Fashion can mean so many things to so many people. It can be a way to express yourself, it can be a way to be seen in a crowd, or it can simply be something you wear because you like it. To help give some clarity to this vast topic, I asked four different Mercyhurst alums what Fashion meant to them and here are their responses:
1. A style, custom or mode of dressing or acting that characterizes a period or group of people: the fashion of the 18th century. 2. Something that is popular: the fashion of the day.
3. A trend in clothing or hairstyles: a fashionable haircut.
4. The latest styles:
Fashions can come and go, but they never disappear completely. Whether it’s the bell-bottom jeans of the 1970’s or the baggy look of the 1990’s, there is always some form of fashion that continues to be popular. This is the reason why it’s important to know your history and to understand the trends that have passed.
Fashion is a global industry and it involves millions of workers all over the world designing, sewing, gluing, dyeing, and transporting clothes to stores. It is also a highly social and cultural industry as it can create identity and tradition. Judges wear robes, soldiers wear uniforms, and brides wear white dresses to signal that they’re a part of a particular community or society. It can even be used as a political tool – during the nineteenth and twentieth century communist revolutions, governments banned the wearing of Western clothing and accessories to eliminate class and race distinctions.