Have you ever stared at your closet and decided that there’s nothing to wear? Have you ever wondered why you need new clothes with every passing season? Ever wondered why the things you wore a year ago isn’t ‘in fashion’ anymore?
Yes. We all have had those moments! But what do we mean when we say something is ‘in fashion’? What is ‘fashion’ in the first place? What does it mean to you?
Fashion isn’t something that can be described, it has no fixed definition, and hence it is constantly changing! What might be fashionable to you might not mean anything to me. It is a form of expression; a way to tell things which we can’t put in words. It’s like art. We feel it, we experience it, we understand it; doesn’t mean the others have to! It’s our character; our attitude, taking form; magnifying our mind and letting the world in- now that is true fashion. Often, people mistake fashion to be something extremely materialistic; like bags, shoes, clothes- but it’s not that. There is nothing that defines who we are, and what our culture is, more than fashion does. It is a medium through which we frame and write history! Fashion can cause more than just a trend; it can spark a revolution. Take the French for example. While the aristocrats were known to take hours looking at fashion magazines, the peasants went ahead and began dressing in stripes. Cockades were widely worn by revolutionaries beginning in 1789; they produced the Tricolor Cockade. Today, the tricolor flag of France is derived from the cockades worn in 1789. The Liberty cap; it was a brimless, felt cap, but it represented much more than just a cap. It reflected republicanism; a symbol of his newfound liberty for a freed slave.
These accessories itself add to fashion through the ages. Nothing can ever be out of fashion; it just evolves into something new and different. The world has seen the change in this industry. Fashion divides the society into what it is. Yes, it sometimes seems like brands play a big role in dividing the society into the elite and the ‘not-so-elite’, but in reality, they mutually exist. The big brand which define fashion, take their inspiration from real and ordinary life, and make something extraordinary out it. These designs are unaffordable by the common folk, but, it trickles down through other designers, to the tailors, to the normal ‘affordable’ shops, where the common folk get a slightly altered version of the real creation. They wear it, they show it off, and this inspires the designer to create something new; the cycle continues.
To the people in the fashion industry, it is beyond what anyone can explain. These small accessories, bags, represent thousands of people, their jobs, their ideas, being turned into reality. It is as important as language is to the society. It adds to the culture, changes the culture, and brings us together in its own crooked way; true unity in diversity.
Fashion connects cultures and influences them. While we Indians are inspired by western culture, and mix that with our own, they take in our heritage and add it to their style. There are designers like Sabyasachi, who experiment with the Indian fashion through the ages, while designers like Satya Paul who add redefine fashion by adding abstract art and building a foundation for contemporary Indian fashion. It's not just them; you and I redefine fashion everyday.
In closing, I would like to say, fashion is everywhere. From the jeans you choose, to the Saris you buy, to the watches you wear, to the shirts you like; it is who you are, it defines you. So be proud of it, take it seriously. Experiment with it, take it lightly. But in the end, be yourself, and show off what you've put together; let the creativity in you flow- it's your life, it's your signature, your meaning; and hey, you have every right to give your own definition to something that doesn’t have one or need one, right? So, let’s begin with fashion then.
Yes. We all have had those moments! But what do we mean when we say something is ‘in fashion’? What is ‘fashion’ in the first place? What does it mean to you?
Fashion isn’t something that can be described, it has no fixed definition, and hence it is constantly changing! What might be fashionable to you might not mean anything to me. It is a form of expression; a way to tell things which we can’t put in words. It’s like art. We feel it, we experience it, we understand it; doesn’t mean the others have to! It’s our character; our attitude, taking form; magnifying our mind and letting the world in- now that is true fashion. Often, people mistake fashion to be something extremely materialistic; like bags, shoes, clothes- but it’s not that. There is nothing that defines who we are, and what our culture is, more than fashion does. It is a medium through which we frame and write history! Fashion can cause more than just a trend; it can spark a revolution. Take the French for example. While the aristocrats were known to take hours looking at fashion magazines, the peasants went ahead and began dressing in stripes. Cockades were widely worn by revolutionaries beginning in 1789; they produced the Tricolor Cockade. Today, the tricolor flag of France is derived from the cockades worn in 1789. The Liberty cap; it was a brimless, felt cap, but it represented much more than just a cap. It reflected republicanism; a symbol of his newfound liberty for a freed slave.
These accessories itself add to fashion through the ages. Nothing can ever be out of fashion; it just evolves into something new and different. The world has seen the change in this industry. Fashion divides the society into what it is. Yes, it sometimes seems like brands play a big role in dividing the society into the elite and the ‘not-so-elite’, but in reality, they mutually exist. The big brand which define fashion, take their inspiration from real and ordinary life, and make something extraordinary out it. These designs are unaffordable by the common folk, but, it trickles down through other designers, to the tailors, to the normal ‘affordable’ shops, where the common folk get a slightly altered version of the real creation. They wear it, they show it off, and this inspires the designer to create something new; the cycle continues.
To the people in the fashion industry, it is beyond what anyone can explain. These small accessories, bags, represent thousands of people, their jobs, their ideas, being turned into reality. It is as important as language is to the society. It adds to the culture, changes the culture, and brings us together in its own crooked way; true unity in diversity.
Fashion connects cultures and influences them. While we Indians are inspired by western culture, and mix that with our own, they take in our heritage and add it to their style. There are designers like Sabyasachi, who experiment with the Indian fashion through the ages, while designers like Satya Paul who add redefine fashion by adding abstract art and building a foundation for contemporary Indian fashion. It's not just them; you and I redefine fashion everyday.
In closing, I would like to say, fashion is everywhere. From the jeans you choose, to the Saris you buy, to the watches you wear, to the shirts you like; it is who you are, it defines you. So be proud of it, take it seriously. Experiment with it, take it lightly. But in the end, be yourself, and show off what you've put together; let the creativity in you flow- it's your life, it's your signature, your meaning; and hey, you have every right to give your own definition to something that doesn’t have one or need one, right? So, let’s begin with fashion then.
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