In World 22, an unlikely new fashion movement has sprung from a politically radical faction of Extinction Rebellion. These teens and young adults have sworn off all excess consumerism, especially fast fashion. Becoming famous after amassing huge TikTok and Instagram followings, they have become most well known for wearing their parents’ clothes.
Marc Jacob’s newest collection featured models wearing items from his Mother’s wardrobe, and Lady Gaga recently wore her mother’s dress on a red carpet. The movement’s leaders have become outspoken activists and fashion icons. Recent polls showed the majority of teens would rather raid their parents’ wardrobe than shop new.
What if …
activists became unlikely fashion icons by wearing their parents’ clothing?
Issue targeted:
the sometimes problematic flow of fashion trends from the authentic to the profiteering
Inspiration:
my own teenage years where I would steal my Mum’s clothes from the 80s and 90s!
This World was contributed by Charlie Millar (located in Nottingham, UK) using a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence which allows others to share and adapt the work in any medium and for any purpose, providing that they credit the author and share their material using the same Creative Commons licence.
Response to World 22
This example has two years, but seems so close to your world, it is Lily Rose Depp wearing the clothes of her mother, Vanessa Paradis. It talks first of Vanessa Paradis keeping her clothes in good state for more than fifteen years, and then of Lily Rose wearing them as something totally cool, no matter if they are “old” or if they are of her mother, she wears them especially for those reasons. As they are both iconic and also fashion ambassadors, its an example of how it can be shared and become a common practice.
– Ileana Jalil Kentros
Does this World remind you of something?
I am keen to hear about any historical or contemporary real-world examples – whether individual practices, subcultures or mainstream activities – that this fiction brings to mind.
Please share any such examples using this form. Thank you!