MASH’s ninth edition, Under Fire, came as a surprise to us half way through this semester. Having moved over from edition format to rolling content over two years ago, we missed the opportunity for thematic writing, as did our writing team. We saw this edition as a challenge and a trial run, to see what it would be like to work towards a common goal again. So we decided to bring them back, with a twist. If all goes to plan (fingers crossed) you should be reading this letter from an interactive flipbook on our website, beautifully designed by our VP of Design, Cassidy Kim, and her team. How exciting.
MASH looks a little different now to how it did when we last released an edition in April of 2022, as does life at USC and the wider world.
Our team sits at a sturdy 47, which we look forward to expanding further in the fall. We have placed a greater emphasis on our professional events for our team, taking it up a gear this year with several panel speaker events, two professional studio tours, and a successful marketplace to spotlight student and local brands. Lest we forget this year’s stunning merch capsule designed by our very own Olivia Dangelo, whose matchbook design inspired this edition's name. Under Fire takes aim at the fashion industry and beyond; its past, present and future. As we have seen first-hand on campus, the world is at a perpetual and unnerving state of conflict. Though we romanticize fashion for its beauty and class, we realize that this industry is not immune to the global strife. While crafting this edition, MASH was compelled to think critically about the contentions and limitations of fashion as we know it. As Editors in Chief, we can only hope that our team carries this fervent inquiry with them forever, no matter where they go.
Speaking of going places, this is the perfect time to recognise our wonderful graduating seniors, without whom MASH would not be what it is today.
Caleb Kim, our fabulous predecessor and EIC extraordinaire, who bravely continued the legacy of Tate Schmergel and Kat Barden (the departure of whom we are still recovering from) and carried their torch high. Caleb will be moving to New York to work at CAA (Creative Artists Agency).
Olivia Dangelo, our treasured VP of Design, without whom our operations would have entirely ground to a halt. She has taken her creative genius elsewhere to work in brand design.
Finally Heidi Zhang, a longstanding member of our design team, who I (Emilia) met during my very first semester on MASH years ago, and whose brilliance has left a longstanding impact on us all. Heidi graduated early last year and has since been working in tech in San Francisco. We miss you all already.
After we sprung the idea for a new edition on the team a few weeks ago, they have worked tirelessly to pull it together and execute our rather ambitious vision. For most, this is their first MASH edition, as is it ours, so be kind.
We understand that the current complexities in the fashion industry are far from the most important and newsworthy events happening in the world right now. This edition is not made to distract from or ignore such atrocities.
We are grateful for your support in our exclusive goal of publication, which is to celebrate the creativity and craftsmanship of our team.
We hope you enjoy Under Fire and look forward to many more editions to come.
HAGS
Emilia Bracey Editor in Chief
Claire Oberle Editor in Chief
CHANEL LAWSUIT WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
Chanel took resale brand What Goes Around Comes Around (WGACA) to trial in January, which lasted over a month until the jury voted unanimously in favor of Chanel on all four counts: trademark infringement, false association and unfair competition claims, and false advertising claims. These four claims created grounds for legislation regarding the luxury resale market.
Back in 2018, Chanel sued WGACA for the false affiliation with the luxury brand and the resale of Chanel products including many items that were proven to be counterfeit. Founder and CEO of WGACA, Seth Weiser, assures that no counterfeits were ever sold, “WGACA has always had a rigorous authentication process and has never in the history of the company sold a non-genuine or counterfeit product.” To this, Chanel argued that they are committed to protecting the integrity of their company and are taking significant measures to stop the sale of counterfeit items, resulting in the lawsuit against WGACA.
Chanel also sued for false implication of affiliation meaning that WGACA attempted to imply they were officially collaborating with Chanel. WGACA used a code titled “COCO10” which
suggested a false affiliation between the companies, possibly convincing consumers that the two brands were collaborating. WGACA also used Coco Chanel quotes, furthering this misconception. Chanel used a study in court, claiming that in a sample of 200 consumers, 23% believed WGACA sold handbags, demonstrating how consumers were influenced by their faux affiliation to the luxury brand.
As a luxury brand, Chanel wants to uphold its esteemed reputation and doesn’t want another brand to sell counterfeit Chanel items. Overall, this lawsuit intended to maintain Chanel’s
implications of this ruling lead to the increased regulation of resale brands, specifically the resale of luxury items moving forward. This change means it will become more costly for luxury resale brands to exist and succeed, due to the raised quality standards to prevent lawsuits like this one from reoccurring. Resale brands will now need to spend significant time and money elevating the quality
of their products.
exclusivity and reputation of having high-quality products.
This lawsuit raises the question of false affiliation in general. Consumers who are unaware of certain products or brands may fall victim to counterfeit items they believe to be real. We as consumers need to consider the quality of the products we spend our money on since many resale brands have the potential to scam the customer hundreds of dollars for a handbag made with cheap leather. Chanel won an estimated four million dollars in statutory damages, but this wasn’t the only result of the lawsuit. The
While extremely successful and wealthy brands like Chanel do not need the money from damages, the precedent of high quality and original products is important. This case highlights the critical importance of artistic expression and the protective laws that maintain the distinctiveness and quality of luxury brand items. False affiliations not only deceive consumers but also dilute the unique creations and heritage of original designers. Such legal protections ensure that artistic integrity is preserved, distinguishing genuine luxury goods from counterfeits and maintaining exclusivity which is paramount to the identity of high-end brands.
By: Antonia Brooks
REBELLION TO RUNWAY: THE RISE OF THE MINI SKIRT
According to Paris Hilton, “Skirts should be the size of a belt. Life’s short. Take risks.” While Hilton’s hemline may not seem too polarizing now, its journey to acceptance in high fashion was.
During this year’s Paris Fashion Week, mini skirts were the unofficial uniform of attendees. Even in 45-degree weather, guests rocked mini,
micro-mini and borderline belt-length skirts.
Miu Miu, Gucci, Mugler, Chanel and Tom Ford all spotlighted mini skirts in their Spring/Summer 2024 collections. However, top designers were much more hesitant to lean into the trend during its inception.
When we think of the mini skirt, we think of the early 2000s—
when we should really be thinking of the 1960s.
Fashion Designer Mary Quant was no household name, but she understood what young women wanted, and started rolling traditional mid to full-length skirts, playing with the revolutionary idea of a hemline above the knee.
Quant named her simple and
iconic design after her favorite car, the Mini, and started selling them at her boutique on the King’s Road in London. Within ten days, she was completely sold out.
The mini skirt was both a fashion and political statement that embodied the spirit of the Swinging Sixties, challenging traditional notions of femininity and inspiring a new era of bodily autonomy for women.
In December of 1961, the birth control pill was approved for prescription use by the National Health Service—a milestone for the women’s liberation movement. The commercial availability of the pill coincided with the mini skirt’s rising popularity, empowering women to make decisions regarding their reproductive health and self-expression.
