Yes, but what is anti-fashion?

by m

What does anti-fashion actually mean - both for alternative fashion and for society as a whole?

What is anti-fashion? For me, it's a phrase I found in some long-lost zine and thought sounded simply fascinating. Beyond that, anti-fashion seems to be a rather nebulous concept and one that I (thought) might be easier defined by first figuring out just what fashion is.

According to Wikipedia, fashion is "the styles and customs prevalent at a given time" But does one go against fashion in a world where there are literally thousands of trends and cultures and subcultures and fads, all communicated and shared over thousands of kilometers in just seconds? Anti-fashion might have been the opposing of the current custom once upon a time, but if anti-fashion survives today, the definition must have changed to adapt to the changing world.

Anti-fashion and the individual

According to more than one bibliography-lacking blog, fashion is what and how one wears to make one look stylish or glamorous. Does that mean anti-fashion is against looking nice? If GoogleImages is to be believed, the answer is no. A quick search for 'anti-fashion' pulled up many, many pictures of people dressed in a style that seemed distinctively 'punk'; many pictures of celebrity faux-pas and a few pictures of men and women modeling loose and asymmetrical shirts; screen-printed tigers and dark skirts; furry neck cuff things and crocheted leg warmers. but all the models also looked stylish and glamorous. Unusual, yes, but ugly? Not at all.

Among the definitions listed under 'fashion' in ever-reliable Webster's is "to fit, accommodate." 'Fashionable' was defined as 'following the current fashions'. A-ha. Here's something we can work with. If fashion is following, then anti-fashion is... Not following!

Anti-fashion and sweatshop fashion society

Like a 1997 project of WearMocked and ®TMark highlighted with their satirical 'Tommy Hitler' (as opposed to 'Tommy Hilfiger) t-shirts, "Good followers, it has been shown, make great Nazis when the right conditions prevail. Remember, the first Nazis were distinguished by the brown shirts they wore and Goering [the commander of Hitler's air force] wore khakis, too." One could argue that this statement is guilty of the logical fallacy type 'guilty by association' - Hitler was against smoking, too, but the American Cancer Society isn't a nest of Nazis - but even if the example is a bit exaggerated, WearMocked and ®TMark make an interesting point. The folks over at antifashionleague.com elaborate on that by making it clear they are against labels, designers and brand-names. So, the anti-fashion movement, or philosophy, advocates both freedom for the individual to wear whatever she or he wants and freedom for society from sweatshops, underpaid workers and the lack of information which results in consumers unwittingly supporting such practices.

Ironically-named Ms. Naomi Klein wrote a book on the latter viewpoint entitled No Logo , which, while not specifically advocating anti-fashion, is an excellent source of information about the latter topic.

But what if you really, really like the baby-doll dress/leggings/ballet flats thing that's been sweeping the world? Does liking a certain brand or following fashion make you a fascist? As far as I'm concerned, not at all. Go ahead and wear what you want, regardless over whether it's out or in. After all, from what I've seen, anti-fashion is about doing what you want, wearing what you want, and not giving a damn about what anyone else thinks.

Mookychick loves Politics:

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• Ann Coulter - Femine, Famous and Fascist
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