Individuality through fashion

Aili Forster, Staff Writer

The word “basic” has always had a negative connotation; it is often used to describe fashion styles that are too “mainstream”, and therefore boring. While fashion has been widely accepted as an art form used to express oneself, dressing “basic” is still looked down upon. But whether someone’s style is considered “basic” or unique should not matter, as long as the style is comfortable and unique to the person. 

While in the past, eclectic clothing styles were looked down upon, over the past decades, “weird” styles have started to become widely accepted and celebrated. Especially on TikTok, where there are countless communities that share fashion videos under certain aesthetics like goth, grunge, “fairy-core” or “cottage-core”. Now however, the criticism of these communities have shifted to the people who dress in more mainstream or trending styles and brands. 

This goes along with the recently popular term of “gatekeeping” which is used to describe when somebody does not share, or “gate-keeps” something. Most of the time this is done so as to elevate themselves above others and to feel superior for knowing or having something other don’t. This need to be “different” and not mainstream is prevalent in music and film, and mostly any topic by now. 

It is inevitable that this would also eventually reach the fashion world. When fast fashion brands like Brandy Melville and Urban Outfitter’s took over the mainstream fashion industry, people naturally started to dress very similarly, eventually making these brands and styles “basic”. Because of people’s natural desire to not want to fit in, these “basic” styles were also eventually rejected and replaced by thrifting and vintage shopping. However, since these fast fashion brands quickly catch on to trends, by the time that vintage fashion and thrifting became popular, mainstream brands had already started producing “vintage” looking clothing. 

This cycle makes it nearly impossible and pointless to try to always dress unique, as most popular styles are eventually adapted by major fashion brands. Dressing “basic” or unique is unimportant to fashion, and whether somebody chooses to follow trends and dress mainstream or dresses in all vintage, quirky clothing, is meaningless.