Quant described the Sixties mini as the most “optimistic fashion ever devised: young, liberated and exuberant.”
André Courrèges and Pierre Cardin embraced this new attitude, featuring mini skirts in both their shows in 1965, along with Yves Saint Laurent’s release of the historically short Mondrian dress. Paco Rabanne’s launch of a chainmail mini skirt in 1966 solidified the mini skirt’s place in high fashion.
Despite its widespread popularity, other designers were more hesitant to stray from the status quo. When asked if she approved of the mini, Coco Chanel described it as “just awful” and claimed she had never met a man who liked women wearing
them. Dior’s distaste for minis and display of strictly full-length skirts in their 1966 fall collection prompted protests by a group of young women who called themselves the “British Society for the Preservation of Mini Skirts,” who gathered outside the House of Dior holding signs such as “Dior is unfair to mini skirts!” and “Mini skirts forever.”
The “Mini Skirt Revolution” gained momentum thanks to famous figures like British model Dame Lesley Lawdon, popularly known as Twiggy, alongside renowned feminist writers,
In an era where women were starting to gain access to contraceptives, it represented a newfound sense of empowerment
So next time you rock a mini skirt, remind yourself that you’re not just following a trend; you’re carrying a torch lit by Quant, embraced by a generation of women, and cemented by icons. You’re part of a legacy: a revolution in a tiny skirt.
By: Sarah Erickson
Germaine Greer and Gloria Steinem. Jackie Kennedy’s debut in a mini Valentino dress at her wedding in 1968 marked the official embrace of shorter hemlines among the upper echelons of society, cementing the mini skirt as a symbol of liberation and modernity embraced by all.
The mini skirt is a battle cry for bodily autonomy.
On August 18, the Roski School of Art and Design unveiled a new addition to their courses: a fashion minor. Beginning in Fall 2023, this interdisciplinary minor, one of four offered at Roski, was made available to undergraduate students.
The 24-unit minor features courses throughout multiple schools, including the Iovine and Young Academy, the School of Dramatic Arts, the Kaufman School of Dance, the Marshall School of Business, and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Applying for the minor is simple; prospective students can fill out an online form before its due date while being currently enrolled or having completed at least one Roski course beforehand.
To gain further perspective on this new minor, I spoke with Lizzie Lee, a junior majoring in health and human sciences who is now also double minoring in business administration and fashion.
On why she chose to minor in fashion, Lee said, “I’m interested in working in the business of fashion, specifically merchandising or buying. I thought having the fashion minor combined with my business [administration] minor would give me an advantage over others who were simply one or the other.”
Initially, Lee was drawn toward the Communication Design minor because of her interest in graphic design and its
interdisciplinary curriculum, but then she heard about the Fashion minor.
“It had more traditional, rather than digital, art and design courses. For example, in the Fashion minor, you can take drawing, costume construction, and dance classes, whereas in Communication Design you can take photography, video, and design courses,” Lee said.
Unfortunately, despite the apparent variety of interdisciplinary courses offered by USC, Lee acknowledged some shortcomings in the minor.
“A lot of the classes like Costume Design and the History of Fashion are not offered at USC yet, which is disappointing since those are the classes I was excited about,” she said.
This disappointing lack of variation for fashion studies despite its overall growing acceptance at universities across the country is not unique to USC. Even though it is a step forward for USC to establish the Fashion minor, it is still not enough for students like Lee.
“There is just so much information to cover that you really need a full curriculum of fashion courses to understand the industry well,” Lee said. “For instance, in my Graphic Design in Fashion course, we briefly talk about trend research, marketing, textiles, and technical drawings, but we don’t really get an in-depth view of these topics. In fashion schools, there are semester-long classes dedicated to these skills.”
With the existence of big-name
fashion schools like the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons, or the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, studying the history and design of fashion has become a popular pathway for students; a fashion minor at USC has been a long time coming.
Especially in a city like Los Angeles, which is one of the fashion capitals of the United States according to Vogue Australia, competing alongside cities like London, Paris, and Milan, fashion has become a powerful tool of self-expression, so the fact that it has taken this long for USC to establish any sort of curriculum for fashion is surprising. In the past year, major brands such as Versace, Chanel and Celine have chosen LA for their runway shows.
Historically, fashion has been perceived as frivolous or unnecessary, and has also been relegated to a subject only women would care about, resulting in its lack of inclusion at many universities. For example, the Parsons School of Design became the first and only private art and design school to affiliate with a private national university in 1970, when it became a part of the New School.
Despite the importance of fashion toward culture and the economy, fashion’s presence in academia is not representative of its influence due to the misogynistic nature of our society. Because of this gap in fashion education, there is a skills gap in the fashion industry,
ADVOCATING
contributing to less profitability and an overall unsustainable, uncertain retail environment, according to the Business of Fashion.
Furthermore, even though the fashion industry is stereotypicallygeared toward women, it is still run by men, with most CEOs of companies being men. Only in 2016 did Dior appoint its first female designer, according to The New York Times.
The lack of academic programs dedicated to fashion education is harmful not only because of the subsequent skills gap, but also because these types of programs are intended to nurture a variety of creative minds. Without a strong academic foundation and fashion becoming normalized at bigger universities, there’s a disparity in creative and technical innovation in the industry.
Furthermore, since the study of fashion is not taken seriously, important and relevant issues like sustainability or diversity and inclusion in the industry are overlooked.
While the addition of the Fashion minor at USC is a positive step in recognizing the significance of fashion design in society, the study of fashion in academia certainly has a long way to go.
FASHION FORWARD: ADVOCATING FOR ACADEMIC
“I honestly think that the Fashion minor needs 1 or 2 years to become a fullyfledged program,” Lee said. think if anyone wants to apply to the Fashion minor, they should remember that USC is not a fashion school, so they should not expect to get in-depth knowledge of either the business or design side
By: Julia Ho
RECOGNITION
“MADE IN CHINA”: THE TRANSFORMING PORTRAIT OF E-COMMERCE GIANT TAOBAO
By: Samantha Lee
The tag on the collar of your t-shirt will almost always read a familiar three words: Made in China. Even the shape of its letters can be considered iconography. While the tag indicates where the garment was manufactured, over the years the phrase itself has garnered a personality synonymous with the general reputation of Chinese exports: mass-produced, low quality and inexpensive.
The international consensus on this phrase elicits beliefs about the poor environmental, labor and quality standards of China’s
fashion industry, and perhaps no other retailer carries the weight of this stigma as heavily as Jack Ma’s e-commerce empire, Alibaba, and its main online marketplace, Taobao.
