Why is fashion so ugly? (2024)

Why is fashion so ugly? (1)

Gucci Fall-Winter 2018 Runway Show, Milan Fashion Week

Neon yellows, reds, and vomit greens are lathered on their socks, shoes, and jumpers. Oversized jackets, overcoats, and blazers with wide-cut shoulders ungainly drape over their skinny frames. Their struts, constrained by chunky dad sneakers and flowy, unhemmed trousers, are awkward. Nothing about this hints at high fashion, yet this is the mise-en-scène at the Balenciaga fall-winter 2019 show.

Since the beginning of the avant garde — a period of radical fashion upheaval inspired by the likes of Martin Margiela and Rei Kawakubo — fashion has fragmented itself into two artistic categories: the first being the theory of fashion as a traditional medium of form-fitting art. This is what fashion was before the 1980’s, where the elite classes of society were the target audience of fashion houses. The second, and more nascent transformation of fashion, is more unorthodox. Traditional elements of beauty, proper tailoring, and intricate detailing were eschewed for dark colours and bold statements. Ugly fashion arose out of the latter part of fashion’s history; therefore, it’s largely misunderstood, even by the capital-F fashion crowd.

Ugly fashion is an emerging strain of fashion design that prioritizes stark utility or dysfunctionality. Garments may purposefully be made to look out of place or uncomfortable — see Balenciaga’s 6-inch crocs or Vetements’ upside-down parka. An ugly garment may have wonky proportions, tacky colours and prints to draw attention, and any semblance of proportioned tailoring is thrown out the window.

The ugly fashion wave isn’t slowing down; in fact, it’s become much larger in recent decades. From brands like Undercover to Gucci, ugly fashion has now overtaken the traditional sphere of fashion, bringing it to the mainstream. It’s so prominent, in fact, that those outside the fashion bubble have begun to point fun at it. The common narrative now is that fashion is so bizarre and twisted that it’s pointless to try to understand it. If fashion is an art form, and art is meant to be visually pleasing, why has fashion become so dismembered from traditional norms of beauty?

The first answer we have is a reality check: fashion is commerce, not art. A brand’s success is no longer, and frankly has never been, defined by anything other than growth and sales figures. To understand why let’s characterize the industry as a whole. Fashion has always been controlled by a larger force, largely invisible in the public eye. This force is the dominance of large corporations and conglomerates who care more about their bottom lines and profits than about the creativity and beauty of fashion. Luxury conglomerates Kering and LVMH control more than three-quarters of the industry’s most influential high fashion labels, including Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Balenciaga, Dior, Givenchy, and Louis Vuitton. All the decisions they make about production methods, appointing directors, and creative direction are strategically poised to make them more money.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s understand the force of ugly fashion. Before the present era of fashion, luxury goods were European-centric commodities. Luxury brands operated within Europe and marketed themselves to the European and American upper class. Core consumers of luxury labels had lots of capital coupled with expensive taste. Ergo, luxury brands based their business models around them by providing high-quality goods for high-quality prices. For decades, this strategy worked; until one day, it didn’t. Two things changed: firstly, the structure of the industry changed. Globalization brought commercial designs to an international audience, and it was no longer profitable to sell high-quality goods with expensive production costs. Moreover, consumers were able to find similar designs for affordable prices at smaller boutiques and fast-fashion retailers. Secondly, the culture around high-end fashion changed. As consumers found trendy and expensive-looking clothing for less, we began to value quantity over quality. Over the decades, households began to buy more clothing each year. In 1930, the average American woman owned 9 ready-to-wear outfits; today, that figure has tripled. Now, the democratization of wealth has made it more profitable for luxury brands to sell to the lowest common denominator.

