The 'democratization of fashion' is a term dropped freely these days. Let me illustrate. Every once in a while (and yes, it happens this often now), the fashion people of the internet would be divided. There's the side of the believers and the side of the non-believers. I like to call it fashion civil war. I'm talking about every time designers collaborate with fast fashion retailers. The most recent one, the H&M MMM collab, was probably the one which really surprised everyone. Martin Margiela made clothing that would puzzle the average person. Put it simply, his label* would be one of the least likely, if not the least, to collaborate with a fast fashion retailer. As expected, it generated polarized reactions. I was on the side of excitement when I heard about it. Although I had no intentions of buying the collection, I was still curious to see how they would interpret the label's aesthetics to cater to the H&M costumer. It wasn't until I had a chat with a friend who had a different opinion that I realized maybe what I am so excited for could be the very thing that destroys what I love-- fashion.
Talking about a love for fashion is really embarrassing for me; even more so when I have to reiterate that nope I don't just love fashion, I love high fashion. It seems so snobbish and pretentious. But I'm a university student living in a third world country. I can't afford to be snobbish. So of course, I enjoy very much when fashion tries to get down to my level.
$50 Lanvin skirt? Don't mind if I do!
$90 Karl Lagerfeld? I'll only have to skip 8 meals instead of the 80 that I would have had to if I were to buy
real Lagerfeld! I would get to wear Comme des Garcons and not lose all my friends in the process because of how insane they would think I look? See, it really seems like designers + fast fashion = the best of both worlds! But can we really have both things and not have them taint each other? Well according to T.S. Eliot,
"what happens when a new work of art is created is something that happens simultaneously to all the works of art that preceded it." (Damn, look at me applying my Literature training~)
Going back to the H&M MMM collaboration, which I think is perfect in illustrating my point, I believe a history check is in order! Try to google Martin Margiela and look for a photo of him. Yup, it's that hard. It's because there are only few in existence. He is, even to his fans, elusive. He has managed to keep away from the spotlight and grant little interviews. He doesn't even do the usual bow after presenting a collection. Mr. Margiela respected his designs enough to let them stand on their own without any advertising. His was a name that only the real lovers of fashion recognized (At least before Kanye West). So you could see how odd it was that his label would compromise this principle? And for what? More money? Does a fast fashion collaboration even make bank? Or is the label trying to get its name out there to expand to a new market? If so, then that would mean compromise. I have to shed a tear for the loss of true artistry. It was a sad time when Mr. Margiela stopped designing, but one gets a feeling of offense now that they're disrespecting what Mr. Margiela so firmly believed in. And maybe we could let it slide if it were someone like Lazaro and Jack or the Mulleavy sisters (who ridiculously enough have an ongoing collaboration with Starbucks), but Mr. Margiela has contributed so much to the art of fashion that it's blasphemous, almost, and disrespectful to use his name and produce something he would not agree to.
I cannot go on being euphemistic, because there really is an inherent elitism in fashion that is impossible to tiptoe around. Fashion is not for the majority. If it was, then it wouldn't really be fashion. My professor was explaining how business and art don't really mix, because the majority will never really understand art. But it's unfair and inaccurate to assume that high fashion is pure and untainted. High fashion has to break its back to cater to what the people want too. I could recount the heartbreak of seeing designers, true artists and visionaries, lose their jobs, because their work was too inaccessible and difficult and expensive to produce. In fact, so many of my favorite designers have lost their jobs over this. At the end of the day, money still makes the world go 'round. Fashion is not like sculptures or paintings; it is art that is utilizable and necessary. Therefore, everyone is involved in the discourse of fashion, and people participate in this discourse by buying.
On the other side of the spectrum is fast fashion. It may seem that I have shown disdain towards it, but I honestly don't. I don't love it either. I don't enjoy knowing that so many people know where I bought my clothes and that they own it too. But then again, I cannot afford Dior or Balenciaga. I don't think I'd even spend that much on dressing myself considering how much I hate doing it. I do however admire fast fashion for giving people that alternative to expensive designer brands. Sure, it's sad that people don't understand the designs, that these are copied designs that they're buying, who actually conceptualized the trends, but for people who don't really give fuck all about fashion, it's great! Not everyone should care about fashion. It won't cure cancer or anything. And copying isn't a mortal sin. Every designer copies, even the high fashion designers! That's the thing about fashion is that you cannot copyright your designs. So, good on fast fashion for being there for the masses. But I would never think of fast fashion clothing as chic. If it's mass produced, then it's not really "fashion", in my opinion.
A little while ago, I made a post about fashion blogs and put that The Devil Wears Prada quote where Meryl Streep basically says that it's the high fashion people who dictate everything in fashion, including the ugly ass two dollar blue jumper that Anne Hathaway was wearing in the scene. I believe it's true! So does this mean I don't think that there is democratization in fashion? It may seem that way, but not entirely. Everyone's always talking about fashion bloggers who are given front row seats and after party invites. Bryan Boy, for example, is a boy from my high school who is now one of the most famous fashion bloggers today. He went from third world to first row fast! How democratic of the industry to let him in, huh? It's these normal everyday folk who suddenly get a say in fashion that tell that maybe fashion isn't so elitist anymore. The fact that I can dedicate a blog to the fashion industry means I've been granted access to a lot of information and it's all thanks to the internet. Some designers, notably Tom Ford, decide to close off their shows to the media, but what happens? He usually gets torn to pieces for being "an elitist douche." (Let's be real, he is) A lot of people are more open than not. Just count how many shows Tavi gets invited to! But fashion has a long way to go before we can actually say it's democratic or even accepting. With the industry's fat shaming and racism, high price tags and sweat shops, it remains very problematic and restrictive.
Everything is relational. The more democratic some parts of fashion are, the more elitist the other parts seem. And aren't those the ones we love the most: The purists, the nonconformists, the sticklers, the ones who stand their ground, the ones who don't sell out, the ones who stay true to their visions? The Miuccias and Yohjis and Anns and Reis and Ricks. It's great to want to make a lot of money and have your brand be known by everyone! But it's also great to have a small solid group of admirers who share your vision. It was a sad day when Margiela left his label and an even sadder day when they decided to go against his convictions. These purists are the minority in fashion and it's disheartening to see them leave.
So today's fashion is completely different than it was. There's the crazy fast trickling down of trends from De la Renta to Zara and then Forever 21 the next day! There's also the untarnished high brow stuff that tips the scale to art rather than money making. All these come together to become the state of fashion today. You know, thesis + antithesis = synthesis? (Damn, who would have thought learning Critical Theory would apply so much to fashion?) That kinda shit. And although I seem to favor the side of the select, I don't wish it on every aspect of fashion. I, for one, am glad to be witnessing and being part of fashion right now, where I can see live shows with just a click of a button. Where would I be and what would I be doing right now if fashion wasn't so unrestricted? Probably unable to write this blog post!
*Martin Margiela no longer designs for his namesake label but the house continues to make clothing in the same vein (up for debate but y'all get what I mean)
