Art Isn't Fashionable

by Corey Gray

Art isn’t fashionable. Excluding those #trendy socks

with renditions of classical paintings on them, of course. But

the days of fashion being treated as an art are dwindling.

Nowadays, we’re all about fast fashion and following trends

like out lives depend on it. Oh, faux leather and fringe is in

this season? Just let me hop on over to Forever 21 and get

some cheaply and unethically made, but affordable pieces

that will only last for as long as the trend. It’s great that

there is a lot of affordable trendy clothing available, but it

has carved a deep divide between ethics and art, and

fashion.

---

I got into fashion because clothes gave me a voice

when I was too shy to have one. I used to be mortified at

the thought of voicing an opinion, or talking to new people. I

got tunnel vision and turned bright red when called on in

class, and presentations made me want to burrow a hole

into the cold and dirty tiled floor of my high school and cry.

When I started experimenting with my fashion, I felt a

strange liberation. Over time, I became much more

unconventional with my wardrobe. I still had bad social

anxiety, but I felt so much more confident knowing I could

express myself and let people get to know me by just

looking at me. I knew that even if I bumbled through an

awkward conversation with a stranger, they could get a solid

idea of who I am just by what I’m wearing.

I ended up going to school for fashion, and after being

surrounded by fashion majors for a year, it became very

apparent that fashion isn’t really treated as a means of self-

expression, instead it’s just a bunch of people striving to

look like each other. Fast fashion reigns over the industry

currently, meaning it’s all about staying on top of runway

trends and dulling them down and then mass producing

them as cheaply and quickly as possible so that you can

shop all of the trends without breaking the bank. Think

stores like Zara, Forever 21, ASOS, and Primark. The rise of

fast fashion has very much contributed to the decline of art

in the fashion industry. Now that people can literally just buy

what everyone else is wearing and be thought of as

fashionable for it.

Trends have become gospel in the age of social media.

Now that we can see what the celebs and those Instagram

models are wearing, we think that’s what we need to wear.

We don’t have to put any thought into it, and there’s an

ease and comfort to that. Knowing that if you wear this

basic baby blue halter crop top and black leggings with a

tattoo choker you’ll fit within the confines of current fashion,

then why wouldn’t you want to do it? People like to play it

safe, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I do have a

problem when you view yourself as fashionable or want to

get into the fashion industry just because you’re capable of

buying literally anything you find in H&M. People have it

very easy nowadays because the industry is so on top of

trends. You could walk into a fast fashion store blindfolded

and still pick out a “fashionable’, albeit not memorable,

outfit. It’s almost like paint by numbers at this point.

Companies are setting out exact outfits, so someone who

keeps on eye on the fashion industry and runway trends can

feel like they are curating an on trend outfit, and someone

who doesn’t know anything about the fashion industry can

walk into the same store and grab the same exact outfit

because it’s just set out for them. Fashion should be

anything but thoughtless.

Something that people should really keep in mind is

that fast fashion is often unethically manufactured. In order

for a company to sell you a $7 shirt, they need to

manufacture their clothing as cheaply as possible, and that

often means sweatshops. Companies like Forever 21 and

The Gap have been under fire for their use of sweatshops

and child labor both in the U.S. and across seas. I don’t see

why people would buy $8 bath bombs from Lush because

they’re cruelty free and vegan, but they won’t spend a little

extra money for ethically manufactured clothing. Instead of

buying eight pieces from Forever 21 that will start falling

apart and end up forgotten at the bottom of your closet,

why not spend a little extra for one ethically manufactured

piece that you really love and would wear for years? You

shouldn’t have to buy a bunch of new pieces every time a

new trend comes around.

Fashion should be about expressing yourself. I don’t

know what you are saying about yourself with your Van’s

Sk8-Hi’s, light-wash high-waisted skinny jeans, basic t-shirt,

and half-up- half-down bun. If you’re going to say that

fashion is one of your interests, you should have a point of

view with it. It’s like saying that you’re really into cooking,

but you only make pb&j’s. There is nothing that should be

stopping people from expressing their unique selves with

fashion. Some inexpensive ways to bump up your wardrobe

with unique pieces that reflect your point of view is checking

out your local thrift stores for fun pieces, DIYing things you

already have, and if you know how to sew, you’d be

surprised how easy it is to repurpose clothes into a

completely different garment.

Please help me bring art and integrity back into the

fashion industry. Fashion is an art form, but the art is dying.

Wear more individual pieces, think about where you’re

pieces are coming from, and don’t pay so much attention to

trends. You can still pay attention to trends while keeping it

unique to your own style by adapting a trend and really

making it your own. Fashion should take some thought and

should have some impact. You should have something to say

with your style, because, after all, it is the first thing anyone

notices about you. Do you want people to think you’re a

cookie cutter piece of white bread, or a person with their

own opinions and individual outlook? I think we all need to

remember that fashion is so much more than just clothes;

fashion is powerful. Fashion can start revolutions, fashion

gives you a whole new perspective on life, fashion can

represent your heritage, and fashion can make you an icon.

Fashion isn’t about following the trends, it’s about setting

them.