Fashion Trends and Its Impact on Society (2024)

Shubham Anil Jain
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited
Bangalore, India
Email: shubhamajain125@gmail.com

Introduction
It is universal fact that, fashion trends come and go; in a same time society’s values are developed and evolving characteristic to their beliefs and culture. When the fashion is concerned, it is not just an ambitious projected image of are interpreted good old value to fulfill some of the objectives or agenda alike but rather a expressive and refreshing concept worthy enough to be showcased for society’s appreciation that makes us even more instinctive. In the society, the individual’s presence is the ticket to transmit non verbal communication signals such as possible cues about his / her social stature, values and lifestyle. It is seen that, the success of the fashion trend lies in the way the society interprets the fashion trend and judges it.

What are Fashion Trends?

1. Fashion trends are particularly considered as the popular styles of clothing and accessories for a particular period of time.
2. Some of the micro trends such as tiny sunglasses and high-waisted denim cycle in and out of fashion within a few months up to a few years. But when the macro trends are considered, they change over a longer period of time and have more to do with lifestyle and demographic changes than the latest fashion designs.
3. It is simply a fashion style or creatively designed dress, jewellery, footwear, handbag, etc., that is popular at a particular time. Most people (especially of the younger generation) are crazy about the fashion trend.
4. However, as it influences peoples at mass level and society as whole, it has some influence on society, which could be positive as well as negative.

Impact on Society:
In today’s scenario, we can argue whether or not the fashion trends has more of a positive or negative aspects on people, regardless it is clear that the apparel industry has grown to become very popular and influential. Society is a mixture of the population including infants, small kids, teens, adults, working population, and retired people. There are different categories including various level of population and their mentality, so the influence or impact of the trends will accordingly vary from category to category, group to group, and individual to individual. Fashion is always rapidly changing for a reason. The age period, where the impact of anything is at peak is between 10 to 24 because at this age individual don’t develop to use our mind and differentiate between what is actually good and bad. According to a research more than half 55% of the urban youth in India keeps a close track of latest trends of lifestyle, clothing etc. As there are two sides of coin, in the same way there can be positive as well as negative impact of fashion trends on society. Some impacts are given below:

Positive Impact:

1. Because of the changing fashion trends, it leads to healthy and competitive environment that inspires the next generation of fashion designers and other related professionals to work hard and create meaningful and creative new designs.
2. It leads to creation of new ideas, designs and trendy looks, as well as apparel industry gives chance to designers to express their talent.
3. It creates new employment opportunities for many upcoming students (of fashion studies).
4. There are enormous opportunities in apparel sector. The possibilities are truly endless. The new fashion emerge and gives a fashionable look to any ordinary man, which give him or her confidence to perform efficiently, especially in an interview.
5. People stay fashionable and stylish to attract the opposite sex to get noticed by someone they like. With the help of fashion you can look the part and get acknowledge.
6. The world is huge, filled with many diversity and cultures. Fashion and apparels is like one language that everyone can understand. It connects people internationally because fashion travels from one city to the next.
7. The new fashion trend makes even an ordinary person into a special person. It gives an identity to the wearer, and creates an image in front of other people.
8. And the last but not the least, it is an opportunity to merge different cultures and traditions.

Negative Impact:

1. Due to excessive orientation towards the new fashion trends, traditional design and associated culture are affected and being lost.
2. Today’s generation is bending towards western culture and forgetting Indian culture and ethnics. The new fashion trends, especially influenced by western culture and Bollywood movies, create nuisance in young generations’ minds and, as a result of this, many of them indulge in unsocial activities.
3. Many people not only follow the latest trends and styles but also believe and emulate the images of sticky skinny that are projected by fashion industry.
4. Such new fashion trends also affect the psychology of younger generations, and hence, if they do not get it, then it badly affects their minds and (likely) they become victims of psychological disorders such as eating disorders, mental illness, stress, etc.
5. The attractive ads of the apparels and new trends on social media, telling what’s hot and what’s not engulfs the teens.
6. The global scenario in the economic aspects is yet another factor that has altered Indian Fashion.

Conclusion:
The main objective was just to understand how the fashion trends can affect the society. The enormous changes in trends were seen from centuries but still our ancestors kept the Indian treasure alive even after the emergence of Britishers. But now the new fashion trends and the western culture influence are more effectual which is not only changing the fashion but also the minds of generations. While Indian youth was adopting western trends, the West was getting highly influenced by Indian culture and practices. Today’s society is highly motivated to get modern but that doesn’t mean you go western. Today fashion is all about change, price, brand, confidence and position.

References:

1. Fashion Trends and Its Impact on Society, Fashion Studies Fashion & Styles, https://www.tutorix.com/fashion-studies/fashion-trends-and-its-impact-on-society
2. Fashion Trends And Its Impact On Society: A Case Study On Apparel Trends Of Indian Society, by Barkha Ravi Shende
3. McClaud , P (2013) Past and Present Trends in Fashion Technology. Chandigarh: Abhishek Publications.
4. Vagasi-Kovacs , A,.(2012). Fashion Trend Revival – Fashionable cultural heritage.
5. Fashion Trend Forecasting: How Brands Predict New Styles Written by MasterClass, Jun 7, 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/fashion-trend-forecasting-guide#3cKGE8Po8zonuLltGOxPLx

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