Fashion is transitional rather than static, it is this dynamism in its nature that makes it difficult to comprehend and study as a concept in isolation. This is mainly because fashion is interwoven into culture, music, personalities, the economy and a number of other social barometers. Fashion in itself is the custom style and form of appearance that prevails over a specified period of time.
In essence, this means that fashion is short lived and usually acquires manifestation and common usage in the form of dressing and costumes. All that form of fancy attire that acquires a social place and is popular at a given point is what constitutes fashion; this might not however just be limited to dress and costumes but also encompasses other elements within a social perspective such as walking style and even talking and body language.
A number of different world civilizations have diverse cultures and fashion trends and this has been unparalleled not just in recent times but from time immemorial. The West has probably had the greatest influence on the fashion that is currently in the world at any given time (Kitwana, 2000).
The Hip hop fashion and appearance for instance, is western and has constructed a strong social identity that has come to be associated with the youth. Hip hop fashion has a distinctive style of appearance and dress code that is Afro American in descent. This has strongly impacted the social fabric of the youths for instance in major American cities like Philadelphia, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Chicago and Miami.
All the above cities have a special contribution to the type of hip hop culture seen in the universe today. This type of pop culture and mode of dressing basically compliments and deeply expresses the attitudes of the people and their form of musical conduct. Various diverse ethnicities around the world have now formally accepted this culture and appearance and indeed mimic these western antics; this is largely seen in Africa and Latin America.
The hip hop fashion has probably created booming business for sportswear and jeans clothing manufacturers around the world, such include Levis Strauss, Kangol, adidas, kappa and sportif. This is because the youthful generation has embraced these designs in society and has come to be associated with these forms of baggy and flashy dressing with sagging outfits.
Over time, the world has witnessed a number of hip hop icons wearing tracksuits, bomber jackets, sneakers shoes and bandanas. Because such icons command a lot of authority among the youthful generation, they are seen as pace setters and role models by many. This can now explain the reason behind the creation of a thick social fabric that regulates social behavior and conduct hinged on this hip hop culture (Grammer, 1996).
In the 1980s for instance, popular accessories ruled the atmosphere of pop culture including elements such as Clark shoes and adidas shelties these were often adorned with laces that were considered “phat” or oversized. A number of hair cuts and hair do’s were also made famous by strategic musical icons like Will Smith who popularized the “hi top fade” and Christopher Reid of Kid n Play who popularized the Jheri curl among others.
From this it can be observed that a variety of fashion and appearance designs usually have fashion ambassadors, these are social icons who find acceptance and command respect from society, because their conduct is admired by a majority of dwellers in these setting, their ideas are bought without question and hesitation, they thus help to play a significant role in moderating social conduct and creating identities.
Tommy Hilfiger became a fashion icon especially on the late 90s as a preferred sportswear. There was however significant levels of competition from other trendy fashion brands like DKNY and Calvin Klein. To illustrate the interrelationship between the media (publicity) and social icons, an incident that occurred in New York City can be useful.
Snoop Doggy Dogg (an afro American rap icon) was once invited to appear in the popular television show “Saturday Night Live” this show usually interviews celebrities, top politicians and famous businessmen, in this particular television talk show, Snoop appeared wearing a sweatshirt with the Tommy Hilfiger label, the next morning this brand made many sales in all the New York clothing stores.
This trend has indeed made a number of clothing labels to be associated or linked with popular musical and media personalities as this is on the surest ways to guarantee increased sales volumes (Wilbekin, 1999).
After the 90s and presently, a number of business executives and artists established their own designer and fashion labels. The following are examples of such designs by prominent artists and designers of fashion in the west: Phat Farm (Russell Simmons), Sean John (Puff Daddy), Roca wear (Jay Z), Shady Limited (Eminem), Akoo (TI), Makaveli & Outcast Clothing (2Pac Shakur) and Apple Bottom Jeans (Nelly).
The above are respected names in especially the hip hop musical industry and have immensely contributed in spreading the hip hop fashion and culture in their labels. This has inspired many in America and beyond to embrace the hip hop identity and appearance. As mentioned earlier, this characteristic is mainly attributed to hero worship and the role model ideology.
It should however be noted that, because of other social reasons notably the general gap, a majority of the older generation have not embraced this designs and have rather stuck to the traditional forms of fashion. The role of the media in the further dissemination of this fashion culture is also seen in such social networks like face book, twitter and ratemyfresh.com. The latter has particularly been instrumental in showcasing new models of fashion especially in the hip hop genre.
This form of fashion has however not gone without its fair share of criticism from various quarters; many people demonize these brands and consider them exotic and elitist. Criticism from both within and outside the musical genre point at the emphasis on profits by the designers hence the exorbitant costs associated with these brands.
The type of mentality that has been created by these designs in the minds of many is that of opulence and richness and therefore the low income earners who form the bulk of the society are technically locked out of the so called elitist class of buyers. It is largely seen that in order to impress a lady or look good, then such accessories as gold chains and pimped up cars are a necessity, this is an expensive lifestyle for most members in society.
