Fashion development: from 1990s minimalism to sustainable fashion

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Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, Ukraine

Faculty of Design

Department of Philology and Translation

Fashion development: from 1990s minimalism to sustainable fashion

Minasian M., student

Gudkova N., PhD in Philol., Ass. Prof.

Summary

The article analyses the significant period of fashion development. The focus is on the period of the 1990s which was affected by the economic crisis making fashion more democratic. The study clarified the features of fashion of that period. The phenomenon of minimalism as the dominant feature of fashion of the 90s has been studied through the clothing brands of prominent designers Jil Sander, Helmut Lang and Martin Margiela. It is proved that the fashion of minimalism developed into the sustainable fashion as a current minimalist trend.

Keywords: fashion development, designers, clothing brands, minimalism, sustainability.

Анотація

Мінасян М., Гудкова Н. Розвиток моди: від мінімалізму 1990-х до стійкої моди

У статті аналізується значний період розвитку моди. У центрі уваги - період 1990-х років, на який вплинула економічна криза, яка зробила моду більш демократичною. Дослідження з'ясувало особливості моди того періоду. Феномен мінімалізму як домінантної риси моди 90-х років вивчався через бренди одягу видатних дизайнерів Jil Sander, Helmut Lang і Martin Margiela. Доведено, що мода на мінімалізм переросла в стійку моду як сучасну мінімалістичну тенденцію.

Ключові слова: розвиток моди, дизайнери, бренди одягу, мінімалізм, екологічність.

The economic crisis of the beginning of the 1990s affected fashion no less than previous crises, making it even more democratic. It is increasingly being said following Jean Cocteau that fashion is what goes out of fashion [1] as street clothes are less and less reminiscent of models on the catwalks, and the mass consumer prefers comfortable T-shirts, shorts and sneakers. In the '90s of the XX century minimalism became fashionable. One of the reasons is considered to be the crisis due to the Gulf War. This has led to a decline in consumption, which has become a new trend, calling for the abandonment of luxury. Even celebrities wore simple clothes, did careless hair, and used minimal makeup. Among Hollywood stars there are fans of minimalism such as Gwyneth Paltrow known as Miss Minimalism, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston and others.

On the other hand, among T-shirts a huge variety of colours and paints began to be traced. T-shirts with heroes of movies, cartoons, and also various musical groups became fashionable. T-shirts with Disney cartoons were the most popular, and in the late '90s T-shirts based on the movie «Titanic» became very popular [2]. The most popular shirts in the '90s were flannel checkered and denim, worn by both men and women. The most popular jeans in the '90s were jeans from the company «Mawin», which are not very inferior in quality to well-known brands, but were much cheaper. To stand out among their peers, jeans were often boiled, specially cut and rubbed. High-waisted jeans were popular, although they didn't seem very comfortable. In the mid-'90s, you could see a girl in leggings on the street at almost every turn. Almost everyone had black leggings. But bright-coloured leggings were considered a special chic: pink, blue, green, red and even yellow. In the 90s long skirts began to gradually shorten and became mini-skirts. More precisely, mini-skirts have become commonplace. Leather, denim skirts and elastic skirts were considered fashionable. Short shorts have also become popular. Sweaters with wide shoulders, which were usually quite colorful and knitted, were considered fashionable and stylish in the 90s.

Many of them looked like bags to you, but it was fashionable. Even girls wore such sweaters. The most recognizable were «Boys» sweaters and deer sweaters. In the early '90s sports suits were especially popular among the male population. As a rule, these costumes were bright and were used not only for classes in the gym, but also for walks. It was comfortable in sports suits, and this is the most important thing. «Adidas» and «Reebok» suits were especially appreciated.

In this time minimalism was extremely popular. The motto of the minimalism was «Less is more» [3]. Designers refused from too many details, the apologists of minimalism relied on the clarity of silhouettes and lines of cut, high quality materials and virtuosity of products. There were no decorative lines, frills and other types of decorative trim in minimalist clothing models, and there will never be. Even zippers and tone-on-tone buttons were being replaced by a secret clasp. economic crisis democratic fashion minimalism

A significant feature of minimalist clothing style is monochrome. In the '90s a restrained range of achromatic colors and shades of ecological tones such as beige, brown, grey-blue were presented. Minimalism had become the basis of office fashion, because the strictness of the suit and conciseness of the decor was the main requirements of the business dress code.

