Ohhhhhhhhh
I’m not sure I understand your reaction. The whole steampunk aesthetic got rolling close to a decade ago and to my knowlege peaked about 2010. It was a reaction to all the electronics, all the virtual this and virtual that, all the plastic. People loved the realness of it, substantial, moving parts, sort of industrial with a wacky appeal, it was/is reto and modern at the same time. Computers with a nice wooden and nickel or brass case and one of those wild magnifying glass monitors, that sort of thing. It extended into apparel which is how I became acquainted, we had a few west coast customers requesting designs with a steampunk look and feel, several years ago. It sold in certain locations and sold on specialized internet e-commerce sites but never really caught on broadly. People didn’t know how to take it.