Luxury brands made a key transition into a new period of design. If consumers preferred choice and variety over quality, brands supplied it. Thus, brands put out everyday goods with designer labels on them. Branded caps, socks, and glasses were marked up hundredfold the production value. Selling cheap trinkets like accessories and small garments marginally increased the profits of luxury brands, but the most lucrative decision they made was in the design, not the production. They hired young designers to design for the youth. With our social-media dominated world, anything that disrupts the industry or causes controversy is immediately popular. Anything a brand did that was contentious put them right into the spotlight and gave them free advertising. Ergo, the era of bold changes and radical moves from luxury brands was in full swing: Louis Vuitton appointed Virgil Abloh, founder of streetwear label Off-White who has no fashion design training, to head their menswear line; Balenciaga made Demna Gvasalia, a man who spent two years disrupting the fashion world with ugly designs and edgy commentary, their creative director; Hedi Slimane dropped the “Yves” in YSL, radically changing the house to fit his monochromatic punk-rock aesthetic. The goal of a brand nowadays is to start controversy. Controversy promotes dialogue, and brands almost always benefit from the attention.

Drawing on this idea, ugly clothing is one of the quickest ways to get those outside the fashion circle to care about fashion. When Moschino releases a full SpongeBob runway outfit, everyone wants to make fun of it. The problem is, all the media attention around ugly fashion plays right into the hands of the labels, incentivizing them to create even more outrageous clothing. Further exacerbating this trend, when one brand benefits, all other brands race to do the same thing. When the largest industry players begin to catch on to the wave of chunky dad trainers and ugly sweaters, lower and mid-tier labels do the same. In 2019, anything ugly has made its way to the forefront of fashion.

Why is fashion so ugly? (2)

Calvin Klein 205W39NYC Fall-Winter 2018 Runway Show, New York Fashion Week

The second prevailing reason we might have for why fashion is so ugly is the antithesis of the former. It posits that fashion has become more diverse and artistic over time. True art and aesthetic beauty is deep and up to interpretation. Unlike a shallow view of art as simply something that fulfills our visual cravings, true fashion should provoke deep and buried emotions. Life is ugly, and our most painful experiences often provide the inspiration for our artistic expression. Simply put, what the mainstream might consider to be ugly fashion has emotion and meaning. Consumers are attracted by meaningful art, and thus ugly fashion has quietly made its way to the top of the fashion world.

Rick Owens, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen; designers who have been tormented by illness and darkness. Not all designers explicitly document their torment through their art. The former, Rick Owens, suffered from alcoholism and drug addiction. Being on death’s door on more than one occasion, he turned to exercise for self-help. His designs now reflect a monochromatic look that he swears by. His aesthetic rejects the human form, but rather models the individual around the clothing. It is, by many accounts, ugly; however, his designs remain pure and profound. Galliano fell to the never-ending cycle of fashion, and all the trauma it can cause. The latter, and perhaps the greatest tragedy in the world of fashion, was the suicide of Alexander McQueen. His history of self-harm and drug use pointed to a dark and troubled mind, further worsened by the passing of his mother. Nevertheless, his deeply artistic collections seemed to belie his inner mixture of negative emotions.

It’s more than likely that ugly fashion is a combination of several cultural and economic factors. The industry as a whole is not monolithic, and neither is art. Designers have more freedom to play with our conceptions of fashion than they did fifty years ago. It’s unlikely, then, that the wave of ugly fashion is going to go away. It’s not just a passing trend, it’s a sign of industry-wide change. Consumers are looking for something new, something exciting. As Demna Gvasalia puts it: “I started Vetements because I was bored of fashion and against all odds fashion did change once and forever since Vetements appeared and it also opened a new door for so many.” As long as newer generations are looking for more, huge players like Gvasalia and Vetements will succeed for years to come.

Why is fashion so ugly? (2024)

FAQs

Why is high fashion so ugly? ›

High fashion often reflects the extremes in style at the time, because fashion is art, and the pieces created by the designers are their masterpieces. That is why I feel that they are ugly most of the time, because they are extreme and have to stand out to be noticed.