In one specific letter addressed to the editor of Source Magazine, an anonymous contributor advised the fashion magazine not to keep publicizing expensive jewelry and clothing items so as to discourage the ambitious culture among the youths. The expensive price tags attached to these fashion items has indeed been blamed for the rapid rise in crimes and robberies in the society, people who cannot afford these items are encouraged to engage in acts of hooliganism.
In the 90s for instance, the Guru of Guru Starr group was robbed his expensive Rolex watch and this was done at gun point. Queen Latifa was also car jacked and the prodigy group lost jewellery worth more than $300,000 after a gun man attack. A few hip hop groups like the Public Enemy have made it their deliberate effort not to wear luxurious jewwellery as this they consider a statement of materialism yet they encourage their audience to live within their means.
Major designer icons like Kate Moss have had a significant influence on the way people dress and have indeed moderated and inspired the social identities of a number of individuals. She has worked for a number of fashion agencies including storm model management, IMG Models and the Marilyn Model Agency, she has publicized many fashion products including a number of Italian wear like Louis Vutton,
Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana. She has launched a number of designer clothes across Europe and America which includes shoes, clothes bags and belts. Her personality and candor has encouraged many people in the high streets to adopt her designs and use them on major star studded and celebrity occasions (Laver, 1979).
The media through the concept of fashion journalism and the introduction of digital technology has had a great impact in moderating and constructing social identities across the universe. Fashion blogs on various websites and social networks have influenced dressing tremendously, a number of fashion journals and magazine publications contain commentaries that touch on fashion do’s and don’ts.
Television and newspapers as well provide a range of fashion advice that users find useful, Depending on the content, editorial policy, mood and attitude of these media agents, people’s opinions are shaped and behaviors changed. The vogue fashion magazine founded in the United States is arguably the pioneer of all fashion publications.
This is one of the oldest journals because it was established in 1892. The recent years have witnessed a growth in television publicity with dedicated channels such as Fashion Television expanding the knowledge about fashion and appearance to audiences around the world. Television coverage and internet connectivity remain to be the most strategic of all media sources used to transmit social information about fashion, appearance and others because the transmission of the information is on a real time basis.
Clothing being a facet of appearance of the human being also depicts culture and way of life among different communities in the world. Dressing and fashion therefore depicts a social significance.
The dress code of a particular society or setting is generally assumed to be understood whether written or unwritten, in most societies, the mode of dressing communicates information touching on status in society, income of the person or religious inclination, other forms of dressing fashion will indicate an individual’s sexual orientation, marital status and attitudes.
Even when it is not deliberate, clothing and fashion designs will often communicate a social meaning, when one wears expensive designs, this is associated with wealth and affluence whereas simple or poor quality dressings depict distress and financial incapacity. The misconception is evident in the contemporary society that only passes judgment or assessment of an individual not by the content of his brain but by the way they dress.
Right from the middle ages, nobilities from Europe used dressing trends to indicate differences in their status and isolate themselves from peasants. Modern cultures prevalent in recent times recognize such antics as the females wearing exaggerated stiletto heels, revealing clothes or tight items as being sexually provocative. In most organizations, the level of formality is depicted by the dressing mode.
Short dresses (above the knee) have in recent times been accepted as formal while flowing ones are considered generally informal. Use of extreme jewellery and perfume may also be viewed to communicate a provocative message. Men moving about without shirts or with shirts unbuttoned to the chest may also be assumed to be communicating a specific message to their peers or members of the opposite gender (Fernand, 1981).
An instance of the contradiction of conduct may be seen in an Arabian woman who wears an abaya to indicate her level of responsibility, modesty and respect but chooses to use one of extremely luxurious material and visibly expensive that has been sown to tight fitting size very close to the body structure and use it with a trendy purse or heels. Evolutionary psychological researchers have shown that fashion and clothing especially for women may to a large extent be dictated by their menstrual cycle.
Provocatively revealing clothes are generally associated wit the pre-ovulatory phase while the less revealing outfits are associated with the periods during the flow. Certain fashions are declared illegal in certain societies, among the people practicing fundamental Islam as religion for instance, a woman could be stoned if she wore revealing clothes and if she has not covered her hair and face with the exception o the eyes. In the west, this is regarded as a violation on the rights of the woman.
For example, in Tonga it is an offence for men to appear shirtless in public while in other countries like Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, it customarily necessary for men to appear in certain places barely wearing anything, this may be unconventional even disgusting in other parts of the world.
In other remote regions of the world like Bali, females move about in skirts made of purely strings. In India, clothing items tend to reveal a bare stomach while in the modern societies, some hotels maintain a dress code that prohibits or disallows people who are dressed in a particular manner.
Reference List
Fernand, B, (1981). Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Centuries, Vol 1: The Structures of Everyday Life. Melbourne: Learning.
Grammer, K. (1996). “The Human Mating Game: The Battle of the Sexes and the War of Signals.” Paper presented at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society annual conference, Northwestern University, 11, pp. 7-10.
Kitwana, B. (2000).The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture. New York: Springer.
Laver, J. (1979). The Concise History of Costume and Fashion. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons Co.
Wilbekin, E. (1999).”Great Aspirations: Hip Hop and Fashion Dress for Excess and Success.” The Vibe History of Hip Hop, vol. 2, pp. 244-280.