Is fashion a language?
Words by Emilia Sogaard
With bi-annual fashion weeks held around the world, the presence of fashion is everywhere. I am interested in fashion’s power in society, and how we use it as a form of communication. Is it a step too far to call it a language?
To begin answering this question of fashion being a language we first need to define what fashion is. Taking part in a course on the history of textiles over summer, one my lecturers introduced to me the importance of differentiating between the words dress, clothing, costume and fashion. Dress was defined as supplements to the body and body modifications; clothing as the dominant form of dress in the West; costume as a specific outfit for a performance (generally not permanent), and fashion as the conventional and popular way of dressing.
Recent articles from Dazed, a lifestyle magazine, September 2023.
The term dress was deemed the most neutral. Textile historians, fashion critics, art historians and sociologists can define these terms differently. But, if we understand fashion as a popular form of clothing and method of adorning the body, it is clear that it is directly linked to society. Thinking about how fashion engages with society is how I would go about beginning to understand whether fashion can be described as a language. Anthropologist Grant McCracken writes of fashion being a set of codes which are chosen specifically to be understood by other members of society. Therefore, fashion functions with a desire to be understood. While it is an independent choice it is done by the individual with a desire to be interpreted by others. The individual selects a specific fashion to represent and be understood by other members of their society.
So, we could say that fashion is a signifier. It signifies a certain identity, perhaps a certain social position or maybe even more, providing an insight into ones’ character. When we see an outfit and make an assumption, we do this without the presence of speech or interaction. It is an opinion or judgment and decision made purely from visual cues. So, somebody’s fashion has the ability to speak to a viewer in order for them to come to a conclusion about the wearer before even speaking.
Fashion designer Alexa Chung’s Instagram, 2023.
We follow countless Instagram accounts of fashion photographers, magazines detailing what people have been recently wearing. How is it we use these images of fashion emanating from all over the world to communicate? Does it help us to feel connected if we have seen, and then perhaps later copy, these styles? Does fashion allow a non-direct communication between societies across the globe?
What are people wearing today Instagram account, August 2023.
These accounts documenting and opening up conversations on ‘what people are wearing’ today in different cities show how we look excitedly and with interest to other cities for inspiration, as well as highlighting the temporality of fashion.
But it is not only in Western society that this form of fashion communication across social media is occurring. It is a truly trans-continental phenomenon with societies across the globe looking abroad for fashion ideas. A study I came across which particularly interested me was Adeline Masquelier’s article, “Forging connections, performing distinctions: Youth, dress, and consumption in Niger”. She looked into how the young population in the Dogondoutchi town in Niger, who straying from their traditional Muslim dress, follow the style of what she describes as ‘chic ghetto’; labelling them as ‘branchés’. I understand style as a way of dressing, specifically the choice to dress in such a way as to express oneself, which largely follows Dick Hebdige’s definition of “style as intentional communication”.
This young male population select branded textiles, which Masquelier describes as speaking U.S. or European, to give the impression of possessing a level of economic success to the rest of the population, in particular women they want to attract. Their wearing of specific brands promotes a globalised self. For the branchés their fashion acts as a form of language, as it speaks of their socio-economic mobility and helps create an identity for their place in society. Their clothing, often swapped with friends in the same social position, is part of how they believe they will attract a future partner. Here, their following of a certain set of rules about fashion helps communicate their economic security and attitude as an individual to possible partners.
But, to what extent can the language of fashion be truly universal? The term fashion was coined in the 14th Century in Europe and so the linguistic heritage of the term should not go unrecognised. However, the lack of letters and sounds in fashion could mean it is a language understood by all. Fashion shows happen worldwide, it is not only London, Paris, Milan, New York as the four fashion powerhouses but also Asia, Arab, Cairo and Senegal Fashion Week to name only a few. I am interested to know how we can use the word fashion and the concept of popular dressing as a way to understand others.
Guardian fashion articles, autumn 2023.
On social media there are countless accounts of fashion designers and fashion influencers commenting on current trends. Street style and fashion photography are everywhere. It is not just fashion-centred magazines that comment on fashion, broadsheets like the Guardian also have fashion sections. Fashion journalism is part of fashion communication, wherever it comes from, on newspapers like the Guardian or Instagram accounts talking about latest crazy shoe trends. The fact that we read so much into fashion shows that it is a powerful tool for communication, even if it isn’t a language.
Comments on a current fashion trend, August 2023.