Does fashion make personality yes or no? ›

If you like what you are wearing it will reflect on the outside, enhancing your personality. They say it takes less than ten seconds to make a first impression and the clothes we wear play a very significant part in it.

Why does high fashion look so weird? ›

There is thus another reason why Fashion shows are so weird-looking: they display several ideas from the designer in order to guide them and set the guidelines for future collections. They also are a way for designers to display their creativity and technical skills to the public.

What is fashion easy answer? ›

Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion industry as that which is trending.

Why do people not like fast fashion? ›

The pressure to reduce costs and speed up production time means environmental corners are more likely to be cut. Fast fashion's negative impact includes its use of cheap, toxic textile dyes—making the fashion industry the one of the largest polluters of clean water globally, right up there with agriculture.

Which gender cares more about fashion? ›

The data suggest that women are more engaged with clothing shopping than men are, which supports the idea that women are likely to hunt for the perfect piece of clothing, while men will leave a store with the first workable item.

Is fashion positive or negative? ›

Positive Impacts of Fashion Trends on Society

The new and trendy formal fashion designed clothes enhance the look of the wearer and also give him or her confidence to perform efficiently, especially in an interview. The new fashion trend makes even an ordinary person into a special person.

Does fashion matter to you? ›

Fashion has the ability to change and shape lives through its personal connection to us all. We all have to wear clothes and every piece of clothing we buy represents a personal choice – it is this intrinsically human relationship between us and our fashion that makes it political.

Does fashion reveal your identity? ›

Fashion becomes inextricably implicated in constructions and reconstructions of identity: how we represent the contradictions and ourselves in our everyday lives. Through appearance style (personal interpretations of, and resistances to, fashion), individuals announce who they are and who they hope to become.

What clothes are too revealing? ›

Clothes that are deep necked or above the knees are categorized as revealing and not allowed everywhere. But in certain cultures, the tag of 'exposing clothes' is levied onto many other types. For example, in certain countries, any clothes other than their traditional clothing are considered indecent and vulgar.

Why do runway models not smile? ›

Modeling today is more about doing the job well than ever before. Smiling is believed to distract attention from the clothes, which should be the focal point of attention during a fashion show.

Why do girls like fashion? ›

One part of the answer is that some girls feel confident if they receive attention for the way they dress. It's nice to be noticed. Often girls even dress to impress other girls, maybe even more than guys. But for many girls it's even more important to fit in.

What is fashion in one word? ›

: a prevailing custom, usage, or style.

Why do we wear fashion? ›

Clothing provides physical safeguards to the body. Clothes Can Be Worn for status, modesty, adornment and identification. Clothes protect us from occupational hazards, weather, heat, dust, rain and cold.

Who is to blame for fast fashion? ›

The issue of fast fashion can be traced back to the unethical business practices of corporations and companies. The preceding reason as to why companies are primarily responsible for fast fashion is because not every consumer can avoid it. Many consumers cannot afford to buy ethically produced fashion.

Why fast fashion is ok? ›

Fast fashion's benefits are affordable prices and instant gratification for consumers, more profits for companies, and the democratization of stylish clothing. On the downside, fast fashion is also associated with pollution, waste, the promulgation of a "disposable" mentality, low wages, and unsafe workplaces.

What are 3 problems with fast fashion? ›

Fast fashion has had a significant impact on the environment because problems like greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution (i.e., dumping untreated dyes and chemicals into water), problems with waste management (i.e., burying or burning of large amounts of discarded clothing) have all increased as a result of the ...

Which gender has better hygiene? ›

That standards of cleanliness are generally higher for girls than boys, especially under the age of five when children are more likely to be under close adult supervision, is a robust phenomenon in industrialized nations, and some research points to a cross-cultural pattern.

When did clothes become gender? ›

In fact, between 1890 and 1920 the clothing of infants and preschoolers became more sex-typed, while adult women's clothing was beginning to look more androgynous.