Often referred to as the eBay of China, the $20 billion platform is known for its extensive range of unspecialized “everything,” including apparel, at comparatively lower prices. Its popularity among the Chinese community is apparent, with over 1 billion product listings as of 2016 and a combined transaction volume reaching $415 billion in 2017. Today, Taobao’s
indispensability to Chinese retail, combined with an increased demand for new and unique clothing pieces for younger shoppers, has mobilized a transformation in manufacturer and consumer culture in China.
Once labeled a ‘notorious market’ for counterfeit goods, Taobao was characterized as a platform for lesser, downmarket products; it was generally thought of as unsuitable for “respectable” fashion brands. But this opinion is becoming less and less accurate.
Today, the Taobao marketplace
facilitates consumer-toconsumer retail by providing a platform for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs to open online stores. Many young, independent designers now credit Taobao with their success, building distinct customer followings off a growing appetite for fresh, alternative brands. As a result, the site has gained significant fashion cred.
Taobao designers have cultivated a highly engaged online consumer community, now rebranding themselves as “Direct-To-Consumer” brands. This is due to their unique ability to sell products directly to their community through personal livestreams held with specific knowledge of their consumers’ preferences. Through this relationship, they also use direct customer feedback to design new products and improve existing ones. Amid the global trend of growing and supporting small businesses, this new era of ‘Taobao brands’ is exactly what young, fashion-loving audiences are looking for – it is a natural extension of the evolving fashion market in China.
“Technology” and “Trends.”.
“We want to provide a platform that supports young creators closer to home, encouraging them to design more, make more, and try more,” Chris Tung, Chief Marketing Officer at Taobao, told media at the festival.
Even as Taobao brands increasingly resemble the practices of high fashion brands, Taobao manufacturers are still able to maintain a relatively affordable price point, upending the idea of cost as a reliable metric for quality. In fact, shopping directly from manufacturers provides a more accurate price point for labor and materials in comparison to international corporations who significantly drive up the price of poor quality goods to appear upmarket.
The Taobao Maker Festival is a perfect example of the company’s transformation. Introduced in 2016, the annual celebration is designed to promote creativity and independent design on the platform. The recent festival, held through the end of April 2023, showcased the works of many successful small businesses in three distinctive exhibitions, each highlighting a different aspect of the Taobao platform: “Wonder,”
"You can go to Zara and get this heartless, soulless commerce but for a similar price, you can buy from us and get the story and get the design and get the personality and community," says Taobao brand ‘Babyghost’ co-founder Joshua Hupper.
Taobao departs from the frugality of the quantity-over-quality mindset that dictated not only how Chinese consumers used to shop but also how Chinese manufacturers used to manufacture. Now, shoppers can have quantity, quality, and economical purchases all in one.
The freedom and accessibility that Taobao’s selling model has provided for retailers inevitably affects China’s culture of labor. Due to the sheer volume of production required from Tao-
bao sellers, “Taobao villages,” a unique manufacturing concept, have been established in rural areas of China. Alibaba's research division defines these as rural areas in which the village's annual e-commerce revenues exceed RMB 10 million (approximately $1.5 million USD), the village has either an excess of 100 active online shops, or active online shops account for more than 10% of village households. In small towns like Zhijiang and Xinhe, Taobao villages have allowed many former agricultural workers to become entrepreneurs.
AliResearch claims doing business online is quickly becoming one of the most effective ways of eliminating rural poverty, particularly for those selling farm produce, who can reach a wider variety of markets and can sell their produce at a fraction of the cost compared to more traditional sales channels. Taobao villages are estimated to have created an estimated 8.3 million jobs, helping many rural workers out of poverty.
As with any large, open, marketplace, it is impossible to be squeaky clean. It is true that counterfeit goods, poor quality items, and environmentally damaging products persist and taint the newer narrative of Taobao’s current era. No improvement comes without cost. Yet, the transformation that is occurring must be recognized in its ability to alter an age-old stigma whilst having genuine benefits for uplifting rural workers and changing the consumer landscape both in China, and soon, all over the world.
LANA DEL REY AND SKIMS: A MISALIGNED COLLABORATION
IN THE WORLD OF AUTHENTICITY VS COMMERICALISM
“I swear to God if you become a fashion icon, I’m going to kill myself.”- Lana Del Rey’s little sister. Taylor Swift has hailed Lana Del Rey as “the most influential artist in pop” attributing part of this influence to Del Rey's distinctive aesthetics. Del Rey, however, has forged a unique appeal that captivates her audience, seemingly indifferent to an image. Del Rey wears jean cutoffs to concerts — she stands out in meticulously styled celebrity culture. She is a rarity today as a celebrity who can be dressed for the Met Gala but will more likely be found in flip-flops and a tank top even when her music is so visually evocative. Her visual aesthetic is almost entirely created by her music rather than her personal style or her Instagram. Del Rey is not a fashion icon, and I’d argue that she doesn’t want to be one.
Lana Del Rey's stylist, John Blueeyes, blends All-American and Art Deco influences to create her few distinctive looks, which vary from 1950s pin-up swimsuits to intricate floral gowns. Del Rey herself has shared that her approach to fashion is unconventional; her primary interest lies in how fashion complements her musical expression. The specific, eclectic "All-American-Coquette-Indie-Sleaze-EffortlessCowboy-Princess" aesthetic is primarily reserved for her music videos—and not even all of them—and her appearances at The Met Gala. At the Gala, celebrities are often matched with designers, limiting their input on their outfits, even further highlighting that these public forays into fashion are more about her music's persona than her personal style. In taking a closer look at her style, both in performance and everyday life, the secondary nature of her clothing choices makes her recent collaboration with SKIMS especially confusing.
In Lana Del Rey’s “Mariners Apartment Complex” music video, which spans 14 minutes and includes three separate songs from “Normal Fucking Rockwell”, she is wearing a chambray shirt and matching-wash skinny jeans with what looks like black rubber-soled running shoes. In another shot, she is wearing an all-black version of this same outfit, and later she trades the chambray long-sleeve for a white baseball tee shirt. These outfits are secondary to the music.
In 2014, Del Rey wore a floral, short summer dress to Coachella. Her hair and shoes were minimally styled, almost as if she got herself ready for the show. In comparison, Doja Cat’s Coachella performance this year featured six costume changes — one made completely of hair. However, it is not the sheer number that matters, but rather the distinction between a ‘costume’ and an ‘outfit.’ This year at Coachella, she similarly wore a sparkly short blue summer dress and crystal-adorned knew-high boots. Although a custom Dolce and Gabbana ensemble, the clothing was natural within the musical aesthetic. It spoke to the visual themes. It was secondary to the music. It was even secondary to the motorcycle entrance. Del Rey, this Coachella and always, wears outfits, but hardly ever costumes.
