WINNER COMPETITION 1: REBEL REBEL by KIERA FINN-OLUONYE

Coco Chanel summed it up perfectly- “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” When we think of fashion, we think of dresses, shoes and purses; we think of Carrie Bradshaw complaining about spending all her money on a pair of Jimmy Choo’s -it’s undoubtedly why fashion gets written off as superficial and shallow. However for those of us who see the necessity in the multi- billion dollar industry, we emphasise the freedom of self and social expression that fashion allows us to have. Many will tell us, not to take something so superficial so seriously- but, alas, I just pity the ignorant. Because what they don’t realise is that fashion exists in all of them and their identity, and even more importantly in their beliefs and values. Fashion has always been a prevalent way to express a message to the masses- it’s just too bad most people don’t realise this.

The most recent example of this is perhaps Beyoncé’s Super Bowl costume. Designed by Zana Bayne, the singer and her back up dancers were dressed in custom-made leather harnesses- all also sporting afros and a black beret. This was a clear nod to the Black Panther Party- an organisation set up in America in the mid-60s, which protested against the oppression of black Americans. Unsurprisingly, due to the radical nature of the organisation, these costumes caused quite the controversy. However, regardless of your opinion on Beyoncé’s costume, the fact still remains that fashion offered the singer the chance of political expression- and it worked. Her performance, particularly Bayne’s harnesses, largely overshadowed both the game and the other performers at the half-time show.

There’s a reason why political undertones of conceptual fashion get spoken about a lot. Fashion is an art, a performance. No one made that clearer, than Kanye West at his NYFW show, where he debuted his Yeezy Season 3 collection. Notably, this collection was more colourful than his previous two- with warm autumnal plums, oranges and browns being matched up with lemon yellow and blue. Despite this, the rapper-turned-fashion designer, remained true to his aesthetic of oversized sweatshirts and hoodies, coupled with nude bodysuits and leggings. Many have perceived the performance, in which hundreds of models stood neutrally throughout the hour-long presentation, as revolution-esque. Whilst this take is yet to be confirmed by West himself, it is a valid one. The collection comes across as a subtle ‘fuck you’ to the norms of fashion- this is supported by the diversity of the models, who included Naomi Campbell dressed head-to-toe in black, as well as the use of street-cast models.

This rebellion demonstrated by West’s collection, is nothing new. In fact it has existed for as long as we can remember. The rise of Vivienne Westwood’s punk aesthetic into the mainstream, during the 70s was a pivotal moment in rebellious fashion. Westwood coupled 17th and 18th century cloth cutting principles, with safety pins, razor blades, and the BDSM inspired ‘look’ of the punk-era- creating, what can only be described as a visual representation of the rebellious anarchy that was the punk youth. More recently, the popularity of the heroin-chic movement, in the mid-90s, controversially subverted the norms of fashion. Out was the curvy and sexy image of Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista, replaced by the emaciated and waifish likes of Kate Moss and Jaime King. It was the perfect form of rebellion, for the 90s, grunge-obsessed youth who idolised the likes of Kurt Cobain and River Phoenix. It was their way of telling authority that they were not going to accept their rules and censorship. The late British fashion photographer Corinne Day said it herself- “We were poking fun at fashion.”

Fashion is constantly changing, the rules are continuously being subverted and rebelled against. That is what makes fashion the most socially-conscious industry out there. Fashion is more than a jumper or a dress- it is an art, an expression, a rebellion. And as Coco Chanel said, all those years before, it is “in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”