Who is better at shopping males or females? ›

Both sexes consider price when making a decision, but men tend to compromise easily with quality over price, whereas women are more price sensitive and will make a purchase based on the best available offer. Men prefer objective information (make, model, speed, etc.)

What is the dark side of fashion? ›

More specifically, the social (macro and micro-scale) and environmental harms of fast fashion such as pollution, excessive water waste, poor working conditions and wages for workers, gender violence, overconsumption, and individuals' mental health and beliefs.

Is fashion harmful to society? ›

Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity's carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams. What's more, 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year.

Is fashion a way of life? ›

Fashion is a way of life and style is a reflection of the wearer. Fashion is a rewarding and meaningful way of self-expression and art, and brings a sense of joy and delight. Adornment is a sinfully pleasing luxury. Style is smart.

How fashion affect your brain? ›

Science says that the clothes we wear affect our behavior, attitudes, personality, mood, confidence, and even the way we interact with others. This is “Enclothed Cognition“.

Does clothing Affect Attractiveness? ›

In many physical attractiveness studies, it is clothing and other appearance vari ables that are manipulated, not actual physical beauty, in order to vary physical attractiveness. Thus, results that have been attributed to physical attractiveness may actually be due to clothing attractiveness.

Can fashion change your personality? ›

The Journal of Experimental Psychology says that the colour, comfort, fit and style of our clothes can directly affect our confidence levels. More than 96 per cent of people report a change in their emotional state with a change in their style of dressing.

How do you spot a fashion victim? ›

So what are some telltale signs of a fashion victim? Wearing clothing and accessories that don't work on one's body is the single biggest giveaway that you've encountered a fashion lemming. Fashion victims will snap up the latest trends and wear them proudly, showing everyone that they know what's in style.

How does fashion affect your self image? ›

Clothing that doesn't fit well or fails to flatter one's silhouette can lead to a poor body image, and that can do significant damage to one's self-esteem. Wearing clothing designed to complement your unique figure, will help you can experience improved body image and confidence.

Is fashion sense a talent? ›

But not everyone was born with fashion sense. For some, it's a talent. They inherently know how to put outfits together that turn heads and make people notice. But for the rest, it's a skill that can be learned.

Why do girls dress revealing? ›

Women Want Attention

It's a common notion that women wear revealing clothing to gain attention. This belief isn't just limited to the opposite sex but extends to other women as well. People mostly do things they want for themselves, which also applies to women.

Which actress wore the most revealing dress? ›

Actresses who wore the most revealing dresses ever

Janhvi Kapoor, Urfi Javed, Poonam Pandey, Malaika Arora, Nia Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Urvashi Rautela, Disha Patani and Nora Fatehi wore the most revealing dresses ever during their public outings.

Can clothing be sexualized? ›

In these studies, sexualization is manipulated through the amount of skin versus clothing that is visible, with sexualized targets associated with clothing that reveals a large amount of skin (e.g., swimsuit, underwear), and nonsexualized targets wearing less revealing clothing (e.g., jeans and T-shirt).

What habits make you look younger? ›

Healthy Habits to Look Younger
  • Give meditation a try. ...
  • Get adequate, quality sleep each night. ...
  • Exercise four or more times per week. ...
  • Drink enough water. ...
  • Unplug from time to time. ...
  • Abstain from alcohol or drink only in moderation. ...
  • Develop a consistent nighttime routine. ...
  • Skip the electronics before bed.
16 Nov 2021

What makes a younger looking face? ›

The triangle of youth is what a youthful face is shaped like. It is light and a bit pointy on the bottom, naso-labial folds are moderate and the top part of the face – the eyes and the temples are full – there is no undereye hollowness and no temple hollowness.

How can I look classy but not old? ›

How to Dress Classy and Elegant
  1. Wear the right fit. ...
  2. Choose the right colors. ...
  3. Wear the right materials. ...
  4. Say hello to classy outfits. ...
  5. Avoid overexposing at work. ...
  6. Wear classic accessories. ...
  7. Wear chic undergarments. ...
  8. Don't forget shoes.

