Fashion and Self-Expression in the 2020s

Fashion and Self-Expression in the 2020s

Self-expression is a beautiful thing, it’s how we communicate to the world our thoughts. We can express ourselves through verbalization, movement, written work, music, and art, but we can also express ourselves through fabrics. Fashion is a vital and constant part of our lives. It is a way for us to make loud and quiet statements of
who we are and how we want to be seen in the world around us. Every detail matters, from how we dress, to how we style our hair, fashion is the greatest form of self-expression. It is the most accessible way of self-expression as well and yet it is also the hardest. Finding how to express yourself in the age of constantly changing Tiktok and social media trends is not easy, but we must remember to choose clothes that help us radiate from within instead of basing our choices on the perception of others.

Expressing ourselves through fashion isn’t new. It has been a cultural trait for centuries in many different ethnicities and global communities throughout the world. What’s wonderful about fashion is that we get to role play and become time travelers and mini-historians. Now, not everyone cares about what they wear, but wearing clothes tells us what may be popular in this current moment which will later become a piece of history for people in the future to look back on. We have the gift to pull from any decade that we want and mix and match in a way that feels good to us.

We could wear 70s style bell bottoms and pair that with a deconstructed hem t-shirt from an emerging brand from the 2020s or we could wear a power suit with some ballet flats. It is up to us what we want to wear and how we want to express ourselves. The beauty of fashion is that it is always changing and evolving as so do we.

Clothes are an essential necessity, but we can also know through research what certain groups wore and how those clothing items became a representative symbol of their culture and later became popular pieces within mainstream culture. For example, Levi jeans were traditionally worn by miners and farmers, but became an American classic clothing item that represented teenage rebelliousness. A far cry from their original target consumers. Fashion can also go even deeper in self-expression by honouring a person’s faith and values such as turbans and other accessories that symbolize their customs and ways of life.

Now with that being said, not all of us are that attuned with fashion and fashion trends. We wear what we see that looks comfortable and helps us fit in. There’s nothing wrong with that either. That’s a projection of comfort and sturdiness. By wearing clothes that are in season or should I say, commonly trendy, you don’t stick out. By not sticking out, it may be easier to feel like you belong to the mainstream culture. This is a form of protection and safeguarding yourself from the criticisms in new settings such as a new job.

The 2020s have already been a decade of unpredictability and we’re only three years in. We are in an age of immense changes that seem to happen overnight, fashion is not excluded from these changes either. Skinny jeans that used to be common pants to wear in the 2010s seemed to be replaced by wide-length pants as soon as the new decade started.

The rise of social media apps like Tiktok have contributed to these changes. With these changes have come an increased accessibility and knowledge of clothing trends that we have never seen before. What was once something you read in a monthly magazine can be seen at your fingertips in the blink of an eye. You do not have to wait for Vogue to tell you about how athleisure or tech-influenced fashion is “in”, you can simply follow TikTok, Pinterest or Instagram pages that have extensive and detailed archives and descriptions.

Apps like TikTok are rivalling Google now and have over one billion worldwide users and counting. It has become a powerful platform that has enabled fashion influencers to push boundaries of fashion and also get noticed by a global audience. The everyday consumer has now become a global model in their bedroom by sharing their unique styles to millions.

That attention creates empowerment in the ecosystem of that app and enables others to try and express themselves with their fashion choices. The fashion industry has also paid attention to the shift. The fashion industry went from a place of dictating what trends will be seen in clothing to now observing the fashion trends that people wear and celebrate in their daily lives.

The 2020s has also seen a trend toward more inclusive clothing of different sizes and gender-neutral fashion. Clothes that were not made available to plus-sized people ten years ago are now being created and available to them to wear and express themselves instead of being forced to wear shapeless clothes from a generic department store selection. As well, the trend toward gender-neutral fashion has opened up the ability for individuality to be channeled without having to conform to traditional gender roles.
There has also been a resurgence of classic styles in the 2020s, such as the '90s preppy fashion in the form of brands such as Ralph Lauren. These fashion trends are popular with young people and older generations looking to recapture some of the nostalgia associated with their youth or what they may not have been able to afford in the past.

People, especially younger fashion consumers are more conscious of how their clothes are being made and are thinking of how to leave a smaller environmental footprint. This is all a reflection of their beliefs and what they want to express to the world on a larger scale. In this decade, we have seen another trend of sustainable fashion with brands opting for more eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton and organic leather and advocating for more environmentally-friendly delivery and safer production options.

We all have to wear clothes, so why not wear clothes that bear personal importance and connection to us. Our goals should always be true to ourselves and let our individuality blossom in every part of our lives which, of course includes our clothes.