The apologists for the style of minimalism in the early '90s of the twentieth century were a German designer Jil Sander and an Austrian designer Helmut Lang, who made minimalism the basis of their creative credo. Helmut Lang came up with the idea of creating the most common type of urban clothing. A trouser suit combined with a white T-shirt instead of a blouse or shirt as a main technique had become a trademark of the designer. In the 90s, minimalism was perceived as an avant-garde trend in costume, later becoming one of the most popular styles.

As far as minimalism has become the single signifier of luxury aiming at minimizing the shame of consumption [4], nowadays, there are the proponents of the concept of minimalism, in addition to Jil Sander and Helmut Lang brands. They are Calvin Klein, DKNY, Peter Jensen, Cerruti, Maison Martin Margiela, Acne, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Costume National, Henrik Vibskov.

Jill Sander showed the world that there could be an alternative to the power of the women of the 1980s and that it is not necessary to aggressively demonstrate your sexuality and your power to look modern and confident. It is not necessary to cover and emphasize everything to look fashionable. What is more, she proved that just neat pencil cases, white shirts and sleek straight coats create the most stunning modern image. She proved that it is enough to wear black, grey, white and beige to feel absolutely appropriate and confident anywhere. She demonstrated a fashionable principle which means subtraction, not addition. At the heart of her clothes there was a completely feminist idea that a woman dresses for herself, not for a man. And if she is comfortable in things, it gives her confidence much more noticeable than any rich decor. Jil Sander was on the top in the '90s when there was the era of the victory of feminism. Wearing her things in the '90s was a real statement.

Jil Sander's trouser suit immediately showed the world all the progressiveness, and one of them was enough to state your principles and beliefs. The purpose in this case was to make not just conceptual, but ideologically conceptual clothing. Jil Sander's main goal was to create such clothes that would emphasize the very essence of human, without paying attention to the decor. Romantic uniformity, comfort and sophistication were embedded into the aesthetics of the brand. It is well-known that «onion look» from Jil Sander is called multi-layered style in the current interpretation. It caused a real stir among business ladies. The wardrobes of confident women were quickly filled with cloaks, tweed and trouser suits in the traditional interpretation of «nothing extra».

Helmut Lang embodied the true spirit of minimalism in his clothing collection which offered restrained colors, concise style, natural fabrics. This worked well, because people, supersaturated with abundance and excessive consumption, sought to choose long-lasting and universal things. Paradoxically, but sometimes simplicity was complemented by luxury items: expensive jewelers, chic bags, faux fur, etc. He gave young people layered white cotton sweaters, feminine men's trousers, perfectly sleek vests, Crombie coats and many other unique items. When you came out in one of these black Helmut Lang costumes, everyone would turn around and pay attention. You could go through serious companies while secretly laughing at yourself. Helmut Lang secretly encrypted the image of seat belts, bags, bras and rubber in his clothes. Over time, he steadily and gradually cultivated his unique style. In the 90s, young people who spent their childhood as punks and ravers, wearing T-shirts, jeans, sneakers and parkas, reached the age of professionals and became artists, actors, stylists, photographers, directors, designers, entrepreneurs. Prior to Helmut Lang, they paid no attention to traditional fashion because it had nothing to offer them. But Lang was able to change that. Androgynous trousers, simple and at the same time perfectly tailored jackets with T-shirts, exquisitely sophisticated jackets and raincoats, clearly inspired by the wardrobe of their fathers' time.

Collection after collection Helmut Lang gradually rebuilt the basic wardrobe. Thanks to him, avant-garde fashion had ceased to be something that could be worn only on special occasions. It was a new stage of minimalism. As his potential customers began to attend elegant restaurants, cocktail parties, awards ceremonies and the Met Ball, he designed camel wool jackets, creamy alpaca liners, satin sandwich dresses and gold-tipped heels for such occasions. He used materials that no one had used before, he was not afraid to use what others do not even think to use in their work. Helmut combined expensive denim with cheap sweaters, showed off shabby things, inspired the military, and experimented with familiar silhouettes. Once in America, the designer first began to protest against the local fashion protocol, abandoning the mandatory seasonal schedule and combining women's and men's collections, which was shocking at the time. In 1998, he completely ignored the typical show, presenting the collection online for the first time in history and sending fashion critics CDs with his fashion shows. Thanks to him, avant-garde fashion had ceased to be something that could be worn only on special occasions.