This visual style, or perhaps the deliberate eschewal of one, is precisely what endears Lana Del Rey to us. Immune to the ceaseless whirlwind of trend-setting and chasing, Del Rey remains a steadfast beacon of authenticity. Her music, somehow so intimate, timeless, and truthful in its lyricism, is all the more powerful because Del Rey is not a fashionable celebrity. Del Rey was never interested in fashion and her lack of brand collaborations or personal lines helps us, as
listeners, know that she has not abandoned her values and likes due to fame. We can’t help but agree with her sister’s comedic sentiment.
That is why the SKIMS campaign is so disappointing. Primarily, Del Rey should be an influential reference for a fashion line, not a collaborator, and also, the line itself is so surface-level and lazy in its design. The Valentines Collection by SKIMS featuring Lana Del Rey leaves consumers confused as to what SKIMS sees in Del Rey’s music besides a heartshaped print and some lace.
The SKIMS marketing team, so far incredibly inventive and successful with very simple products, has somehow devolved since this year’s holiday campaign with the ski-collection rollout. From the metallic bikinis to the velour tracksuits to the NBA x SKIMS Men partnership, SKIMS has excelled in running marketing campaigns that not only capture but also define popular aesthetics when they feature new, albeit not always groundbreaking, styles. This savvy approach to marketing has positioned SKIMS at the forefront of shapewear and basics, while they turn the simplest concepts into coveted drops. The Valentine's Collection with Lana Del Rey is not one of these. Iconic Photographer Nadia Lee Cohen and Creative Director Kim Schraub should have known better for Lana Del Rey.
This campaign is an expression of the desperation to quick-draw, simmer down, and package Lana Del Rey into a marketable collaboration because she has a robust fan base when truly, this fashion brand has nothing to do with her.
A SKIMS campaign attempts to turn her aesthetics into a fashion collaboration and fails because it distills Del Rey’s music into a lace border and a black (not for sale) veil. The collection leaves SKIMS as a whole seeming more opportunistic than inspired, clearly grasping for any collaboration or modeling feature from anyone with an audience perhaps because SKIMS has nothing new to say through their chosen medium of clothing. What started as a true revival of shapewear and basics, led by an icon whose guidance and experience with the product was widely respected, has now devolved into a series of attention grabs and lackluster marketing strategies.
By Lyla Bhalla-Ladd
MANUFACTAND STARTUPS UNDER FIRE FOR A SUSTAINABILTY ISSUE URERS
The fashion industry is notorious for being costly to the environment, with one cotton t-shirt requiring 2,700 liters of water. Most of the fashion industry’s carbon footprint comes from energy-intensive manufacturing activities like dyeing and treating fabrics. However, 2024 began with bright prospects for the future of sustainable fashion.
The US, EU, France and China all have new regulations up for adoption to decarbonize the fashion industry. As part of the EU’s Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, the Corporate Sustainability Due Dilligence Directive is designed to hold fashion companies accountable for any labor and/or environmental damage in their supply chains. Similarly, the New York Fashion Act aims to increase supply chain transparency through new diligence and reporting requirements, in addition to noncompliance penalties. France’s National Assembly recently passed a bill that would impose a tax of up to €10 on fashion products based on their environmental impact. China has also pledged to be carbon neutral before 2060.
While these policies are moving the fashion industry towards a sustainable future, are they enough to completely change the way the fashion industry operates? Experts say no.
According to an analysis by the Apparel Impact Institute and innovation platform Fashion for Good, around $1 trillion is required to implement innovative solutions to reduce the entire fashion industry’s carbon emissions to zero. What’s holding impact investors and fashion brands back is the “chronic volatility” of the fashion industry. In other words, they are anxious about the rapid trend cycle and think there is insufficient demand to justify investing in these “long-term climate change projects with dubious payback prospects.”
Therefore, along with policy, the fashion industry needs to creatre new financial models that will incentivize decarbonization and provide a safety net for manufacturers and brands while the industry transitions to using more renewable resources.
The best way to achieve this - and evenly distribute the higher cost of production - is
through collective action by industry leaders, financial institutions, policymakers and NGOs. Without a concerned effort, companies like Renewcell, one of the industry’s most promising textile recycling startups, and manufacturers in emerging economics will bear the brunt of the problem. Manufacturers and startups do not have sufficient capital to afford the infrastructure needed to produce more clothes sustainably, such as wind farms. Consequently, Renewcell just filed for bankruptcy in February of this year, and supplies in countries like India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are struggling financially.
The climate movement desperately needs politcians and business executives to step up and invest in the Earth’s future. With growing regulatory pressure, fashion brands will have to shift to more sustainable fabrics, and their current inaction will be far more costly than any investments required to save the planet. Consumers play a crucial role in this transition, capable of driving significant change through advocacy and direct action. By working together, we can ensure the fashion industry contributes positvely to our planet’s health and longevity.
By: Lizzie Lee
THE AVAVAV AW24 FASHION SHOW WAS A
LITERALLY.
By: Hali Mecklin
As models strutted down the runway in the brand’s signature slouchy streetwear, audience members pelted them with a carefully curated selection of trash. Each seat was supplied with a bucket of waste including eggs, banana peels, miscellaneous sauces, and a pair of white latex gloves. Screens displaying an infinite scroll of negative social media comments complemented the performance. According to Rachel Tashjian of the Washington Post, the space was “heavy with the sour stink of garbage.”
The show, titled “Thanks for Your Feedback,” was a nod to designer Beate Karlsson’s tumultuous reign as Avavav’s creative director. The Swedish 29-year-old founded the brand in 2020 and has since polarized the public with humorous campaigns, garnering masses of haters and fans alike.
“In medieval times people were throwing feces, stones, and trash at each other. Online, those times are not of the past,” reads the show’s
description on Avavav’s website. “The show… is an experiment where this verbal brutality is translated into a physical space and hopefully shows that it isn’t necessarily a reflection of reality.”
At the risk of sounding like one of the hateful comments Karlsson disparages in her show, I was unfortunately underwhelmed by both the performance art and the clothes. The show was a desperate grasp for attention– and it worked. Outlets from Vogue to Dazed, and now MASH have written about it. By its very nature, it is impossible to criticize, lest you become a part of the “verbal brutalism” that Karlsson makes fun of.
However, in an era of increasingly ridiculous fashion concepts masquerading as high art, the show’s concept just isn’t all that revolutionary. Contemporary designers experimented with participatory fashion long before the Avavav show. Sunnei’s SS24 show commented on today’s culture of hyper-criticism with audience members using numbered paddles to rate each look. McQueen’s SS99 show stained a model’s clothes with much more tact and artistic value.
“There have been endless think-pieces about the state of fashion, particularly recently,” Emma Elizabeth Davidson, Dazed’s Fashion Features Director, wrote. “Karlsson might not have the answers, but is at least channeling these frustrations into some of the most creative, thoughtful, and fun shows on the schedule– so let the haters hate.”
