What’s American fashion?
As simple as it may seem, answering such a question brings a series of interdisciplinary topics, all connected to each other. American fashion is the reflection of a multifaceted country, versatile in its people, backgrounds, and intentions. How are capitalism, consumerism, and classism depicted in American fashion?
This year’s Fashion Week in New York City showcased the future looks of 2022, with some vibrant emergent designers, reflective of a country and a society that values fresh content.
During New York Fashion Week, New York has seen brands like Theophilio, Telfar, Cise, and Kim Shui being much more popularized on social media, reaching more people and talents beyond the circle of the Big Apple, if not already beyond the USA. We’ve seen versatility, recognition, and professionalism, but the ceiling still seems a lot unreachable to many designers, talents, and fashion writers. How can we balance and value the entrances that many people and companies aspire to enter in this kind of space? What’s the legitimate way to break in? It all seems like a small circle, despite we’re seeing more opportunities and representation in front of our eyes. The amount of emergent small-medium designers and artists, as well journalists and media coverage from independent companies, has skyrocketed, but the possibilities to make all the voices heard and valued seem still scarce.
Embroided Dragon Boots by Kim Shui ($459)
It’s still a difficult question to answer. American fashion is Black fashion, AAPI fashion, is Caribbean fashion, is a conglomeration of flags, visuals, and mood-boards connected with political views. As a non-American person, an immigrant from Europe, American fashion should still do a better job in portraying the spectrum of identities the country is made of, with the same level of importance for each one of them.
America, a country that invites all. Is that what America is really about? Is American fashion both a symptom and reaction of the American way of consuming and accepting things?
