Fashion seems, to many, a superficial industry with understandably heavy emphasis on surface visuals. There is no denying that this aspect is the domain of fashion; after all, the purpose of the product focuses on how we look. But fashion exists beyond the utilitarian, with its soul is in the hands of creatives who balance their artistic roots with entrepreneurship to carve a livelihood from their talents. Those who are successful can find public affinity with their output; their testament to relevance is found on the backs of the public as much as the continued survival of their label.
The expressions that deliver on connectivity is what this blog speaks of. Fashion would not exist if it did not act as a mirror of social relevance, for it is worn as much as an extension of one's character as for practical reasons, and , like fashion, we evolve. Our connection to the world is translated in cuts, colours and textures that we can, at a glance, recognize as hallmarks of our times.
One of the reflections found in the recent collections is our quest for definition...expressed almost literally. As a habit we tend to look to quantify our surroundings to better understand them. We categorize and define. We label. Since the explosion of dependence of the internet, we claim there are no trends and yet each season we find new ways to categorize what we see. Trends will never die because we rely on them as part of our condition to connect.
We look to define more than what we wear. We search for nomenclature for every aspect of our world, be it new hybrids of cultural expressions such as music or cuisine, evolutions of art and architecture, or even human behaviour. In uncertain times we need this more to satisfy insecurities, and in a world filled with choice and variety this need becomes more acute.
The 20s and 60s were ages of personal social progress hinging on the unfamiliar. In those periods we found more graphics to respond to the boldness of our forging into new personal territories. As we broke boundaries we wore more defined ones. These days are no different; assertions of dialogue on broad aspects of diversity are taking the corporate and conventional worlds to task as we challenge our ideals to look for why they aren't reflected in all aspects of our reality. We are more willing to discuss the double-edge sword of behaviours in our laws and customs. We are willing to examine where our boundaries lie. And as we look at those boundaries figuratively, fashion shows us taking on definition more literally.
The simplest and easiest billboard of personal expression that hinges on individuality and conformity is found in what we put on it. For those paying attention, tattoos have been a fair barometer in what we are willing to embrace when given their permanence. In the last couple of years, simple script and, more prominently, outlines of images has been gaining popularity.
Its frugality adds to its popularity; it's costly to fill in those lines. Such thrifty expression reminds of DIY domestic decoration seen predominantly in areas where socialism unfortunately meant limited access to materials to beautify ones surroundings, especially in Eastern Europe during the 60s to the 80s. This resulted in what has been recently coined as "rebar art". The defining lines brought the essential of what was appreciated to the fore, harmonizing with social desires for definition that the changes within environment and period produced.
The recent collections found some designers indulging in the expression of desire for definition, such as in collections from Alberta Ferretti, Emilio Pucci, Iris van Herpen, Jaquemus, Julien MacDonald and Osklen. This was also found in some of the patterns utilized by Emanuel Ungaro, J. W. Anderson, J. Mendel, Marcelo Burlon County of Milan, Novis, Sacai, Sportmax, Stella McCartney, Valentino and Zuhair Murad; and in the trim usage found at Bottega Veneta, Giambatista Valli, Lutz Huelle, Martin Grant, Rosetta Getty and Victoria, Victoria Beckham.
We want to be clear, to know where the lines are to colour within...or to break from as we grow. We need to know who and where we are to know where to venture off to as we evolve. As we continue that self-examination and apply it to our world, we will figure out where we next need to be, with fashion letting us know along the way.