I’d have to disagree with Davidson’s latter note. Even if “Thanks” was simply a nod to its more successful predecessors, the performance was still gimmicky and derivative. I have an even bigger problem with the clothes themselves. The looks were classic Avavav, somehow tongue-in-cheek and boring at the same time. Hoodies, ripped tights and tattered dresses lined the runway; An amalgamation of repurposed officewear and shredded club outfits in shades of blue and beige.
The pieces lacked visual interest in shape, color, and texture. Without the few tactful cutouts and a diamond-shaped tie, it looked like a line of New York City interns– casual and drab enough to work for the office, edgy enough to let everyone know you’re 20 and go to an expensive school.
The spectacle of throwing detritus at models, Karlsson must have forgotten that the garments had to be interesting sans-stains. This theme of focusing on shock value more than quality clothing isn’t new to the brand either.
In Avavav’s SS24 show, models ran down the runway halfdressed. They stumbled back and forth, sometimes even pushed onto the runway, wearing hoodies with “NO TIME TO DESIGN” printed on them. The brand’s website puts it simply, “No time to design. No time to explain.”
“Making a whole collection about how little time you have to design a collection is a second-year student's cop-out,” wrote one commenter on Hypebeast’s article covering the collection.
While these collections go viral, fulfilling the fashion show’s goal of selling clothes, I can’t in good conscience say that they’re art. Or at least good art. Karlsson is adept at making a statement and getting people talking, but her capability for depth leaves much to be desired.
At its core, “Thanks for Your Feedback” was lazy. Karlsson told us that she doesn’t plan on engaging meaningfully with criticism towards her emerging brand. I’m all for accessible fashion and think we could all stand to take ourselves a little less seriously, but this show wasn’t championing either of those ideas. It placed ego over effort and spectacle over art.
FASHION’S QUIET REVOLUTION: THE THREADS OF PROTEST AND CHANGE
Fashion is a potent medium for dialogue, dissent and social transformation. Beyond the outward confines of trends and aesthetics, fashion can also entail a form of protest, catalyzing change and unity across various social movements. The relationship between fashion and activism roots deep into history and continuously appears in modern movements, where fashion has grown into a powerful tool for expression and advocacy.
The suffragettes of the early 20th century adeptly utilized fashion as a strategic tool in their campaign for women’s rights. Adorning themselves in white, purple, and green, their outfits symbolized loyalty, purity, and hope. By establishing a clear visual identity they presented a unified and dignified front that challenged prevailing stereotypes of female protestors.
This sartorial choice was not just about aesthetic appeal, but was a calculated effort to make their messages more noticeable to the wider public, demonstrating fashion’s ability to subtly influence perception and foster solidarity.
In recent years, the intersection of fashion and activism has become increasingly pronounced, addressing a range of contemporary issues. The “Pussyhat Project,” popularized during the Women’s March in 2017, is a prominent example of a fashion accessory having an authoritative meaning in social change. During this movement, protestors utilized bright pink knitted cat-eared hats as a strong visual statement against gender-based discrimination and violence. The hats quickly became an international symbol of women’s solidarity in the fight for equal rights.
Fashion houses and designers themselves also address relevant issues and causes through fashion. One designer at the forefront of social change was Vivienne Westwood, who said she “always used our collections and catwalk shows as a platform to campaign for a better world”.
Despite Vivienne Westwood’s public efforts and demonstrations of activism, she faced immense criticism from environmentalists for being out spoken about sustainability without turning the lens on her own company and making internal efforts to improve their own operations.
Runway shows grant designers the opportuni ty to broadcast social and political messages. During the Spring 2020 fashion week, multiple designers seized the opportunity to spotlight pressing issues through their collections, such as immigration and environmental policies.
Prabal Gurung’s show asked “Who gets to be American?” – a poignant query in the face of stringent immigration policies. These events highlight the dual role of fashion designers; While they create and sell clothing, they also utilize their influence to inspire change.
Similarly, at New York Fashion Week in 2023, three animal rights activists boldly disrupted the Coach runway show to protest the use of leather in the fashion industry. They held signs reading “Coach: Leather Kills”. This meticulously planned protest underscored the plea for the fashion industry to embrace cruelty-free leather alterna tives. As the fashion world continues to exploit animal products while being fully aware of its negative downsides, these activists showcased the power of interruption and fashion as a platform for significant commentary and change. Through her designs, shows, and activism she highlighted climate change and over-consumption, supporting countless NGOs including Greenpeace, for which she served as an ambassador and traveled to the arctic to promote her Climate Revolution project. Her perspective on fashion as a powerful outlet for education and advocacy inspired other designers, elevated awareness, and helped mitigate the industry’s detrimental impact on the environment.
The recent film festival in Cannes saw several demonstrations of fashion as a means of protest and solidarity. At the premier of The Apprentice, Cate Blanchett wore a black off-the-shoulder gown by Jean-Paul Gaultier, designed by Haider Ackermann. The dress had seen some significant modifications from its original design, with the back of the dress now being pale pink, and the lining of the skirt being green. As Blanchett lifted the hem for a photo, the green lining was revealed and, when set against the black, pale pink, and red of the carpet, it bore a striking resemblance to the Palestinian flag. Blanchett herself has neither confirmed nor denied whether her dress was intended to make a political statement, though her intentions are clear and powerful.
In a similar vein, Bella Hadid used fashion to celebrate her Palestinian heritage and make her stance on the conflict clear. She stepped out in a dress made entirely of keffiyehs, designed by duo Michael and Hushi. The keffiyeh is a traditional middle eastern scarf that has become a symbol of solidarity with Palestine.
In an instagram post, Hadid commented “I want to highlight designers that have highlighted the Palestinian cause through the years. This is a Kiffiyeh dress, made by #michaelandhushi in 2001. A beautiful way to represent the history, labor of love, resilience and, most importantly, the art of historic Palestinian embroidery.”
Fashion’s interconnection with activism provides a unique lens on both the industry and the social movements it supports. As a form of personal expression and collective identity, fashion both mirrors societal changes and drives them. When people wear their convictions and embody their beliefs through attire, the changes they desire to see in the world are manifested, making fashion an indispensable part of the discourse on social change.
As the boundaries between fashion and activism continue to cross paths, it is crucial for consumers and creators alike to critically engage with its potential as a medium of change and a marker of personal identity. As is becoming increasingly clear, fashion will only continue to play an essential and increasingly influential role in the global
BARING THE
In the Spring of 2024, fashion landscapes are being redefined by the delicate allure of sheer fabrics, including chiffon, and intricate crochet designs, signaling a strong continuation of the risqué fashion movement, which seems like it’s here to stay.
