The culture we belong to, the norms that people around us live by, the choices of aesthetics that we have been seeing and perceiving since birth, and the evolution in the influence they have among the people and the world around us in turn influences how we think about certain fashion choices.
Globalisation has created an overload of exposure to different cultures and their fashion trends and ethnic fashion choices; hence, our taste in terms of fashion has altered vastly. This exposure to large-scale, diverse fashion stimulated a stream of fashion trends followed globally. Since people have an instinctive desire to fit in and to belong, they tend to conform to these new fashion norms. Everyone seems to follow the same trends and hence seems to possess the same fashion sense and style, since they don’t feel comfortable feeling like an outcast.
However, as individuals, everyone holds the desire to fit in yet to stand out.
The Consequence of Fast Fashion and Global Conformity
Feeling like they look the same as everyone else, with no element unique to them, makes them feel like a replica lacking individuality. Social media platforms like Pinterest have made certain trends pop up drastically, and hence, there seems to be a sense of conformity when it comes to fashion and clothing, worldwide.
Moreover, the rise of fast fashion and identical trendy clothing has made people realise the consequences that this convenient globalised fashion comes with. They are getting critical about mass-produced goods and the concerns about ethical production and sustainability they come with.
Paradoxically, it is due to globalisation that people are more inclined to hold onto their cultures and heritage as a source of belonging.
Globalisation has made us more disconnected from our identity than ever, and hence we all feel an urge to have something to hold onto in order to make our individuality hold meaning. This has made us more conscious about our fashion choices as political statements rather than trends to follow.
Reclaiming Cultural Pride Through Modern Aesthetics
As an attempt to reconcile and recover from this sense of loss of identity, people are trying to cope with this standardisation of fashion while still maintaining relevance in terms of modernity. They are now reclaiming their cultural pride through intentional fashion choices.
Designers are inculcating traditional fashion elements with modern ones in order to give them a contemporary touch while maintaining traditional cultural fashion. Such practices have resulted in a stream of modern fashion that reflects culture and heritage, and fashion choices which were once called outdated have made a comeback in a refined form. Hence, on the global stage, people from one nation get to practise their national identity and stand out among those from other nations, all while not abandoning modernity completely.
However, this has raised questions about whether this procedure of refinement neglects the preservation of traditional fashion practices — keeping their essence intact — or not. In order to maintain authenticity in this evolved traditional fashion, the extent to which modern fashion is being inculcated needs to be kept in mind.
Post-Colonial Recovery and Cultural Diplomacy
This comeback has made people feel a collective sense of belonging and nationalism as they feel more connected to their roots. People are regaining wonder for their cultural fashion due to this amalgamation. Post-colonial nations are recovering from the resentment towards their cultures and heritage that they had developed as a result of colonialism.
On the other hand, different cultures are being recognised and known for their unique fashion internationally. This has made clothing function as a form of cultural diplomacy, shifting global perception as different cultures are exposed to people all around the world in a way where they are witnessing, engaging with, and interpreting cultures based on their fashion.