Entertainment Music Rock Music Celebrate One Direction's 10-Year-Anniversary with Their Most Iconic Throwback Photos From Abercrombie tracksuits to the first signs of facial hair, the boys have come a long way since 2010 By Sophie Dodd Sophie Dodd Sophie Dodd is a freelance writer for PEOPLE. She previously worked as an editorial assistant at PEOPLE from 2018 to 2022. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 23, 2020 04:09PM EDT Close 01 of 30 A Boy Band Is Born Ten years ago, the story of our lives changed when One Direction first took the X Factor stage. Originally rejected as solo artists, the boys — Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson — were brought together as a band, and the rest, as they say, is history. 02 of 30 In It to Win It Ken McKay/Rex USA While the band ultimately placed third, they certainly won over our hearts during their time on the X Factor — and there's no shortage of clips available to relive those glorious (and often cringe-worthy) early performances. 03 of 30 Ken McKay/TalkbackThames/Rex USA Yep — even in their late teens, they were already ready to steal your girl. Also, is anything more 2010 than this jeans-and-hoodies combo? 04 of 30 Travel Style I take it back. These Abercrombie sweatsuits are peak 2010 vibes, even though this photo was snapped on the bands' return to London after a trip to Los Angeles in early 2011. 05 of 30 Well Suited Ken McKay/TalkbackThames/Rex USA Anyone else create a mood board for their ideal prom date based entirely around these outfits? Just me? Cool. 06 of 30 Hug It Out Ken McKay/TalkbackThames/Rex USA Here for this tender moment, the sideswept hair and awkward side-smiles. 07 of 30 'Tied' Together One Direction, 2010. The boys grabbed some skinny ties and got all dressed up to celebrate the world premiere of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in November 2010. 08 of 30 Beanie Babies Zayn and Louis' coordinating beanies feel like they deserve their own fan base. Ditto for Niall's infinity scarf. 09 of 30 Story of Their Lives Just months after they first met, the boys released their first book about their journey together in 2011: Forever Young: Our Official X Factor Story. 10 of 30 Boyz II Men Karwai Tang/WireImage They grow up so fast! Just two years later, the boys transformed into full-blown pop icons, sporting some facial hair to announce their transition to adulthood. Here, they're pictured at a book signing for 2013' Where We Are. 11 of 30 A Leg Up One Direction in 2011. Long before the facial hair set in, they were still playfully lighting up our world like nobody else at the September 2011 launch of their mega-hit debut single "What Makes You Beautiful." 12 of 30 Gone Glam Zayn and Harry broke with the skinny-tie trend and stole our hearts with their Tyra-approved smizes on the 2011 GQ Men of the Year Awards red carpet in London. 13 of 30 Blue for You One Direction. Ah, the early days of color-coordinating and striking matching poses. They've come so far! 14 of 30 The Perfect Present All we want for Christmas is ... you get the picture. 15 of 30 Sleeves Up Harry and Zayn showing off their biceps in T-shirts while rehearsing for the MTV Video Music Awards in 2012 is a whole mood. 16 of 30 Home Run Same goes for this photo of the boys backstage a year later while on their Take Me Home Tour. Note the sartorial upgrade to proper skinny jeans. 17 of 30 Orange Crush The outfit-coordinating phase was still strong in 2013. 18 of 30 Carbon Copies Just look at their youthful glow, their smooth foreheads, free of all signs of age and life and — oh, those are wax figures. Our bad. 19 of 30 'Beardy Boys' Be still, our hearts. 20 of 30 Dreamy Duo If a date doesn't look at me the way Zayn is gazing at this reporter, I don't want it. 21 of 30 Denim Dude Louis polled fans via Instagram on what outfit to wear while on tour in Australia. 22 of 30 Eat Your Heart Out Would love to see a reprise of this, but with a watermelon. 23 of 30 Cleaning Up Their Act The boys allowed fans to get up close and personal with candid behind-the-scenes shots on their Instagram throughout their 2013 tour. 24 of 30 Zoomed to Perfection Whoever managed the 1D Instagram back in the day deserves an award. 25 of 30 No Shirt, No Problem And to think "Slow Hands' was only a few years away... 26 of 30 Swing Time Liam busting a move onstage and this OG Instagram-filtered collage is a throwback I didn't know I needed. 27 of 30 Rockstar Vibes I would encourage you to recall that this was taken a mere 2½ years after the boys were photographed in head-to-toe Abercrombie. 28 of 30 Full House The year 2014 saw the group performing to sold-out stadiums around the world, all while still rocking impossibly tight skinny jeans. 29 of 30 Live From New York Hot take: this outfit ... suits Niall? The band dressed up as members of a dance team during their December 2014 Saturday Night Live appearance, and it's worth watching if only to hear Zayn ask Aidy Bryant's character, "How's your guinea pig, girl?" 30 of 30 Long Hair, Don't Care Mark Metcalfe/WireImage One way or another, this roundup was going to have to end. I leave you with this photo of the band embracing some seriously luscious locks.