Whether or not the trend is expressed in everyday outfits, fashion has had a long-standing love for risqué outfits in spaces of self-expression, like music festivals. Since its inception in 1999, Coachella, Indio's renowned music festival, has consistently been a showcase for bold and daring fashion choices. Looking back to 2007, with images of festival-goers sporting low-rise denim skirts and bikini tops, and moving through to the boho-chic craze for crochet outfits in 2014, these fashion choices might seem nostalgic. However, they retain a surprising relevance, effortlessly blending into the adventurous and vibrant styles that define today's festival fashion landscape.
This year’s most recent Coachella outfits, which set the precedent for festival fashion for the upcoming year, exhibit this same love of risqué clothing: chunky belts paired with two-piece short-and-bikini sets, assless chaps, and micro mini skirts were rampant among festival wear.
Even in everyday settings, risqué looks have gained traction. Trends from the past few years such as wearing lingerie or slip dresses and the
celebrity-favored “no pants” wave – which has permeated everyday wardrobes in the form of micro mini skirts and shorts – have brought a daring edge to traditional “girls’ night out” style.
Garments like the sheer “naked dress,” featuring a sheer material, or sometimes a sequined or gauzy fabric, have also remained popular, exemplifying a more wearable take on risqué looks. Perhaps this take on risqué fashion, which favors sultry yet understated apparel whose boldness comes from materials like lace rather than bright colors and logos, has to do with the propagation of “quiet luxury,” which favors more timeless, elegant, neutral, and high-quality styles.
The elegant, sultry turn that risqué fashion has taken in the past few years might be dominating evening wear, but it’s also been interestingly subverted in daywear.
Among those is the “office siren” trend that adds a risqué element to professional fashion, such as the transformation of tiny rectangular eyeglasses from emblematic of 90s nerdiness to “cunty librarian glasses.” The viral office siren trend, adding mystique to traditionally restrictive workwear, not only transforms Bayonetta glasses into a symbol of “sexiness” but adds sensuality to corporate favorites like the pencil skirt and button-down blouse. Interestingly, the “office siren” trend echoes modern risqué looks as being sub-
THE FUTURE OF
tle; a Who What Wear article specifies that this meld of corporate couture and sexiness is never “vulgar” or “inappropriate.’’
Celebrity couture stands as the ultimate showcase for daring fashion, largely due to Hollywood A-listers' unique position. Free from the everyday constraints and dress codes that govern the attire of the general public, celebrities embrace their access to high-profile venues of artistic expression—such as the Met Gala and red-carpet events. Here, they frequently make bold statements, donning the most avant-garde and provocative outfits that fashion culture has to offer. Celebrity culture and risqué couture have gone hand in hand for decades, with iconic looks like Lil Kim’s purple Misa Hylton pasty and jumpsuit combo on the 1999 red carpet and JLo’s famous low-cut Versace jungle dress in 2000 becoming seared into pop culture over two decades later.
Current risqué celebrity outfits from formal events like the red carpet have remained popular, or at least conversation-sparking, from Megan Fox’s sheer Mugler dress in 2021 to Zendaya’s skintight pink Tom Ford breastplate in 2020.
In spaces like Coachella, celebrity risqué style has echoed popular trends, with pop artist Sabrina Carpenter wearing a Roberto Cavalli micro mini skirt during her set and Ice Spice wearing
a lace I.Am.Gia jumpsuit in a play on the sheer trend. Even Katy Perry fused the y2k trend with risqué fashion during the 2024 Billboard’s Women in Music awards, wearing a derriere-exposing, lace-up skirt with a fake butterfly imprint, to mixed reactions from fans.
However, even celebrity status does not elicit immunity to the backlash against risqué fashion, highlighting implicit bias in society, or simply society’s resistance to excessive risqueness.
Notably, FKA Twigs’ semi-nude Calvin Klein campaign from earlier this year was banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority, despite male counterpart Jeremy Allen White’s similarly nude photos for the same campaign receiving internet praise. The differing reactions to FKA Twigs’ campaign vs. Allen White’s raise questions on not only the intersection between society’s acceptance of risqué couture and gender but also the role race plays in the mix.
On a different note, Kanye West’s wife Bianca Censori’s series of extremely nude outfits has drawn much internet mockery and confusion. Censori has been photographed for weeks wearing some variation of see-through, nude tights and a matching top – even at one point covering her chest with a couch pillow – her outfits potentially even violating French decency laws. The retaliation that both Censori and FKA Twigs faced
at the hands of national legislation exemplifies the limits of risqué fashion in the public sphere, especially in different countries and cultures. Despite public opinion, risqué fashion seems to be garnering major traction. The trendy, billion-dollar company Revolve, which boasts 5.9 million Instagram followers, has a subsection on their website entitled “The No Pants Trend” featuring risqué micro mini skirts, and they’re not the only major apparel company recognizing the potential of daring fashion.
From brands like MIAOU that specialize in micro mini skirts to more unexpected companies like Alo Yoga contributing to risqué couture in the past year, it’s clear popular clothing companies have noticed the success of risqué trends recently. However, in the current landscape of fastpaced social media trends, even the most popular styles often fizzle out within a few months.
With risqué fashion reflecting how contemporary society expresses and embraces sexuality and body image, it’s important to track its evolution and current iterations. Arguably, the quicker fashion trends fall in and out of favor, the less we can identify a cohesive impression of what risqué couture and bold self-expression look like today. Perhaps our current evolution of subtle, understatedly risqué styles is simple and elegant enough to stick around– or we’ll see a lot of micro mini shorts, Bayonetta glasses, and sheer blouses being resold on Depop in the next few months.
By: Dalal Daher
RUNWAY DIPLOMACY:
On March 7th, 2024, President Biden verbally delivered his State of the Union address. The rest of Congress silently delivered theirs too. How? Their outfits.
While some turn on the TV and anxiously await discussions over inflation, unemployment, and military spending, others keep their eyes glued to the sea of politicians in the back to admire the thrilling display of the intersection of fashion and politics. The audience of Congress, Cabinet members, the Supreme Court, military leaders, and millions of virtual viewers allow eager public servants to treat the State of the Union as democracy’s Met Gala. As only the President is allowed to talk, the rest must sit idly by and rely on their clothes to do the talking. And boy, do they speak.
The Democratic Women’s Caucus posted a press release about their outfits of the night, stating that they will wear white to showcase their message of reproductive freedom. White has long been associated with the suffragette movement, fueled by its stark contrast that grabs attention in photos and its historical connection to purity, which countered the anti-suffrage accusation that women of the movement were morally corrupt.
FASHION STATE
White wasn’t the only instance of symbolism. Few color connotations in American politics are as prominent as red with the Republican party and blue with the Democratic party. Reflecting this, many party members wore their respective colors, with even President Biden wearing blue.
Notably, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi wore her white suit in solidarity for reproductive rights and a red and blue necklace, symbolizing the need for bipartisanism. Others wore hints of yellow and blue, showing their support for the $60 million Ukrainian foreign aid bill held up in Congress for months.