Long before it became a reality, in the 1990s Martin Margiela was breaking the usual proportions, mixing genres, sewing clothes from secondary materials, bringing non-professional models to the podium, and turning the shows into spectacular art performances. In fact, the work of the legendary Belgian has largely determined the face of today's fashion. As a staunch supporter of anonymity, Martin Margiela is often referred to as Banksy from the world of fashion: the figure of the designer has always been surrounded by a halo of mystery [5]. The designer stated, that it didn't matter how he looked, because he believed that his work spoke for itself. For this reason, he completely refused to be photographed or bow at the end of the show. And he gave interviews exclusively by fax, using «we» instead of «I» as a pronoun. In this way, Martin Margiela emphasized that his clothing was first and foremost the product of teamwork, not one person.

The idea of anonymity was reflected in his work. The faces of the models at the shows were most regularly hidden with the help of various means: masks, makeup or hair. In his attempts to break the established tailoring traditions and get to the heart of things, the designer constantly experimented with the cut: disassembled clothes and collected new ones, turned inside out, then inflated to incredible volumes, then, conversely, made two-dimensional. Some things were transformers in such a way that they could be worn in several ways. The interesting fact is that the «Barbie» Autumn/Winter 1994 collection introduced the concept of «Replica» [6]. The principle is to reproduce and increase doll clothes on a human scale. Since 1994, clothing and accessories collected around the world continue to be reproduced and integrated into seasonal collections in accordance with the Replica concept.

The designer showed no less ingenuity in the design. For example, he easily turned a sequin cloth into a print, and with the help of sequins he created the illusion of a carpet ornament. At one of the shows, he even used jewelers with pieces of colored ice that melted right during the show, leaving bizarre stains on his clothes. The Belgian's work has always gone beyond traditional notions of clothing. He could easily sew a suit dress or a suit of several shirts. And in his quest to expand the boundaries of the habitual, he went even further. That's how canonical things like a sweater made of sports socks, a top made of fan scarves and a vest made of baseball gloves appeared. Unusual materials such as fragments of old plates or playing cards were even used. He found most of the samples himself at flea markets and ruins. And although the concept of sustainable fashion and the trend for recycling was still far away, it can be argued that Martin Margiela was one of the first designers to use secondary materials in his collections. One of the designer's business cards was a label in the form of a white piece of rectangular fabric, sewn to the clothes with diagonal stitches at the corners so that they could be seen from the outside. Remaining true to the concept of anonymity, Margiela refused to use her name. Over time, a set of numbers appeared on an empty label, where one of them was always circled according to the product line. Thus, 0 was used to denote the couture line Artisanal; 1 and 4 stood for different parts of the women's collection; 10 indicated male; 3 stood for perfume; 8 was used to denote points; 11 stood for accessories; 13 indicated objects for the house; 22 was used for shoes. There are 23 in total, but not all have the appropriate lines. Apparently, it is worth considering this as a setback for the future [7].

We can conclude that the 90s were a great impetus for the development of the fashion industry around the world. At that time there were designers in the fashion industry who founded a new look at fashion as a phenomenon. Prominent designers were inspired by the avant-garde, deconstructivism, architecture, nature and man. They did something completely new for that time, thus creating the fashion of future - the fashion of minimalism and sustainability. Comfort, freedom and dynamism are the main values for consumers of the fashion industry of the 90s. Minimalism is a faint sign of the style of clothing of the nineties, but its features were found in products. This was due to the fact that people quickly got tired of redundancy, feeling the need for restraint, manifested in the simplicity of cuts, moderation of shades, lack of details, complex solutions. By the end of the 90s, people deliberately gave up flashy accessories, multi-layered, acid colours. But the redundancy manifested itself here as well: the minimalism of the '90s turned into unisex, which then, in one and a half to two decades, will turn into androgyny.

References

1. Lloyd, J. & Mitchinson, J. (2009). If Ignorance Is Bliss, Why Aren't There More Happy People? Smart Quotes for Dumb Times. Crown.

2. Matsen, B. (2008). Titanic's Last Secrets: The Further Adventures of Shadow Divers John Chatterton and Richie Kohler. Hachette: UK.

3. Walker, H. (2011). Less is More: Minimalism in Fashion. Merrell.

4. Berry, J. (2018). House of Fashion: Haute Couture and the Modern Interior. Bloomsbury Publishing.

5. Bradshaw, P. (2020). Martin Margiela: In His Own Words review - portrait of the couture Banksy. The Guardian.

6. Fashion Dictionary. Maison Margiela. (2012).

7. Petican, L., Esseghaier, M., Nurse, A. & Eluwawalage, D. (2019). Trending Now: New Developments in Fashion Studies. BRILL.

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