Written by: Padmini Singh
A few years back my psychology teacher mentioned something very interesting regarding my choice of career in fashion. She said that less than two percent of the world population is involved in fashion or in any way part of it, letting me know how little value it has to add to the world. Her negative undertones started a debate in my head if that’s the case in reality? Today in the age of social media and technology where we rely on our eyes for almost every choice and voice to give commands or to listen to a book, things have changed drastically.
Love it or hate it, our subconscious mind picks on minute details which we ignore in our daily life. And people are generally ignorant of fashion, for them until it’s a festival or a function fashion does not exist, that classic white shirt worn so often because they don’t care what they wear has been studied, worked on, evolved and developed in ever-changing different fabrics and displayed in the stores where they buy them for their daily purposes. It is a part of their persona which they created for themselves. Believe it or not, that white shirt has evolved with them and in time became their go-to classic style.
Fashion is for confident people and to feel confident in it, it is for your comfort and your discomfort. It challenges an individual and society. It creates and destroys ideas and rules. It runs the world in the form of power dressing in politics, color revolutions and conflicts, kings and elites or be it in your interview. It’s freedom from your boredom. It’s a celebration of every occasion. It’s a symbol and our own extension without us saying a word. Fashion is an armor to deal with every other important thing in our lives. Just like a smile, you wear on your face likewise fashion is a part of our being.
The times we live in have changed, with Instagram, Youtube, web series and influencer culture, we get to define fashion ourselves and it has reached to places where it never could before, it has become relatable and more accessible. Like an idea of self-exploration and discovery which keeps it interesting. The mushrooming of internet celebrities, everyone wants to stand out and the first weapon in their hand is what they wear to speak a universal language of beauty and dreams. Fashion is for everyone, it doesn’t have to be a maximalist style to be considered fashionable. Fashion is fickle I don’t deny that but who likes the routine or even care about it. Fashion gives us an opportunity to fall in love again and keep the spark alive.
Fashion is scary for those who resist it. Ever noticed women strolling in stores, checking what they could like or dislike to convince themselves that there is nothing new or interesting enough? The insecurities bubbling inside them if the dress would fit their bodies. Or if the dress has sleeves because that would make it so much better. Fashion caters to everyone and everything still it has a bad name. It is secondary to something important but the irony is that we spend the most on it and worry about the price tags which clearly flaunts the attitude of ‘take it or leave it’. We make that choice and forget about it.
We, humans, are visual creatures, we want everything tastefully served no matter what the cost, so why consider it trivial in any way? Why take our eyes for granted when it pleases to the heart? If ever asked how fashion is not important, it can instantly be compared to ‘other important things like education, morals and so on and so forth. I ask why compare at all? Why can’t fashion be whole in itself? Why can’t it serve the purpose of being an expression and reflection of an individual? Why does it have to be ‘LESS THAN’ to anything?