Some took this as an opportunity to show their allegiances in the current Israel-Hamas war. Representative Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress, and fellow representatives donned traditional Palestinian keffiyehs, which have long served as a symbol of Palestinian nationalism.
FASHION AT THE STATE OF UNION
On the other side, some politicians wore badges with “153,” referencing the number of days since the October 7th attack in Israel, and stickers with “bring them home,” referencing the hostages taken by Hamas. The implicit nature of these accessories speaks volumes given the domestic and international debate for a ceasefire in the Middle East.
This is not the first time outfits at the State of the Union has been used to display political support or garner attention, nor will it be the last. Notably, the 2018 address showcased a partisan outfit divide, where democratic Congresswomen wore black to support the #MeToo movement, and GOP lawmakers wore red, white, and blue as symbols of patriotism. The symbolism stitched into fashion expands beyond the audience of the annual address and regularly fills the halls of Congress.
The State of the Union address lasts an evening, but the reverberations of politicians’ statements are felt much longer. In the theater of politics, where words are carefully chosen and every gesture is scrutinized, the silent language of fashion resonates most deeply, speaking volumes without uttering a single word.
By: Claire Oberle
SECONDHAND FASHION
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY
I first heard about thrifting as a trend in 2020 when the pandemic hit and everyone was spending hours on TikTok. However, my hometown in Mississippi did not have the type of thrift stores with desirable clothes; no brands like Levi’s or Dickies, vintage band tees, leather jackets, or designer pieces other than men’s Ralph Lauren polos. I was out of luck. However, when I moved to California for college, a whole new world was introduced to me. I learned that people in Los Angeles and other big cities view thrifting as not only a convenient way to save money and reduce waste but also as a fashion statement – a culture of its own.
Typically, thrifted clothes are either one-of-a-kind or limited in quantity, so there is ample opportunity to find something that expresses personal style. With the rise of online platforms like Depop and ThredUp, secondhand clothes have become more accessible than ever. However, with “thrift hauls” posted frequently on social media, documenting consumers buying carts piled high with clothes, is it possible that we have taken the trend too far?
Ever since the pandemic, the global secondhand market has grown three times faster than the global apparel market as a whole, with ThredUp reporting that it will be valued at $350 billion by 2028. This commercialization of thrifting raises contentious questions about its ethics, sustainability and affordability.
THE GOOD: A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE
Fast fashion consists of cheap, trendy clothing mass-produced at breakneck speed to meet consumer demand, as sold by popular retailers H&M, Zara, Shein and PrettyLittleThing. A fundamental issue with fast fashion is that it forces consumers to continuously buy and replace unsustainable and poorly-made clothing to keep up with ever-changing trends.
The rapid production cycle of fast fashion puts tremendous strain on the environment and the
workers who make the clothing. According to Business Insider, fast fashion constitutes 10% of total carbon emissions, equivalent to the total carbon emitted by the entire European Union. It is also the second-largest industry consumer of water. As a result of these striking statistics, at least half of all global consumers surveyed in PWC’s June 2021 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey reported that they have become more eco-conscious in their shopping habits.
Secondhand shopping provides an environmentally friendly alternative to fast fashion as it extends the lifespan of clothes and saves resources. Farfetch reports that purchasing one pre-owned article of clothing can save up to 1kg of waste, 3,040 liters of water, and 22kg of CO2. However, thrifting is not the be-all and end-all of sustainable shopping practices. The attractive low prices of secondhand clothes can fuel shoppers’ consumerist desires, urging them to buy clothes they don’t need simply because of a good deal. With overconsumption comes more waste, polluting the environment even more. For thrifting to be truly sustainable, shoppers should be more intentional with their choices and buy clothes that will last a lifetime.
THE BAD: THE LOSS OF PERSONAL STYLE
According to Vogue writer Hannah Jackson, the “eclectic grandpa” look, an example of vintage style, is just one of many micro-trends that are contributing to Gen Z’s “personal style dilemma.” The eclectic grandpa trend can be described as preppy but quirky, consisting of funky-colored sweater vests and cardigans, tweed blazers, loafers, and tailored pants. The “personal style dilemma” is caused by the fact that Gen Z is social-media obsessed, making it incredibly difficult not to want to fit in with whatever is considered trendy. As a result, we repeatedly cycle through clothes to follow whatever fashion fad is trending at the moment, whether it be “coquette” or “Y2K.” What Gen Z fails to realize is that if they are constantly keeping up with trends, they will
never stop purchasing clothing, and will instead be pushed further and further away from their true identities and personal styles.
The best way to cultivate personal style is to take inspiration from trends without copying them directly. It helps to question why certain outfits on TikTok look so appealing: Is it the layering? Is it the color combination? Is it the persona of the person wearing the clothes? Instead of appropriating someone else’s style, Gen Z should realize the value inherent in their own identities and embrace that through long-lasting and sustainable pieces.
THE UGLY: THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF THRIFTING
Non-profit thrift stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army began as charitable organizations supporting low-income communities, offering employment opportunities and affordable prices for clothing. However, in recent years they have significantly raised prices, charging up to $20 for a pair of leggings and $50 for a Carhartt jacket. Why?
There are many possible causes for the uptick in prices. There is, of course, general inflation and rent increases that businesses must attend to. Many point to a new category of thrift shoppers called “resellers” who bulk-buy and sell their thrifted finds on secondhand clothing websites like Depop or Poshmark for exorbitant price increases. While this practice can be unethical, it is difficult to pin the increase in prices on this small percentage of the thrift population.
Others have pointed to the growing popularity of thrifting in general for the higher prices, arguing that there are fewer clothes available so businesses must raise prices to keep up with demand. However, only 20% of clothes donated to thrift stores are actually sold to consumers; the rest end up in landfills.
While there is no scarcity of clothes, thrift stores, even nonprofit ones like Goodwill, are still trying to make a profit. If businesses notice that there’s an opportunity to make more money, they will most likely take it. Therefore, affluent customers should re-evaluate their shopping habits and realize that they, too, are partially to blame for the uptick in pricing. Whether shopping at curated vintage stores, donation-based thrift stores, flea markets, or online, it is always best practice to thrift in moderation and support local businesses to slow down fast fashion and ensure there are enough quality, fairly-priced garments to go around.
Secondhand fashion is a complex concept with many benefits and drawbacks. It is certainly an affordable and sustainable alternative to fast fashion, which is why many consumers support and love it. However, secondhand retailers are driven by the same market-based mindset as firsthand retailers, and we must be cognisant when considering low-income communities instead of placing all the blame on resellers. One thing is certain: overconsumption in any form is unhealthy and unsustainable. Just because fashion enthusiasts shop at thrift stores and donate their clothes, this does not mean they are not contributing to the culture of fast fashion as many clothes still end up in landfills. By practicing conscious buying behaviors, we can motivate fast fashion retailers to produce less and ensure that thrift stores are still able to serve the people most in need.
