INDIVIDUALISTIC FASHION (Approved by Gucci)

Authors- Jinali Mehta and Juhi Manjrekar

Ralph Lauren once quoted, ‘Fashion is not about brands or labels, it’s about something
else the comes from within us’
‘You are what you wear’, this statement has been taught to us since childhood. But aren’t we
what society wants us to be? The clothes or accessories we choose to wear tells a lot about
who we are or from where are. The basic example of this can be seen when writers or
designers use fashion and give us clues about the characters and their traits. Aren’t we all
familiar with Harry Potter’s glasses or the Ruby Slippers from Wizard of Oz? This signature
fashion is what we think first about these characters.
From the time man emerged from the cave, clothing has been part of human culture. They
have been part of the social significance to differentiate ourselves from social classes or
social tribes. But now fashion has blurred the boundaries about clothing being a necessity, it
goes beyond that because it affects us, our lifestyles, and influences culture around the world.
It’s a reflection of the norms, ethics, and values of society.
Modern fashion is all about aesthetics, pop culture, and trendy things. We often buy these
things, but are we really comfortable with them or are we just wearing them to not feel out of
the loop? The experience of wearing an outfit selected by ourselves is extremely personal and
reflects our traits. Clothing and accessories don’t just make us look different but also make us
think differently, it can be as simple as choosing a black tee and denim shorts. An
individualistic style subconsciously gives us a form of identity. If we see someone wearing an
artsy or gothic outfit, we immediately form an opinion about them in our minds, this shows
how we perceive different humans through their style. Being in vogue is not just about
wearing beautiful outfits, it's about creating, experimenting, and finding your style.
While fashion means to embody your persona, sometimes the world of fashion itself
questions your individuality through the hype of trends. The world of trends often replaces
self-expression with people-pleasing. We hear everybody talking about 'fitting in', but where
does this thought of hopping on the bandwagon arise? The judgemental eye of society acts as
an obstacle towards owning your true fashion sense. We all have given in to public standards
one time or another. Maybe one day you did decide to be bold and wore that outfit
showcasing your inner fashionista, until the anonymous voices invaded your thoughts, saying
“what will peers think of this outfit? Will they call me out for being who I am?” and went
back to something that helped you blend with the crowd.
Terms such as 'following the hype' or 'the one with weird clothes' have always overpowered
individuality. Being in fashion is not wrong, but categorizing a person based on their fashion
sense is. One such example would be movies like Mean Girls and Clueless that portray how
the world of glam takes over the youth, where originality loses in the race of ‘being one of
the elites’ If we take a peek back to the 50s, the concept of women wearing pants became
controversial because it made them look "masculine" But then came the era of rebellion. The
70s broke the bounds of unsaid rules of fashion with the iconic punk rock looks. For the first
time, distinctiveness took over the stereotypical idea of fashion formed by society, and
grunge became the new gloss.
The road towards fashion is bumpy, but so is the journey towards individuality. History
repeated itself in the past years (and it's not the good kind), but as the gen z and millennial era
is emerging, not only the young generation but the older one too is not afraid to openly
express themselves anymore. Women aren't asked to "wear what suits them", and men can
finally feel confident in the clothes they wear, yes, even if they're from the women's section,
without being called "too feminine" or "not manly enough" However, there are still some
people that choose societal norms over individuality and self-expression. Of course, fashion
and aesthetics are appealing, but confidence beats them all. So, go ahead and wear those tiger
prints and bell-bottomed pants, and be whoever you wish to be.