T he more observant individuals who know their history are well aware of the oscillating pendulum of fashion influence with regards to source. That is, sometimes it's the fashion house who brings innovation to the public. It could be a new cut, a new length, a new volume, a textile or colour combination...it could be any and all of the above. The new standard harmonizes with how we feel. Sometimes it can be for a season or two, and sometimes it can set a standard for a part or a whole decade.
Other times, the houses run their course and it is the streets that provide new direction. here, a generation takes the reigns to cultivate anew dialogue to make up for what fashion hasn't heard. The 1920s was a result of youthful rebellion wanting fashion to meet their needs for ease and mobility; the clothes of the previous generation failed to recognize the new freedom this creative generation craved. The new geenration wanted to run and dance with wild abandon, embracing the role of the new mindset for a new century.
In later decades, we saw the pendulum swing again, more so after the postwar where commerce become more reactionary and responsive to youthful expressions. The denim of the 50s, the go-go eclectic looks of the 60s, the glam rock gender testing of the 70s all influenced fashion, and all came from the playful experimentation of the streets.
The 80s, a period of great fashion rule-breaking and innovation, also owes a lot to street fashion. Designers reconstituted the past as we do now as well as looked to street fashion to find new combinations as design inspiration for collections. There was a lot to look at as the decade fostered individuality and supported fashion involvement that was way more immersed compared to prior decades, in large part to greater accessibility of information , materials and capital (even if, for many, it was borrowed). Also, the birth of street marketing photography for design teams gained traction, and some designers were known for parking it in a cafe with a pen and paper in hand. With avant garde expression more prevalent and more celebrated in the fashion world, the individualistic street styles fed our thirst for everything exciting and new.
Since that last decade, there has been creativity in various levels, and yet more seasoned industry players will readily admit that the 80s never really left fashion, so influential and creative its output was. Seeing quite a few collections carry creative expressions that seem right out of the 80s is most intriguing. We have come full circle: our insecurity cloaks us in oversize just as it did in similar unstable status-conscious times while the deviation from rigid trend hallmarks aim to excite the market, all while providing the best-known creative platform to help set an important fashion milestone stage as we inch closer towards a century we have yet to newly identify.
The streets led us into our last century with great impact. So to may the streets do the same again. For now, the collections admit the power of the people, bringing back legendary energy to a new generation looking to own its new legacy yet not yet aware of what that will be. It's OK; we have patience to give.