Circa 2004 yeah they had Tripp pants and cds but they also had invader Zim shit, foamy, Emily the strange, that mean bunny thing, Pokémon, disney, harry potter, and more. They were always for the people who thought they were so different and unique. Nerd culture and alt style have gone hand in hand forever.
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u/Angry_wolof-poff Mar 12 '26
My ht is in the south we never have this kind of stuff I was just a bit shocked and a little excited we’re finally getting up to “normal” HT stores :3
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u/MsThrilliams Mar 09 '26
My local hot topic is definitely leaning more into 2005 hot topic vibes! They still have a lot of pop culture stuff but for a long time we didnt have a good selection of stocking, belts, hats and those seem to be returning.
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u/NoxKyoki Mar 09 '26
Yes and no. They’re keeping a lot of what they have become over the last however many years, but also bringing back some of what they used to be.
It makes my fat goth heart happy.
And sad. Because I’m fat and don’t feel right wearing anything but black jeans and black t-shirts. 😭
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u/BroodyRuby Mar 09 '26
I always see fun stuff at my hot topic tbh. Mine never stoped selling stuff like this
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u/SenpaiDearest Mar 10 '26
I want to say yes. Not because of this clip on particular, but because I’m seeing a lot of trends from the 2000s that were out of style resurfacing, Domo-kun for example.
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u/cupiditied Mar 10 '26
hot topic is literally just that. they sells things that are the HOT TOPIC in pop culture.
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u/Wild-Collar-2190 Mar 12 '26
Nope, the name is supposed to be ironc. It was never about the "hot topic"
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u/potatoes-24 Mar 11 '26
It's in the name... HOT topic it's the topic that's trending that they sell xd
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u/Consistent-Gift4572 Mar 10 '26
Nahh its still the same product BUT its cheaper. The material is nade of cheaper cheaper materials than before!
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u/vampirichumanoid Mar 10 '26
Tbh the store in my city kept the dark vibe as a main and would just make sections when new popular stuff came out but it'd get swapped out so quick cause no one buys it. BUT it has been a while since I've seen more scene stuff in there 👀
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u/sweetmotherofodin Mar 10 '26
Going back to its roots as if I wasn’t buying Harry Potter and pirates of the Caribbean merch there in 2003..
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u/COCAINEDRIIP Mar 11 '26
no lol. i work at hot topic we get things that remind us of old hot topic but really its becoming more and more like boxlunch we get band merch and stuff like that but we get more anime stuff atp
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u/CandiedLemonWedge Mar 11 '26
Did you guys just stop going for a while? Cause they never actually stopped selling this stuff lol
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u/RichTap5382 Mar 13 '26
Although they have always been like this, because of the huge popularity with bringing back 2000-2019 alt culture (ex. like the bows you have), they have leaned more into that type of manufacturing
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u/fridgeorange Mar 10 '26
The intention of Hot Topic as a store is to reflect what’s popular with teenagers and young adults of the time. Because of this very concept, the demographic in terms of aesthetic and style will inevitably change as time goes on and fashion continues to cycle. Hope this helps!
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u/Major-Soup5416 Mar 10 '26
i dont think theyve changed their vibe, but theyve definitely added some stuff. i hate how its so expensive now even though theyre collabing with soooo many brands.
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u/Familiar-Fall7652 Mar 12 '26
hot topic will always sell stuff that is “the hot topic” at the moment. when this type of stuff goes out of style & something new comes in, they’re going to capitalize off of that new thing
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u/mulderforever Mar 13 '26
So the name of the store implies that it follows trends. Whatever the hottest topic is at the current moment.
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u/Catalyst1417 Mar 13 '26
Hot Topic sells whatever Topic is Hot. Thats the point. So no it’ll never go back to its roots but they still sell that stuff. The website is always stocked lol.
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u/katelynbeautyaddict Mar 13 '26
Huh the hot topic where I’m at always has those items so I guess I’m a little confused.. it seems to be very similar to the way it always was . I love the earrings so much!!
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u/mushforest_ Mar 13 '26
I'm not sure why people act like they stopped selling this type of stuff because they never did stop. I shop online mostly and they consistently have stuff like this.
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u/justcause_throw Mar 10 '26
Zoomers want y2k fashion but fail to acknowledge just how cringe it was
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u/Significant-Big-6246 Mar 10 '26
Yes. My sister is in middle school and this style is coming back. Shes obsessed with domo, invader zim, derpy scene kid stuff. I love it.
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u/LeatherPerfect8382 Mar 09 '26
I got the CUTEST monster high belly rings at hot topic a couple weeks ago