Clothing, just like any other artistic luxury, is connotated to cultural capital. Tabi boots used to be the pinnacle symbolism of anti-fashion, now they are practically running into the closets of the mainstream. Wearing a Maria Grazia Chiuri bag for Dior does not signify the same meaning as wearing a rare 1994 Maison Martin Margiela piece. Different designers tend to signify different messages. There is the Avant-Garde, there is the casual, and there is the mainstream. There are several ways to decode the meaning of designer clothing. “There is a pressure to dress in a particular taste-level in fashion school, which can translate into designer clothing.” – Stevie Ngyuen, Fashion Communication student, X University
Walking through the corridors, you spot the latest thrift shop finds with Rick Owen’s Kiss boots, carefully layered with vintage Helmut Lang. A place of niche knowledge, where people can perform the privilege of being able to tell the difference between vintage and ready to wear, or between Yamamoto and Kawakubo.
You are finally invited into this club of artistic individuals, expressing themselves through their image. Stepping into Central Saint Martins or any other prestigious artistic educational institution for the first time almost feels sacred, something like a religious ceremony. The language of things is being redefined nothing is as it seems anymore. For once, one can feel a sense of belonging in a world that you’d never be able to buy yourself into.Īdditionally, the rise of the “buy now, pay later” culture, or in other words, the glorification of casual debt has technically allowed us to pretend we are part of “the club”. The latter might be based in suburbia or in central London, but their loyalty to the designer brand is created through a digital connection. Online fashion critic Bliss Foster once mentioned that Balenciaga exists in two universes: the world of people who can financially afford Balenciaga and want to be a part of Demna’s world by wearing his creations and the consumers who only experience Balenciaga online, fuelled by an emotional connection to the brand. Technology and the immediate availability of information have made fashion knowledge more accessible than ever before. For most people in the digital age, the fascination with fashion and the stories behind the clothes starts through their screens.
0 kommentar(er)
