Fashion + Community
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that as humans, we not only value, but need community. How we find, access and participate in communities has been challenged by the events of 2020 – including the pandemic, and global-reach of the Black Lives Matter movement. The fashion industry has historically offered a form of escapism, through innovation of aesthetic and storytelling depicted in the tangible outcome of clothing. However, the fashion industry too has been put under a spotlight this year. Its systems and practices have been called into question. An industry nearly all of us engage with in some form or another, is both a form of expression amidst the restriction’s lockdown has imposed on so many of us. But it simultaneously is riddled with issues of systemic racism and imbalances that are depleting our world’s ecosystems. Fashion in and as a community has had changing narratives, from subculture belonging in the late 1900s, through to the thriving communities around the world that have been built on fashion and textile production, to the digital communication we access for style, shopping tips and inspiration in the form of the social media influencers. As we reflect on 2020, a new narrative is taking shape for Fashion + Community. The question is, what will it entail?
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The Personal Style Blog and Other Dying Arts
At the beginning of the year when the world went quiet, behind closed doors multiple industries were falling into chaos. They were scrambling to rethink their business strategies; how to continue when their captive audience became quite literally captive in their own homes, far, far away from the front doors of their stores. One of these industries was fashion retail, which, while still somewhat floundering, was perhaps more well-equipped to deal with the unexpected turn of events than the rest. Influencing in a pandemic Already a well-established online industry – the rise and dominance of sites like PrettyLittleThing, Missguided and Boohoo are cases in point, to name just a few…
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Fashion and Community
Why are fashion brands increasingly creating community as part of their identity? In our society, we all thrive through different elements of unique diversity which flourish when we come together as a community. Fashion helps us to stand out and make an impact. In our ever-changing world, it is vital that the fashion industry keeps up with the latest changes. The impact of global warming, for example, has changed the way we value what we buy and how the items have been sourced. For example, the rise in fast fashion has made everyone conscious. Whether that’s us changing where we shop or buying less of what we don’t need. Not…
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Fashion Has Power to Build Bridges and Walls Among People
Fashion connects and differentiates us The clothing we wear express our personality. Mostly we think about fashion as about something individual. Of course, we tend to follow trends, but at the end of the day, it is our personal style which determines what we have in our closets. However, let’s not forget that fashion is something that more or less we all have in common. Fashion connects and differentiates us. Sometimes it is not as simple as just whether we like what we buy and wear. Our style reflects the society we live in, and it even makes us feel like part of a particular community. Just think about the…
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How #OOTD Has Created a Global Fashion Community
It is with no doubt that the online world has put fashion at its forefront. Along with gaming, beauty and blogs, fashion is one of the most popular categories of content on the internet today. From buying online to admiring online, it is clear that influencer culture and #OOTD have successfully created a fashion community that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. #OOTD – Outfit of the day Instagram was launched on the 6th October 2010, with the app gaining 25,000 users in one day. Since then, it has become one of the most influential apps on the market and has created a world full of influencer culture and brand deals.…
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5 Online Fashion Communities That Will Inspire Your Wardrobe
For those who love discovering new fashion styles and are always looking for inspiration, online fashion communities are definitely worth looking at. Below is a list of fashion sites that all connect their members into the fashion world one way or another. 1. Ask Andy About Clothes There are many male individuals that find the topic of fashion intimidating, which is purely down to not having the confidence to style new outfits and take new risks within their wardrobe. Therefore fashion communities such as Ask Andy About Clothes are so important to many men who are not confident with their wardrobe decisions. Andy Gilchrist created the website forum Ask Andy…
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Subcultures, Their Communities and Political Change
A subculture within fashion is a group of people categorised together based on their appearance and clothing, which is normally at variance to mainstream culture at the time. Because you’re among supporters of a common cause, being a member of a subculture provides a sense of community and belonging. Weather that be a political movement or a protest against conforming to popular culture, subcultures have been a key driver in creating communities in fashion. The Punk subculture The majority of subcultures throughout history have been about creating a sense of identity and community for a group of people, without a political catalyst. Punks, Goths, and Grunge are just some of…
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How Fashion Communities Helped During Lockdown
Fashion isn’t just one singular style, it’s made up of endless communities that have their own unique trends, and designs. These communities are important for so many people as it gives them a sense of belonging. Being part of a community combats loneliness by introducing people with similar styles, and interests. This is vital now more than ever. In 2020 the pandemic left us all stuck in the house, and some of us were even in lockdown alone. Online communities could be the source of comfort for a lot of people who were in this position. Two apps with online communities who have embraced the different cultures, and styles is…
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York Fashion Week: A Week for Community
York Fashion Week debuted in 2018 as a way to showcase the creative talents of York’s community, as well as inviting in fashion from all over the UK. It spans the length of the city, taking over venues big and small, coordinating workshops, runway shows and activities for both residents and visitors of York. Having been postponed in 2020, previous years have featured bridal events, live mannequin shop window displays and talks from top fashion designers, as well as famous high street brands. It is encapsulated as ‘eight days to celebrate creative designers, elaborate fashions, thriving high street brands and exciting independent brands and businesses… a dynamic range of events…
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Sustainable fashion: The community you want to be a part of
2020 has been a chaotic year; politics has become so polarised, the world has gone into lockdown, and our climate is descending into madness. But in reality, this could be our future if we don’t act now. 2020 was the year to save our planet and to hold the big industries accountable. 2020 was the year to redeem ourselves, but the pandemic has diverted our gaze to the immediate threats we’re facing. It’s time to make our consumption sustainable. Climate crisis Environmental activists have been flooding the media with statements trying to draw the world’s attention to our planet’s cry for help. We are rapidly depleting our resources and most…
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Self Expression and Belonging in the Digital Age
A look at how social media has facilitated new digital fashion communities Community and fashion have become closely linked. For many, fashion, and the clothes we wear are a way of outwardly expressing personalities and interests. From this, subcultures and self-made communities within the fashion industry formed and continue to flourish. What are fashion subcultures? Subcultures in fashion generally refer to groups, or communities, of people who dress a specific way, unique to the subculture. Subcultures can often be easily identified, as the clothes worn by people within the subgroup, often emulate a specific style. There are a multitude of subcultures within fashion. A few well-known examples of these within…
