Music and fashion always go together.
The two are both forms of artistic statements that express political stances, ideologies, artistry, creativity, and individuality. Fashion influences music just as music influences fashion.
Accordingly, the dressing styles of a lot of music enthusiasts are inspired by the artists they favor. As soon as an admirable style of fashion is spotted by an artist — either on a music video or at a social event — the style is transformed into a trend by the mainstream media and the trend transcends down to the general public.
The relationship between music and fashion is a timeless one. It is a kindred relationship where both mutually benefit from the other’s creativity. Let’s look at some of the ways the music and fashion industry have influenced each other over the years:
1. Jazz Music during the 20s
Jazz music seems innocent by the current standards, but a century ago, jazz music was considered an obscene genre of music. The reason for this was because jazz used to be played in nightclubs with people of different races.
Female jazz enthusiasts wore styles that conflicted the societal roles of women at the time. They wore short and skimpy dresses with no bras.
2. Rock and Roll during the 50s
Through the first half of the 20th century, most fashion houses made designs that appealed to the adult crowd because of their purchasing power. The advent of TVs and music videos increased the visibility of artists. This saw a demand in the teenage market for fashion styles that were similar to their favorite music artists had.
A lot of clothing brands have adopted the approach and maintained the designs of the younger generations, such as Kenzo for kids.
3. Hippie Music and Fashion Styles during the 60s
The demand raised in the 50s saw fashion designed for the younger generation. The music during the 60s by artists such as ‘The Beatles’, ‘The Rolling Stones’ and Jimi Hendrix coincided with the political unrest experienced during that era. The music consequentially influenced the styles of dressing as people became more liberal with their political ideologies as well as their fashion styles.
4. Punk Styles of the 70s
Without Punk, we would have probably missed out on the world’s most famous fashion stylist, Vivienne Westwood. She was responsible for fore ushering the Punk movement into mainstream fashion. The punk music scene was famous for aggressive rock music with the fashion style of punk enthusiasts characterized by brightly colored hair, installing chains on clothing and spiked dog collars as jewelry
5. The Goths of the 80s
Goth music started out as a dark and gloomy genre, and naturally, gothic fashion styles resembled the dark traits of the goth music scene with dark black hair, black clothes from head to toe, and black lips.
6. 90s Grunge and Hip-hop
The 90s were characterized by a lot of anger toward the world, and this was manifested through music by the likes of influential artists such as Tupac and Kurt Cobain. These two artists, for example, marshaled the popularity of ripped jeans and bandanas that are synonymous with the 90s.
7. Grime
Grime is the most recent of the eras mentioned above. Since the turn of the 2010s, Grime which finds its roots in the United Kingdom has risen in popularity worldwide with artists such as Stormzy and Giggs making the genre mainstream.
Grime, as a genre, has influenced people to wear tracksuits and sneakers from the models’ runway to suit streetwear for everyone else.
Music Influences Fashion and Fashion Influences Music
Music and fashion are entangled in a continuous cycle that will always serve as reliable indicators of society. Music and the artists who create music will always have a strong influence on fashion trends as a lot of famous artists have their own clothing lines such as Kanye West and Rihanna.
Are you interested in learning more about music as art? Continue reading our blog for the latest news and information n the world of music today.
