A HASHTAG OF CHANGE

Fashion, at its best, can allow men and women to express themselves through clothes. It allows people to reflect their own moods and can be a lot of fun too. Fashion — an essential medium for cultural expression and identity — acts as a language that communicates the values, beliefs, and traditions of different societies. The industry, as a whole, helps preserve and promote cultural heritage by incorporating traditional designs, techniques, and materials into modern clothing. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the fashion industry serves as a platform for cross-cultural exchange and understanding, fostering tolerance and appreciation for diversity, facilitating more in-depth research and study.

From women empowerment, climate change to creating awareness about animal cruelty-free products and addressing gender discrimination, designers aim to tell a fine story of compassion and empathy, focusing not simply on creating new products, but also on finding sustainable solutions, even searching for answers already existing in different contexts and cultures.

Style is always not just about looking good but has had an important role to play in society. From black dresses, streetwear and loungewear becoming symbols of resistance and change to wide-legged, loose pants symbolising freedom and equality from the shackles of constricting norms, fashion has seen it all.

Wearing bloomers was a rebellion against the oppressive norms that limited women’s freedom and mobility. By adopting this unconventional attire, women challenged the status quo and demanded social change. It was a bold move that made a lasting impact on gender equality.

In the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans used clothing to make a statement. By dressing in sharp suits and elegant dresses, they showed the world that they deserved respect. Later, traditional African clothing, like dashikis, became symbols of cultural pride and resistance. The dashiki became more than a garment; it was an emblem of cultural pride.

In more recent times, we saw the #MeToo movement gaining momentum. Celebrities donned black dresses at awards ceremonies, sending a powerful message of solidarity and raising awareness about gender inequality and abuse, empowering survivors to speak out. The #MeToo movement’s use of fashion as a form of protest led to policy changes, increased accountability and a greater focus on creating safe and inclusive spaces. The black dress became a symbol of unity and a visual declaration against sexual harassment.

Courtesy The Crown, it’s clear that Princess Diana’s ‘rebellious’ looks – while scandalous to the royal family – were merely ahead of their time.

Despite strict royal fashion guidelines, Diana constantly broke protocol by wearing form-fitting short dresses with plunging necklines and her shoulders exposed. In fact, some of her necklines were so low-cut that the princess would often place a purse over her cleavage, prompting her handbag designer, Anya Hindmarch, to deem them “cleavage bags”.

Diana also neglected to wear gloves at formal events, wore suits, donned black in public when not in mourning, and wore dramatic make-up and nail polish — all of which were fashion no-nos when it comes to the royals.

The princess was, once again, a fashion trailblazer; the women of the royal family are continuing Diana’s fashion legacy, particularly the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, who is often seen with her shoulders showing, wearing black dresses, and donning bold nail polish.

And how can we forget the princess’ iconic, ‘revenge dress’? Black, tight, plunging and with a lot of shoulder showing, this dress broke every royal rule in the best way possible.

The now-famous dress got its name as Diana donned the stunning number on the same night that Charles revealed he committed adultery with his now-wife Camilla. Her styles weren’t just about looking good; they were saying something important — they screamed for social progress.

Fashion is readily characterised as the poster industry of consumerist materialism; as frivolous, superficial and evanescent. It is shaped by the superfluity of mass production and unlimited consumption; an industry linked to abuses of workers’ rights and the creation of waste. And yet, it is also a space at the heart of contemporary culture, and one that provides employment, an opportunity for creativity, communication, personal pleasure and products that meet basic needs. What is interesting is the marriage of show and sustainability, usership and ownership.

Fashion design is probably the first career that comes to mind when people think about the industry. If design is your dream career, it is worth investing in a fashion school because it is there that you will learn about sketching, pattern making or garment development like nowhere else.

Programmes like accessories design, fabric styling, fashion merchandising management, illustration, international trade and marketing for the fashion industries, jewellery design, production management, technical design, textile development and marketing, textile/surface design are just a few of the innumerable skills that students can pick up while studying in a specialised university.

Opportunities galore in West Bengal with the passing of the Skill, Knowledge and Fashion University Bill, 2024 in the Assembly recently that will help to set up a university for the first time in the country that will offer a diverse range of specialised modern courses on skill development, fashion design, mass communication and animation thereby opening up manifold opportunities. The Techno India Group (TIG) is setting up the university in Siliguri’s Sukna and the institute is said to accommodate up to 10,000 students.

“Students will be able to pursue postgraduate and undergraduate programmes, diploma and certified programmes on skill development and would get jobs. We will try to ensure hands-on training so that they get internships in various industries. I hope that around 10,000 students will complete their respective courses each year and get jobs in various segments,” TIG Group’s founder and MD Satyam Roychowdhury added.

While the picture is bleak with a 63 per cent projected increase in global apparel consumption by 2030 sitting uneasily next to news of melting ice caps and species being driven to extinction — there is still hope. As a communication tool, fashion is so influential — we all have to put clothes on and that has power.

Creating visions of alternative worlds will lead to powerful, playful and highly subversive acts, the impact of which might seem inescapable but equally profound and pragmatic in the years to come.