The Fashion Industry
Unpacking the history, culture, body, trends, expectations, and events
The fashion industry as a network has a complex and troubled history. Fashion designing dates back to 1826, however trends in clothing date back even farther (Fibre2Fashion, 2008).
The industry has no limits, with different genres of clothing to meet the desires of everyone regardless of niche. The rise of social media and the influencers inhabiting the platforms makes way for anyone to become a part of this public sphere
Though the past has been problematic, the industry is on the rise for inclusivity, opening doors for anyone. The fashion industry and its actants are inescapable.
90'S Icon
Fashion in the 90’s embodied societal norms, attitudes and the sexualization of females within the fashion industry. Industry icon Kate Moss, world known fashion model, rose to fame in her early teens. Murray (2013) labeled Kate Moss as “the contemporary conception of desirable female bodies by intertwining cultural norms of femininity and commodification of the female body in support of consumer culture” (p.15). The 90’s ‘skinny’ culture made popular from the icons of the time created an unhealthy standard not only women, but men within the industry.
This generation grew up with a picture to body image and the idealized body of being ‘skinny’. Kate Moss was known alongside her iconic phrase of ‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’. The common phrase only adds to the issue within society of common body dysmorphia and eating disorders within this generation of the fashion industry.
The Kardashians have had an incredible influence on modern-day idealised body shapes and fashion.
This type of body shape has been coined the term; ‘slim thick’, which includes large breasts and bum, leaving everything else slim. The fact is that this slim-thick body shape is unattainable without wealth for trainers and expensive diets, but also continuous plastic surgery – which they continue to deny they’ve had.
Creators like Rihanna are pushing forward a positive influence on the fashion industry with her lingerie brand, Savage x Fenty, having all size, gender and race inclusive runway shows. The transformation that this will begin in regards to people’s relationships with their own bodies and the fashion industry as a whole is a huge shift in so many ways and is the beginning of a new era (Robinson-Greene, 2019).
The movements of feminist and gay rights has been said to be the time in which the fashion industry made a move and change, in which the gender stereotypes began to be challenged and deconstructed (Akdemir, 2018). The appearance of men and women is closely related to clothing in the form of one's identity being displayed by what they wear. However the changing norms is beginning to blur the lines in what is considered masucline and feminine within the industry.
A recent cover of Vogue featured pop star Harry Styles, sparking worldwide attention. Since the establishment in 1892, Styles was the first male to appear on the cover (Culverhouse, 2021). Historically, Vogue was centered around women's haute couture, beauty and culture but has since adapted to the ever changing aspects of modern day fashion (Tiikanen, 2019). Gender-fluid fashion removes the division between menswear and womenswear, and has become increasingly popular as a result of society's efforts to break down the barriers between what is deemed as gendered.
New York Fashion Week
New York fashion week is one of the biggest weeks in the fashion industry. In 2021, the fashion spot released a report on the diversity that was represented throughout multiple shows. Out of the 1,253 models in 61 different fashion shows, 55.5% were models of colour, 48 plus size models and there were 30 transgender/non binary models represented (Cichowski, 2021). The diversity throughout multiple categories is beginning to grow and giving society much more representation than what previously has been.
What has been named as the, ‘Largest queer fashion show’ has changed the game in the realm of fashion shows with all inclusive models. The show featured 8 LGBTQ+ designers and features models of all genders, ages and sizes (Walker, 2022). As New York Fashion Week is heavily influential within modern media the showcases become a way to show acceptance and change within not only in the fashion industry but within society towards diversity.
The Victoria's Secret fashion show, running annually from 1995 to 2018 was a promotional event broadcast on television and watched by millions. The models were dubbed 'angels', with the ‘perfect’ fit and slim body type (Lima, 2018). When asked about the use of transgender and plus-size models, the show claimed that "the public is not interested in such people ''. Victoria’s Secret began to lose customers, as people tended to look for a brand identity rooted in inclusive size, comfort, and female empowerment rather than feminine sexualization (Nguyen, 2019). These various factors brought the show to a close.
Run by Vogue Editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, the annual Met Gala is hosted on the first Monday of May and is an iconic star-studded event celebrating fashion held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The purpose is to showcase incredible fashion creations from designers, and raise money for the Met Costume Institute. There is a different theme each year which tells a story and reflects on fashion history, with the biggest A-listers displaying art as fashion.
In 2022, the theme was “Gilded Glamour”. This saw a night celebrating the 19th Century, with outfits worn that reflected the history , as well as modern interpretations of this era (Sola-Santiago, 2022). The Met Gala is the world’s most prestigious fashion event and allows both celebrities and designers to completely embrace creativity and be as bold as they would like.
Social media influencers without a doubt have an impact on the fashion industry and what trends are ‘in’. Having large social networks, their reach to the public is huge. The power of social media allows for anyone regardless of gender, size or race, to build a platform and use their voice. Influencers can show diversity, not only in fashion, but also in giving courage and confidence to people from all walks of life.
The development of social media platforms has not only transformed the way in which we consume media, but how trends spread. Social media's influence has sped up the process of trends and since created micro-trends, where popular pieces of fashion may not even last a few months without becoming outdated (Pierson, 2021). Prior to modern day media, ‘in’ fashion was a luxury only afforded by the wealthy. Clothes made before the industrial revolution era were considered ‘slow’, being hand made with detailing requiring many hours per piece (Vilaça, 2022). Fast fashion uses exploitative techniques to create clothing that is cheap and fast to make.
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