WRITTEN BY SHARRA GREENE
The chaotic and ever-changing fashion industry has withstood some major culture shifts within the past 10 years. It’s crazy to think that ideas and trends that were once greatly frowned upon, have become the most celebrated and glamourized, & vice versa.
As an active fashion creative, sometimes, I like to just take a moment to observe the industry that I’m in from a more objective standpoint to adjust and adapt my methods accordingly. While pondering the topic recently, I realized that while change is to be expected (it’s what keeps the fashion industry going), we’ve witnessed some huge culture-shifting patterns among creators & consumers alike that may never be reversed; some for the better, and some for the worse. Here are a few of the ways the world of fashion just may be forever changed…
STYLE & CHARACTER OVER QUALITY
Gone are the days where one must be draped in luxury from head to toe in order to be looked at as a style authority. As I stated in my blog post on “The Evolution of the Handbag”, we can now find our fave celeb stylistas unapologetically flaunting a look for less from a fast-fashion retailer.
While the luxury market is still booming, it is a lot more common now to find a mix of high and low fashion within someone’s outfit choice. In fact, due to the nature of social media, & how we document what we’re wearing through frequent selfies & #OOTD posts, you’ll find that many of us care less about whether our favorite ankle booties are made from genuine or faux leather, and more about the boldness of color, print, or overall shock value.
EMBRACING LOWER QUALITY FABRICATION
“Is that polyester? No, thank you.” - said no millenial ever. This one goes hand in hand with the change above. While poly blends and synthetic fabrics were once a thing that almost every fashion lover of a certain tax bracket aimed to avoid, we can now see people being less afraid to mix it up when it comes to the materials their clothing is made of.
Don’t get me wrong, while there are some who still demand their blouse is made of pure silk or linen (some have allergies to certain materials and some simply only want genuine fabrics in their closet), the younger generation is often more concerned with how much it costs and how many ways they can layer or restyle it to increase wear value. When’s the last time you’ve caught someone complaining that their favorite shirt isn’t made of 100% cotton?
CONSUMERS HOLDING BRANDS ACCOUNTABLE FOR SHOWCASING DIVERSE TYPES OF BEAUTY
This has been the most prominent and obvious change yet. Remember when season after season, a designer could fill a runway with 50+ models, none of them being Black, Asian, Hispanic, or of any other minority group, and no one would say anything about it? Well, fortunately, that time is over. Many are speaking up, and revoking their brand loyalty when they see no change.
Consumers have longed for decades to have the ads and promotional content that are targeting them, feature people who look, well, like them.. This demand from consumers extends beyond race and includes size & gender and while many brands have unfortunately responded by offering us one “token black girl” or one plus-size model every few seasons,it has been refreshing and rewarding to watch a versatile range of looks being pushed to the forefront, even if we had to disrupt tradition to see it.
KNOCKOFFS TRICKLING UP
There was a time when if you spotted a popular design, you instantly knew which designer house conceived the item first, and what lower end brand was knocking it off. However, with today’s streetwear and couture worlds constantly intertwining, as well as consumers following a mix of well-known brands and smaller owned start ups, it’s becoming almost impossible to always know who is copying who. One thing we do know though, is that knockoffs now go both ways. Countless major fashion corporations have been called out for knocking off some of the most innovative and resourceful independent designers.
Unfortuanately, many major brands are able to get away with stealing the designs of independent designers. The main reasons for this include micro brands and startups not affording a team in their budget to take proper legal action, as well as bigger brands having the ability to produce a design and bring it to market quicker than an independent designer could, due to their ownership of factories and larger staff.
THOSE WHO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES OF FASHION BEING PUSHED TO THE FOREFRONT
When I first began to pursue styling, I enjoyed the concept of being lowkey, and working exclusively behind the scenes to bring a vision to life. As the industry has shifted, I’ve been pushed to acknowledge that I will sometimes be the face and voice (check out my podcast here) of my own brand.
While there was once a time when our fave style icons remained a well-kept secret and we barely knew the names and faces of who dressed who, social media has opened the door and allowed us to discover, celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments of image consultants, makeup artists, and creative directors more out in the open. Many of the public figures we look up to have no problem tagging the team who helped put them together for an event, or day to day activities. In fact, it’s almost always expected.
Which major shift most impacts your life as it relates to fashion? Let me know in the comments!