Waking up for a 9am lecture is within its nature; extremely painful. But accompanied with a tall hot chocolate from costa, and a warm jumper the pain seemed to disappear. ‘The Cycle of Fashion’ was the introduction and by 10am I was wide awake due to how intriguing I thought this was.
We all have that one outfit within our wardrobe which we wouldn't dare wear today, although a few years ago you would have been accepting compliments left, right and centre! For me that item is a pair of Harlem pants.
- I wish I looked this good in Harlem pants. Unfortunately not.
This lead me to question why does a once iconic item of fashion get disregarded just as fast as it came into power?
Here are all the answers! and I was shocked by the exact truthfulness of them all!
Firstly there are four types of trends that all play a part in how long an item of fashion stays within our eyesight. A Megatrend (Slow to form but influences us for an extended amount of time) including an aging population and social media. A Macro trend is one that is most powerful and cannot be defined to a particular sector. A Micro trend lasts longer than a fad but not as long as a macro trend and is usually the result of a shift in attitude. Finally, a fad which quickly gains popularity but fades just as quickly. Most fads are heavily driven by social media- social media was a fad and is now a megatrend. You could also add ‘classics’ to these categories which are certain garments, usually from men's clothes that were never intended to be a trend. Classics seem to have a lasting place in any fashionistas heart.
The Denim Jacket worn by Madonna is a prime example of a ‘Classic’ trend. Its one of those items that can save a fashion disaster.
So what affects the cycle of fashion and the production of new products?
These include factors such as religion, sport and the economy. ‘Generally if the economy is doing well so is fashion, which means more extravagant pieces of fashion. However if the economy is doing poorly then this is reflected within the pieces of fashionable material that can be produced and therefore fashion becomes more conservative’. - Kim et al.
1960′s optimism within society lead to bright clothing and a focus on youth. The Hemline index supports this- as it suggests that when the economy is flourishing a women's skirt length would decrease, however in times of decline and worry the hemline would increase.
Changes in fashion can be linked to the ‘Bubble- up trend’ which is where street style fashion gains momentum and bubbles up through the hierarchy of fashion. Examples can be seen from Marc Jacobs 1993. Taking youth subcultural fashion of the 90′s and placing a designer touch upon the garments.
The opposite of this theory is the ‘Trickle Down’ theory which is mostly visible to us as consumers. This is where ideas from couture and designer catwalk shows filter down through the market and are used as inspiration for ranges created by high-street retailers.
High-street store Zara creating almost an exact replica of Isabel Marant’s blouse.
Many of you trend forecasters out there will be wondering, well how is it possible to predict something that is within a cycle of constant change? So I will leave you with a quote.
‘The best way to predict the future is to design it’- Fuller
blakekathryn
ellievsbear
andulkaphoto
