Culture has an influence on fashion. Fashion doesn’t just mean clothing; it also is contingent on culture. Fashion is affected by cultural changes. Fashion is constructed by people living in different cultures. Fashion is in harmony with culture.
What Makes Up A Culture?
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Culture means all the ways of leading life and it includes belief systems and value systems that are passed down from generation to generation. It means mannerisms, dressing, language, religion, rituals, and many more things. Culture means religion, food, patterns of behavior, ideas around marriage, and music.
Historical events make up a culture. Culture is highly influenced by history. Culture is in constant flux. As time changes, culture also changes. Cultures evolve with time.
Different Fashion Cultures Across in the World
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Fashion and culture are complementary. It is easy to create fashion trends if you know about culture. There are different cultures across the world that follow different fashion trends. Culture and fashion are dynamic.
Western Fashion Culture 2023
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Western culture fashion has styles from casual wear to business wear. There has been a lot of change in western clothing over time. Fashion brands like Gucci and Michael Kors have designs based on the context in which they are to be worn.
Western fashion constructs worldwide fashion standards. Comfort and fit are the key factors in making a particular piece of clothing. Clothing is a means of self-expression.
Fashion is influenced by the cultural norms of the time. For the western fashion business, now a days, there is a prominence on being casual.
There are 4 seasons in western countries: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In spring, westerners wear casual clothes. They also wear layers of clothing. A tank top is also worn in spring. Westerners also wear t-shirts, mini-skirt, jeans, jackets, and cardigans. Westerners go to the beach in summer to sun bathing. In summer, people in the western culture wear tank top, t-shirts, and shorts. In autumn, people wear jackets, sneakers, or boots. In winter, westerners wear heavy coats, scarf, and boots.
If we go back to history, we can see that there were high necklines and floor-sweeping dresses in western culture until the world wars. After that, there was a lot of emphasis on fitness. And that led to body-fitting tight outfits. The 1960s was a time when traditional fashion was wiped off.
There were different fashion trends that came up. In 1964, there was a lot of media advertising that changed the whole scenario. That had an effect on the haute couture of designers. Some examples of clothing are mini-skirt and culottes. In the late 1960s, the hippie hairstyle was popular. The 1960s had the women’s liberation movement. The feminism that emerged out of it made mini-skirt popular.
In 1970, fashion was about self-expression. Bell-bottoms, platform shoes, and glittery material were introduced. There were accessories like tattoos and body piercings. In the 1990s, fashion was stylish for men and women. There was a chic casual style that became popular.
In western fashion, clothing can range from business, casual wear, and other styles. Fashion in the west is a reflection of the trends and styles at that time. The fashion capitals of the world are New York, Paris, London, and Milan. There are fashion weeks in these fashion capitals each year.
What is the Eastern Fashion Culture?
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There are differences between fashion in western and eastern cultures in terms of the color of the clothing. In the west, people wear monochromatic colors like black. But in eastern culture, colors like black are not worn that often because this color is associated with death or bad luck. Fashion in eastern culture is more colorful and vibrant. There are popular colors there. These colors have a value ascribed to them.
In eastern fashion, clothing is influenced by religion, belief systems, and value systems. Eastern fashion is more conservative, hence. In Asia and the Middle East, fashion has symbolic significance. In the east, fashion is also influenced by gender. In India, women wear a saree. In Japan, women wear kimonos.
With the expansion of fashion, the east has also adopted the fashion of the west. This also has been the other way around. Women in the east are wearing jeans. Western-style clothes are being worn in the east also. In 1945, Japan was built as an international fashion center. In South Korea, women wore a Hanbok in the past. It was made from silk and shiny colors. But now a days, there are dark colors that are more common.
In eastern cultures, there is a passing down of values and that reflects in fashion and clothing.
There was a fashion exchange between cultures- Southern Europe was linked with East Asia and Persia through the Silk Route. Europeans used it to transfer silk and jade. Europe then realized that Asia has a lot of wealth when it comes to fashion.
Asian fashion has intricate embellishments or details in it. Asia has a lot of colors and fabrics. Many fashion designers take inspiration from Asian culture. Japan has made layering popular.
Fashion Subcultures
Goth
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Goth fashion subculture is inspired by gothic literature and architecture. There is a lot of dark clothing here. Velvet, mesh, and lace are used.
Hip Hop
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This was inspired by hip hop music in the 80s. Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana are the main proponents of this fashion. The clothing is that of sagging pants and tees.
Boho Fashion Culture 2023
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It has natural materials and earthy shades. It is inspired by hippie culture. It has neutral colors and vintage retro patterns. There are outfits like loose tops, mixed prints, and jeans here.
Athleisure
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It is active wear that can be worn to the streets also and not just gyms. It has spandex mixed with denim or nylon. It is comfortable clothing.
Know More About Vintage Fashion Clothing Design Across in the World
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It is clothing made 20-100 years ago. It has bold prints, high-waist bottoms, and shirts. Retro fashion is also talked about when talking about Vintage Fashion Week 2023. Retro clothing means clothing that is made to imitate items of the past.
By Bhawna