Can you be a model if your not that pretty? ›

Being a model isn't just about being “good looking” or “pretty.” There are a lot of beautiful people in the world. If you're serious about getting into modeling, it's important to have “a look.” There should be something unique about the way you look or the way you're built.

Why do models pout? ›

Duck face or duck lips is a photographic pose common on profile pictures in social networks. Lips are pressed together as in a pout and often with simultaneously sucked in cheeks. The pose is most often seen as an attempt to appear alluring, but it can be ironic or an attempt to hide self-conscious embarrassment.

Why does Victoria Beckham doesn't smile? ›

“The not smiling publicly, for instance. There's less of that now.” She continued that the reason for her change of heart is her age. “There's something really liberating about embracing who I am at 45 years old and owning it,” she said.

Why is fast fashion unfair? ›

Low wages, long work hours, unsafe conditions, sexual abuse, and physical assaults are numerous in the fast fashion industry. Many fast fashion brands and retailers don't oversee their supply chain as they should. They let child labor and modern slavery happen in cotton farms and garment factories.

Is high fashion unethical? ›

The fashion industry is one of the most polluting, unethical, and least sustainable industries on the planet. It's not just the profligate use of carbon, water and the resulting pollution, but the treatment of people that often goes hand-in-hand with cheap production in developing countries.

Is HIGH LOW out of style? ›

The style initially rose to popularity in the 1980s and has floated in and out of the spotlight ever since. So it shouldn't be a surprise that the high-low silhouette is experiencing a renaissance this summer.

Why is the fashion industry so toxic? ›

In most of the countries in which garments are produced, untreated toxic wastewaters from textiles factories are dumped directly into the rivers. Wastewater contains toxic substances such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, among others.

Who suffers from fast fashion? ›

97% of fast fashion is produced overseas in developing countries with poor labor laws and human rights protections. Evidence of forced and child labor employed by the fashion industry in countries like Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam (US Department of Labor).

What if fast fashion didn t exist? ›

Ditching fashion would lift a huge burden off our planet. We'd save water (used in crop-growing and dyeing processes) and carbon dioxide emissions (from the industry's energy use). And we'd also prevent pollution from the fertilisers and pesticides used in cotton farming, and hazardous chemicals used in dyes.

What is the biggest problem in fashion? ›

Product counterfeiting is one of the biggest challenges facing fashion brands today when looking for growth and expansion opportunities in international markets.

What is toxic fashion? ›

The term “toxic clothing” refers to clothing made of synthetic materials. Such substances are heavily treated with chemicals that have a potentially harmful effect on consumers and the environment.

Are skinny jeans out 2022? ›

Although skinny jeans aren't totally trending (yet), L'OFFICIEL makes an argument for digging out that long-forgotten denim look with new styling tricks that just might change your outlook on the slim silhouette. In 2022, celebrities and fashion influencers have certainly found better ways to wear their skinny jeans.

What not to wear in 2022? ›

CLOTHES OUT OF STYLE 2022

High waisted jeans, high waisted pants, high waist tennis skirts, skater skirts, knit pants, skinny jeans, hoodie sets, short blazers, leggings, fur coats, cropped leather jacket, A-style mini dresses, and cold shoulders are some of the favourite clothes out of fashion for winter 2022 2023.

What are 3 consequences of fast fashion? ›

Exploitative Labor Practices. While not an environmental impact, the exploitative labor practices used in fast fashion are also worth mentioning. Child labor, forced labor, insane work hours, abysmal pay, and exposure to toxic chemicals are what make that $8 dress possible.

Why is fashion so wasteful? ›

A lot of the clothing waste comes from manufacturers–13 million tons of textiles each year— and from clothing retailers themselves. Manufacturers overproduce the supply of clothing, and retailers end up overstocked– as seasons change, the unsold supply ends up thrown away to landfills.

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