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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Support Local: Fashion, Compassion and Community
As we are well into the second lockdown in the UK, it is more important than ever to feel a part of and support the fashion community. And what better way to do this than to support your local and independent fashion businesses! Essentially, you’re unessential Throughout this year, so many workers have been told that their businesses are non-essential. But what the government fail to recognise is that for many, keeping their business alive and profitable is essential for their livelihoods. It is said that it takes two to three years for a new business to become profitable, and for new businesses in lockdown, I will do the math…
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How fashion can unite and divide communities
Fashion can unite and divide communities. It has the ability to shape and identify communities. The iconography it creates within some communities can have connotations which cannot be removed. Communities have a tendency to be intensely insular sometimes to their detriment. Thus, fashion used to identify groups can not only unite the community wearing the items but isolate them from the communities not wearing them. Portraying fashions usage as an instrument to unite and divide communities. Its employment as a political component or social agent to unite people against or in favour of a cause is fascinating. The use of an everyday element such as clothing to express opinions is what…
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Fad Fashion: How Things That Matter Became a Trend in 2020
2020 has been an interesting year; the Australian bushfires, the Coronavirus pandemic, Black Lives Matter rallies, Trump’s impeachment. So many things have happened and so often we have jumped on the bandwagon but how long do we stay on for the ride? Like fashion, politics is a trend, it is fused with a mix of passion and poison. But when a trend dies back, we often adjust our wardrobe for the newest styles. It is the same with our actions and opinions and it is the same in the fashion industry when newsworthy topics come to light. This action you ask? The action of fad fashion. With everything that has…
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Finding Belonging Through the Clothes we Wear:
A sense of belonging is a basic human need, as it improves motivation, mental health and overall happiness. Belonging can be found in many different places. Whether it be through shared experiences or interests, but can we find this sensation through the clothes we wear? With the average UK person spending £526.50 on clothes a year there is no doubt we love to update our wardrobes. Could buying new clothes in general bring us together through bonding over similar styles and trends? Do we gravitate towards people with a similar style to us? Or do we compete with others to be the most fashionable and influential? What can our choice…
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Instagram and the New Age of Fashion
Fashion is a way to express ourselves. We can show the world who we are through our clothing and attract similar people into our lives. This cultivates a sense of belonging through our inspirations. Instagram is helping usher in a new age of fashion, asking the industry to become more sustainable. As a late teen, I was very into finding my style. I loved incorporating unique pieces into my wardrobe and the charity shops in my town were ransacked every time I went in. Spoiler alert: I’m still ‘finding my style’ as my idea of style develops. Instagram and the new age of fashion One thing that has helped me…
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Brands Fostering a Sense of Community, Tackling Loneliness and Moving On Post-COVID
Long-term loneliness is often associated with mental health issues including depression, increased stress, and anxiety. According to studies issued during the initial UK lockdown, one in four UK citizens stated they had feelings of loneliness. Prior to the lockdown one in ten UK citizen advised the same. As we face the risk of a second wave and are coping with the restrictions and practices of a post-Coronavirus world the need for community is central to the cultural conversation. Fashion as a medium sits firmly at the heart of a diverse, almost innumerable, number of communities. It has the ability to reflect our times and connect us to those we identify…
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Modern Subcultures and Communities of Generation-Z
Fashion is an industry based around culture and communities. Designers become inspired by their surroundings and in turn their clothing is a representation of the cultures they immerse themselves in. But there are also communities which form based around fashion and common interests within a way of dressing, whether that be due to influences from external sources or their own desire to stand out. These are subcultures. Subcultures often form in opposition to mainstream culture, and as a form of self-expression. There have been a variety of subculture communities emerge over time. Some have even came to define the decades they emerged in, such as the 1960s and hippie fashion.…
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The New Digital Fashion Communities on Social Media
Community is sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common. In the fashion industry, the term ‘community’ can mean many things. As a narrative it is always changing. Community is found in the design and making of clothing and in the social aspect of fashion events. In the digital age the term has taken on a new meaning, as social media has facilitated new digital fashion communities. We are more connected now than ever, to each other and to our hobbies and interests. Before apps like Instagram, fashion communities could be found through blogging. Bloggers shared their opinions on fashion with a highly-engaged audience on a singular platform. However,…
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Fashion and Subculture: The Relationship Between Style and Community
Throughout past decades, subcultures have been significant in building communities for the marginalised, raising awareness for social issues, and even promoting political change. The way that we recognise these groups, however, is often a result of the subculture fashion that we associate with them. Whether it be pencil skirts, Dr Martens, or the 80s mohawk – fashion is emblematic of the beliefs and attitudes of these communities. With this in mind, today we will explore three such communities, and the way that fashion was (and continues to be) used to express the beliefs and identities of these subcultures. Expressive fashion in 1960s hippie culture As one of the most famous…
