Fashion is a demonstration of modern society's conquest for freedom; it is an expression of exploration, innovation and individualisation. It is a reflection of an adult and emancipated society. Today, however, this idea has changed: the current consumption of fashion, the so-called fast fashion, leads us to uniformity.
If we look back through history, we can see that fashion has served as a reference to express our way of life, our ideals, our way of thinking. The way we dress reveals the different cultural moments we live in. For example, if we go back to the end of the 1930s, beginning of the 1940s, a historical event such as the Second World War changed, perhaps unintentionally, the direction of fashion. Men went to fight, while women took care of their homes and businesses. This fact led them to wear trousers. This period was also characterised by austerity and dark colours. Later, in the 1960s, the feminist and flower power movements had a big impact on fashion: there was an explosion of colours and the mini-skirt was born. Flared trousers and cotton fabrics dominated throughout this decade. Clothing is based on creativity and originality.
Other countercultural phenomena reflected in the way people dressed were the Teddy Boys. Considered the UK's first urban tribe, their followers were young men, their looks inspired by the sartorial style of the Edwardian dandies of the early 20th century. The Teddy Boys wore long-fitting jackets with sleeve cuffs in combination with waistcoats and slim tube trousers. Their favourite shoes were Richelieu-style or crepe-soled. They were associated with American rock and roll and anti-social behaviour at cinemas and parties. Another high-profile phenomenon was the hippie movement: individuals whose values promoted a communal lifestyle, mysticism and drug use. Hippies dressed in a bohemian style with individual criteria but typically wore denim, customised clothing, fringes, sandals, handmade ornaments and multicoloured effects, among others.
If anything is clear from these examples, it is the impact that fashion has on culture.
What is happening today? Although the figure of the designer behind the big brands still prevails and tries to set trends in line with what we are living, who is really setting these trends is the FAST FASHION industry. The kings of data, who know how to analyse what the customer "needs", this at first reading doesn't sound bad, but we really believe that our identity is reflected by garments that are manufactured by the thousands and that no matter where you are in the world you can dress the same way, this phenomenon is leading us to lose identity and countercultural movements as it was done in the past.
Are we really satisfied with this? It seems that we are willing to wear the same clothes as thousands of other people, styles marked by sales data and a pressure to buy clothes that generate that "false need to buy".
Choose to look for your own style, to dress in a special way that makes you feel comfortable and confident.
Let's not allow the big groups to make us uniform without realising it.
BE UNIQUE!
Agité Closet