The Power of Fashion

Fashion is something we think about every day. Some people say they don’t care what they wear. But they still choose clothes every morning that say a lot about them and how they feel. The truth is most people don’t want to look unfashionable they want to wear up-to-date clothes that make them feel good. The problem is fashion is always changing.

 

During the eighteenth century, Paris was the center of the fashion industry and, like today, the fashions changed. The French King Louis XIV was famous for his elegant style. He wanted other countries to know about Paris fashions, so he sent fashion dolls to Europe. Dressmakers could then copy the clothes, footwear and hats on the dolls.

 

In recent years, music, films, videos, books and TV have all influenced what people wear. For example, in the 1950s, young people around the world dressed like Elvis Presley. Then in the 1990s, hip hop was very popular and young people dressed in baggy trousers and hooded tops and boots. Ray Ban sold thousands of pairs of sunglasses after Will Smith wore them in the film Men in Black. If he’d worn a different type of sunglasses, they would have become popular instead.

 

Young people often choose their clothes in order to be part of a group. The members of the group have the same interests, and have names such as goths, skaters or rappers. They usually like the same type of music and wear the same style of clothing. If a young person is a goth, for example, they wear black clothes. If somebody is a rapper, they often wear baggy jeans and lots of jewellery.

 

Style can show what kind of music you like, or what group you belong to. However, it can also explain what you think. In the 1970s, people wore badges to show what they thought about important issues. In the 1990s, Katherine Hamnett, a top British fashion designer, became popular when her T-shirts with messages such as “Preserve the rainforests” were worn by different rock bands. In 2005, people at the Live 8 concerts wore white wrist-bands with the message “Make poverty history”.

 

The truth is the fashion industry is huge. Millions of people around the world are involved in the buying, selling and production of clothing. Of course, advertising is important too. There are adverts everywhere: on TV, on the Internet and in magazines. However, if the media didn't exist, fashion would still change-just like it did in the days of Louis XIV.