By: Lizzie Lee
SUMMER CONTROVERSIAL TRENDS
SUMMER CONTROVERSIAL
As the Summer 2024 season nears, several trends divide the fashion community. Capris, sheer clothing, and leopard print have all made a controversial comeback.
A staple closet piece of the early 2000s, capris dominate many looks on the runways and offduty models and make for the perfect lightweight minimalist pants for the summer season. Pinterest trend reports indicate that searches for “capris outfit” recently spiked, going from 40% to 100% in March 2024. Though many Y2K styles have made their way back into fashion today, some argue that capris should be left in the 2000s.
Typically, capri pants are quarter-length, black, denim, or made of workout fabrics and sometimes patterned. In modern trends, they are worn casually as workout pants or with low heels to dress them up.
Some find capri pants to be the perfect basic that goes with everything, while others argue they are unflattering, ugly and a regrettable Y2K trend. USC freshman and fashion enthusiast, Devin Fink, says that for her, “capris show a weird amount of skin.” However, many celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Jennifer Lawrence have been seen wearing capris which has caught the fashion community’s eye.
THE GREAT CAPRI DEBATE
GREAT DEBATE
The rise of the controversial trend sparked a debate online about whether capris should be revived. Across the comment sections of TikTok and X, formerly known as Twitter, people are either begging to bring capris back or begging to leave them in the 2000s. One TikTok video asked people on the street in L.A. what they thought about the trend, and the reviews varied. Some said they weren’t flattering for anyone whereas others said it was a yes and could be styled with kitten heels or boots. One person said that it depends and that they had to be low-waisted or fitted to look flattering. In the comments, opinions once again varied with some loving the trend and some older users stating that they grew up with capris and do not want them back in style.
Nevertheless, whether you like them or not, capris are definitely making a comeback and are on trend watch for the Summer 2024 season.
By: Avery Martin
Another fashion trend that’s taken center stage this season is sheer clothing. According to Edited, compared to last year, there has been a 113% increase in sheer dress arrivals for January 2024.
Transparent clothing, specifically sheer dresses, have been around for centuries, but caught fire in the late 20th century, according to Vogue. Notable mentions of transparent clothing in fashion history include Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday Mr. President” gem-encrusted nude dress, Jane Birkin’s 1969 Slogan premiere sheer dress, Cher’s 1974 Met Gala sheer gown, Rihanna’s 2014 CFDA diamond nude dress, Megan Fox’s 2021 sheer nude VMAs look and Megan The Stallion’s 2023 VMAs sheer black gown.
Early on, the sheer dress trend was considered immodest and inappropriate for its illusion of nudity. As the trend grew with Jane Birkin and Cher in the latter half of the century, the trend became bolder and exposed even more skin; now it’s back again.
THE SHEER CONTROVERSY BEHIND
TRANSPARENT
CLOTHING
SHEER CONTROVERSY BEHIND TRANSPARENT CLOTHING
However, as the trend comes back, so does the controversy. Some find the trend impractical or inappropriate. According to Harper's Bazaar, Florence Pugh received a lot of backlash for the naked hot pink gown she wore at the Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023 show. Pugh responded, “Unfortunately, we’ve become so terrified of the human body that we can’t even look at my two little cute nipples behind fabric in a way that isn’t sexual,” emphasizing that women’s bodies exist beyond sexualizing them.
It begs the question of why there is controversy surrounding sheer clothing, and what does it reveal about how society sees women’s bodies? Sheer clothing is certainly controversial, but it might just signal a revolution of women embracing their bodies without being sexualized.
By: Avery Martin
As time moves forward, the fashion world continues diving into the past, bringing back a swimwear trend that most of us thought had seen its final days: the tankini. Its resurgence represents something bigger than a fleeting preference for a mid-2000s staple. The tankini signifies a larger phenomenon that is rapidly reshaping the landscape of fashion; The nostalgia trend cycle.
Once a staple of early 2000s swimwear, the tankini is making waves again as one of the most highly debated trends for summer 2024. The conversation—happening largely on TikTok— consists of both disgust: “I am speechless that tankinis are the trend for summer 24! My mom forced me to wear that sh*t when I was little,” and enthusiastic support of the trend: “I am 100% behind this Tankini summer!” Regardless of which side you’re on, it’s clear the tankini revival is a communal journey down memory lane, evoking strong reactions and personal memories for Gen Zers and millennials.
Nostalgia’s presence in fashion is not new, but the speed at which we revisit recent trends is. What used to be a generational loop is becoming increasingly compressed. The re-emergence of “Tumblrcore” and “2014-core” points to a longing for the aesthetics of the 2010s—a mere decade ago. This shrinking nostalgia loop—where fashion from the recent past quickly regains popularity—highlights how the digital age has influenced our relationship with time, and trends.
There are a few reasons for this trend-loop acceleration. Digital platforms and social media give us an ever-present archive of the past, making it easier to access and revive previous trends. Nostalgia's appeal lies in its ability to provide comfort and familiarity—particularly during times of uncertainty. Gen Z is collectively the most nostalgic with 15% stating they’d rather think about the past than the future, followed by 14% of Millenials.
FLASHBACK FASHION: TANKINIS NOSTALGIA TREND
FLASHBACK FASHION: TANKINIS & NOSTALGIA CYCLES
With an increasingly polarizing political climate, the ongoing challenges presented to us by the global pandemic, education disruptions, and a grim job market, many young people have found themselves longing for the perceived simplicity and security of the past. This yearning isn’t just a desire for comfort; it’s a complex reaction to a world that to many seems uncertain and fearful. In these tumultuous times, fashion goes beyond fabric—transforming into a representation of our generation’s tendency towards escapism. The revival of the tankini is emblematic of a collective coping mechanism—a way to physically wrap ourselves up in the familiar feeling of years past.
As we embrace the return of the tankini and watch the nostalgia loop tighten further, it’s worth wondering what this means for the future of fashion. Are we moving towards a cycle where no trend ever truly dies, or will this increasing speed of change prompt a longing for something entirely new? For now, the tankini serves as a perfect symbol of our complex relationship with the past, present, and future of fashion.
By: Sarah Erickson
With Love,
Emilia Bracey
Claire Oberle
VP of Design Cassidy Kim
VP of Editorial Gretchen Betz
VP of Communications Remy LeMaire
Editors
Monica Esquivel
Paige Shea
Hali Mecklin
Staff Writers
Antonia Brooks
Samantha Lee
Lyla Bhalla-Ladd
Jenny Kim
Dalal Daher
Julia Ho
Trend Researchers
Sarah Erickson
Lizzie Lee
Avery Martin
Financial Analyst
Julia Black
Designers
Rida Aijaz
Lola Hugas
2024
