Fashion is a multibillion-dollar global enterprise devoted to the business of making and selling clothes. It is a form of personal expression, a means to communicate one’s attitude and taste, and a vehicle for social interaction. There is a wide variety of fashion, from the high-fashion gowns and suits that are designed and made by prestigious couturiers to the jeans and T-shirts that are sold in mall stores and worn by teenagers and young people.
Fashion changes constantly. New trends are born from many sources: cultural influences, fads, and individual preferences. Fashions can also reflect functional considerations, such as the need to wear warm clothing for outdoor activities in cold climates. Some individuals, especially young people, enjoy the diversity that changing fashions offer; they like the way that a style that was fashionable in the 1990s might not be so today. Other people feel frustrated by the fast pace of change; they believe that fashion is a form of consumerism that results in waste and encourages them to buy things unnecessarily.
Some critics of the industry point out that the labels that identify a particular designer’s fashion line are expensive and unattainable for most consumers, while others note that high-fashion designers earn money from the sale of their name and image. Yet many individuals have found that combining the latest styles with their own ideas can produce a look that is unique and highly personal.
Many of today’s fashions are produced by multinational corporations that operate in a global marketplace. The lines between designer brands and less-expensive “off-the-rack” clothing have become blurred, with designers sourcing fabric in one country, manufacturing the garments in another, and marketing them through distribution channels that reach shoppers worldwide.
The fusion of various elements in contemporary fashion creates a hybrid aesthetic that is often referred to as “high-street fashion.” This blends the designer-created looks with items from mass-produced clothing lines, giving it an individualized and creative twist.
Fashion can be used as a tool for change, especially in the field of sustainability and health and wellness. London College of Fashion curator Alison Moloney recently tapped into this potential in her exhibition ‘Cabinet Stories’, which toured a female prison, a mental health unit, and a care home for the elderly. The exhibition asked participants to select items of clothing that had been significant in their lives and to tell their stories about those pieces. The resulting collection was displayed alongside the garments.
Fashion has a powerful impact on society, not just as an industry that produces and sells apparel, but as a mode of self-expression. It can serve as a mirror of societal values and attitudes, creating a distinctive personality and even influencing social and political policies. For example, the sexy dresses of the 1960s inspired the feminist movement to advocate for equal rights for women. It is not surprising, then, that the concept of gender has shifted so dramatically in recent years, from the sexually provocative outfits of the 1980s to the more inclusive and neutral looks of the 2000s.