If you look at each generation, there is a level of dissatisfaction and detachment which spurs sub-culture, especially when there is a rise in unemployment. Groups proliferate, creating a sense of belonging in a world that increasingly is sending a message of exclusion amidst economic uncertainty. Of course when the economy is better those groups decrease in numbers, but they are always present, representing the critical voice aware of ideological differences between generations.
The core of those groups tend to be composed of a few influential individuals disenchanted with the general society while the rest who are not as completely or emotionally invested participate to a lesser extent out of boredom or, more often, as a rite of passage. In the 80s we referred to those who participated in sub-culture for the esthetics as “posers, although every generation had a moniker for those less invested in the “cause”.
Our social network structure and technology are making it easier to create and organize not only these groups but the more sinister elements that have also been traditionally part of society: the gang culture. Fostered by economic exclusion and frustration of lack of opportunity to engage or participate in the traditional structures and aided by the stigma society puts on poverty, these groups also tend to flourish in leaner times.
If we distill the message these groups and sub-cultures have, overall it’s the compensation of isolation that the technological revolution created in the first place. Some of these groups that were mentioned in a recent article in the UK’s Guardian are embracing the future (the Dorkbots and Intellectual Clubbers), looking for support and camaraderie in a lifestyle (Pug owners, Ultrarunners, Hipster swingers or nudists) or are seeking the nostalgia for a simpler time in the face of reality overload (Chaps, Steampunks, vintage enthusiasts and Modern Pirates).
It is commonplace in every generation as we who enjoyed the predictable inclusive atmosphere during our formative years in schools attempt to recapture the safety and familiarity of belonging to a definable clique before we mature and accept our rightful place in our society. It is a fear of the future and the need for taking escape to a more tactile level that supports the forming of these groups, and the technological capacity we enjoy that makes it easier to meet like minds with similar interests and plan assembly.
Eventually the esthetics, intriguing to a current generation for their lack of conformity and representing a personal stamp unique to their generation, makes their way into the mainstream and find expression in our conventional society. You can find evidence of this in the beatnicks of the 50s, the mods in the 60s, hippies of the 70s, the punks, New Wavers and Goths of the 80s, the Grunge enthusiasts of the 90s, and now our current crop of generational expression. And just as each of them have found a way into our mainstream and in the world of fashion, so have these groups, such as the influence of Steampunks and Chaps.
The lesson here is that any subculture with fresh fashion inspiration eventually makes an influence as designers have always looked to avant garde as a muse. It is the avant garde that looks for alternatives to where we are while inadvertently becoming a barometer of where we are at that precipitated their formation and existence. It is fashion, ever seeking a new voice to satisfy our short attention spans, which pays attention to the costume that the movements of our time wear. And it is our collections that show us where and how the industry is paying attention and whether it has gotten the message by moving on to a newer voice. That, like the movements that come and go and the behavior that spawns them, is always on schedule.