Fashion…, such a simple, yet powerful word. Everyone talks about it, and everyone raves about it; you can see it in movies, you can see it in TV shows, you can see it in documentaries, reality shows, talk shows, YouTube videos, music videos, and you can see it in social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Tik-Tok.
You can see it in books, you can see it in magazines, you can see it in articles, blog posts, runways, weddings, shopping malls, colleges and parties; you can see it on billboards, you can see it on the streets, you can see it in residential homes, and to sum it up…, you can see it everywhere!
It is advertised by models, actors, singers and celebrities, and it is portrayed by every single person alive on this planet, whether they are conscious of it or not. It shapes our world and reality in many different ways, and yet…, not many people are aware of its reach and importance.
It may feel like a vane, frivolous, or even shallow concept to some…, it may feel like an endless source of inspiration that seems larger than life to others. You can love it, you can hate it, you can use it, or you can discard it, but regardless of how you feel about it…, Fashion is just part of our lives. So the obvious question is: what is Fashion, and why should we care?
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What is Fashion?
The word Fashion has more than one meaning. For a start, it means: “a way of doing something,” or “the way something is shaped,” but when it comes to apparel, Fashion could be defined as: “a popular dressing style outlined by specific shapes, materials and colors that has been adopted by the majority of people in a particular group at a specific time and place.”
In addition to clothes, Fashion also includes other categories such as: footwear (shoes, sneakers, flip-flops), accessories (handbags, sunglasses, necklaces), makeup and hairstyles.
On top of that, Fashion is also a form of expression that is deeply influenced by concepts such as: nationality, culture, society, geographic location, climate, race, gender, age, personality, mood, technology, art, celebrity culture, politics, economy, and a very long etc.
For example, in the 1970s, the prevailing dressing style among the young in the Hippie community in the U.S. was mainly composed of: flowy dresses, psychedelic shirts, flared jeans, sandals, and long hair (in Men).
70s Hippie Fashion
In the 1980s, the prevailing dressing style among the young in the Rap music community in the U.S. was mainly composed of: baggy clothes with bold colors and High Top Fade and Short hairstyles thanks to the influence of artists such as Public Enemy, Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer.
80s Rap Music Fashion
And lastly, in the 1990s, the prevailing style among the young in the Grunge music community in the U.S. was mainly composed of: ripped jeans/cargo shorts, t shirts, flannel shirts and soldier boots thanks to the influence of Rock bands such as: Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains.
90s Grunge Music Fashion
All of these are examples of Fashion, but…, why should we care?
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Why should we care?
Since the very beginning, we as human beings have had the need to cover our bodies in order to protect them from the sun and harsh weather conditions such as: rain, snow, heat or dust among other reasons. We could just walk around inside a cardboard box or a big plastic bag to solve the problem, but (for obvious reasons) it simply wouldn’t work.
We could even go a step forward, and design basic garments with the right elements and materials to protect our bodies from the environment, but we’d just be wearing a uniform, making everything look plain and boring from an aesthetics point of view.
The thing is…, Fashion is more than just clothes…, it is the way we present ourselves to others, It shows who we are, how we feel, and what we stand for; it shows our core values and social status, but also shows where we come from, where we are headed, how we see the world, and how we envision our lives.
In a nutshell, Fashion is an essential part of our culture that blends creativity and functionality in order to express ourselves in an interesting and unique manner through the way we dress and act.
So I invite you to open your eyes and take a look around…, and you’ll be amazed at all the shapes, textures and colors that our human mind has been able to combine in order to create a unique blend of styles that shows the possibilities of our imagination, and then…, you’ll know life just wouldn’t be the same without the magic of Fashion!
John Lazer.