You Can't Buy Individuality. But Zara Will Let You Try.

Sophie Maskell

4 hours ago

4 min read

You might’ve noticed how seemingly everyone on the internet is wearing the same five or six trending items of clothing. Originality in day-to-day fashion is dying, and no one seems to be concerned about it. Fashion icons such as Kate Moss wore whatever aligned with their personal style (with a sprinkle of designer wear involved, of course). Today, the internet is littered with cheap alternatives and the promise that copying a celebrity’s style will somehow align you with their financial or public success. The modern influencer has capitalised on this, selling the idea of a dream akin to the false promise of the original American Dream.

Fashion has always been, and will always be, political. In an era where politics divides generations like never before, political signifiers expressed through fashion choices can have a huge impact on social interaction. More feminine or ‘girly’ styles are often, in a discreetly misogynistic way, associated with appealing to the male gaze. Wearing a babydoll dress or top in public is, in today’s world, practically asking for unwanted attention, both male and female. One half of the internet will tell you that you’re sexualising yourself or sexualising children. The other half will be the ones sexualising you.

Coquette style, often associated with lace and bows, can also be correlated with conservative politics, according to some individuals. As much as fashion is political, it is also rebellious. For example, Vivienne Westwood’s Spring/Summer 2009 show in Milan saw members of the Roma community showcasing her designs at a time of high tension between the community and Italians. A member of the city’s council, Tiziano Maiolo, stated: “I think the designer has a romantic notion about [Romani people] that is 100 years out of date.” (People, 2019).

A quick look at the referenced People magazine article highlights many more examples of fashion as a rebellion against what was accepted in society at the time and, arguably, as a form of counterculture.

Clothing has always been a signifier of class and wealth, but the rise of the internet has enabled greater movement between cultures. Whether this involves women from different backgrounds sharing haircare tips or traditional clothing being (sometimes forcefully) assimilated into different cultures, some of these changes are good, while others are not so much.

The latest example of cultural appropriation comes from high-street fast-fashion brands (H&M, Zara, etc.) directly ripping off Asian culture. Arguably, this started with social media’s frenzy around the Adidas Chinese New Year jackets. Originally only available in China, they became something of a wealth indicator themselves: only the Western ‘fashion crowd’ with enough money to travel to China could get them. A piece of clothing designed to celebrate a cultural event was entirely commodified to fit a social media trend. A quick online search shows some being resold for nearly £300, an incredible markup from their original price.

With this sense of commercialisation comes a vital question: can fashion be cultural (or countercultural, in some forms) and feed into our capitalist tendencies simultaneously?

The short answer is… it’s entirely subjective. As a glass-half-full kind of person, I say it can be. Fashion can certainly still be a rebellion against society, politicians or climate change. It can also uphold these same systems while being a cultural phenomenon: these ideas aren’t mutually exclusive.

However, as most people are aware, high effort and expenditure are rewarded by society, especially regarding what is deemed fashionable. Shopping second-hand became the next big thing, so now resellers dominate second-hand platforms with the intention of making clothing unobtainable to those less financially fortunate. In turn, charity shops increased their prices, with some ultimately pricing out those who actually needed them.

A significant number of younger social media users feel that they have no choice but to follow every trend, a misconception spread by capitalist organisations to encourage extensive spending.

Fashion has always been dictated by the wealthy and influential. Once, this was nobility; now, it’s influencers and celebrities. Influencers are the ultimate modern capitalists, with most making a living purely from selling an idea or dream to others. The undercurrent of much of their content is: ‘If you buy this item of clothing, your life might look as good as mine one day.’

Even trends such as ‘Instagram vs reality’ don’t truly stick, possibly because influencers are ultimately salespeople, and putting across a less-than-perfect image is bad for the brand.

Maybe the real answer lies in what forms of fashion each person consumes. A significant volume of fashion content on social media is purely e-commerce, whereas real people are increasingly feeling more comfortable representing themselves and their views through fashion choices.

Despite the knock-offs, dupes and poor quality, fashion as a concept is entirely cultural. The people we allow to control public perception of it may be harming its cultural image, but they can’t entirely destroy it.

Human beings have been obsessed with fashion since we understood the concept of clothing, with much geographical and religious history intrinsically tied to fashion. Personal style has absolutely been commodified by the internet and influencers, with certain ways of dressing deemed more acceptable and fashionable than others. The role fashion plays in counterculture has changed, but not vanished.

Leather jackets and jeans used to be markers of counterculture in the 1960s and 1970s, and are now staples of mainstream fashion. In the 1990s and 2000s, goth culture was seen as hugely countercultural, and while still not entirely accepted by older generations, it’s significantly more normalised now.

A particularly interesting Reddit thread discussed the topic of whether there is even particularly countercultural fashion anymore, with a large number of individuals saying there isn’t (Reddit, 2017). Despite the discussion taking place nearly ten years ago, many of the viewpoints still ring true.

One interesting question raised was whether a ‘lack’ of countercultural fashion is actually bad, as most forms of dress are widely accepted and supported in more liberal societies and among younger generations.

References

Diana Pearl, People magazine (2019). Available at: https://people.com/style/12-of-the-most-controversial-catwalk-moments-ever/

Various users, Reddit (2017). Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/femalefashionadvice/comments/7jn2dq/lets_discuss_counterculture_and_alternative/