The fashion industry has been one that has constantly changed and evolved to suit the growing changes in the evolution of the human lifestyle. It has also always incorporated the advancements that technology has made. Usually very specific to different regions of the globe, the fashion industry of recent times has seen an overall evolution across the globe…
Multipurpose Pieces
With everyone having access to a fashion piece, it is important for the fashion piece to be versatile. A skirt that can be worn as a dress, a dress that can be paired with shorts to be a top, a cardigan that can also be a cape or a cape that can also be worn as a blazer. Over 65 percent of people want to be able to wear the same piece multiple times, yet have it look different every time. Celebrities and influencers too are seen repurposing a previously worn outfit, either through accessories or by wearing the same piece with a twist to work it into a different look at together.
Technology and the constant need to push boundaries has made it possible for a single piece to transform into a different look or piece by adding simple features such as zippers, or a simple turn inside out concept. The growing need to be functional as well as to stand out has ensured that cuts, patterns and themes are experimented with by everyone in the fashion industry.
Gender Neutral
No more is fashion gender-specific. Pink is worn by both boys and well, as are ruffles and flowy pieces. In the 1970’s only a few specific colours and cuts were seen as gender-neutral, but the 21st century promises to see a much more indistinctive difference in colours, fabrics and cuts made for a specific gender. While it was conceived that women in men’s wear were strong, empowering personalities and men in women-specific colours were mocked, the current social situation is seen to be a lot more progressive. It does not make any distinction of what can be worn by whom rather it accepts everyone’s freedom to a personal sense when it comes to clothing and fashion.
As many as 45 percent of the new collections released by people in the fashion industry have seen the same colours and fabrics being used for both men’s and women’s wear. This does not mean that all aspects of fashion overlap for both genders and the final product for both may be very different, but it has definitely given space for a new gender-neutral line of fashion pieces and styles.
Personal Style
People have become much more expressive with their fashion sense and have started incorporating an artsy expression of their personal style in their looks and outfits. The norms of the past no longer apply to the whole fashion industry. The idea of not wearing a corset would have scandalized the people of the 18th century or showing anything more than your ankles would have left people outraged in the past. Fabrics that were previously seen as meant only for workers, have now become a must-have in every wardrobe, with the jumpsuit making an, even more, classier comeback than the denim jeans. With the increase in the need to express them, at least 35 percent of students make slight alterations to their uniforms to reflect their own unique fashion sense and personalities, a drastic change from the previous 1.75 percent. As many as 94 percent of fashion brands see personal style as a growing trend that they hope to monetize on in the current fashion scenario as well as in the future. 43% of purchases are made by consumers when they see their own personal style is reflected in the store display or website suggestions list.
People have become much more expressive with their fashion sense and have started incorporating an artsy expression of their personal style in their looks and outfits
Globally Fashionable
Travel is something everyone is spending on or saving for these days. And they intend to fit in or look on point when they travel, wherever they travel. The demand for pieces that t in while making them stand out on holidays has greatly increased. People want to able to use a single piece multiple times in multiple settings across the globe. They no longer shop for a specific holiday only, instead, they buy pieces they can use over a long duration across different parts and not stand out as an outsider in various cultures. Sarees have evolved to have a western touch, and gowns have gone on to include a traditional drape. Fashion no longer screams out loud the ethnicity of the wearer; instead, it shows just how diverse the wearer can be in different spaces and scenarios.
Comfort Wear
In the past, every function or venue or event as its own pre-decided dress code. But the lines between formal wear and casual wear have blurred in recent times, with people wearing jeans with a formal jacket for meetings and preferring a casual gown for a simple affair. People are picking casual easy to wear pieces that showcase their personal style over the traditional choices of outfits for different events and places. With over 25 percent of the workforce being given the freedom to wear casuals to office on an almost daily basis, the market for casual wear has drastically grown and can be seen as one of the biggest trends to hit the 21st-century fashion industry.
The fashion industry is one industry that is always evolving and altering itself to revive the past or break all barriers and be eccentric. It is an industry in which everyone needs to stand out to be noticed, and while following the masses is not something advisable in this industry, every once in a while a trend comes out that cannot be ignored by anyone.
