IN 2015, FRIENDSHIP WAS THE BIGGEST TREND IN FASHION

For better or worse, “#squadgoals” was a very real phenomenon.

MAURA BRANNIGAN

It didn’t take long before Swift’s “#squadgoals” phenomenon began captivating the same portion of cyberspace that was once flummoxed as to how she and hip-hop’s greatest power couple became acquaintances. Soon, Swift’s friendships within the fashion industry — Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, Lily Aldridge, Karlie Kloss and more — began taking over our collective Instagram feeds.

While fashion has long been insular, a portion of its exclusivity hit a fever pitch in 2015. Despite social media opening up this world to any human with access to a computer or smartphone, the you-can’t-sit-with-us mentality remained prevalent. No longer restrained to the likes of Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld, cliquey friendships seemed to resonate with models, designers and “It” girls more prevalently than in 2014.