Today it is the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War and we should all be pondering about the terrible consequences of wars. It may be too superficial talking about fashion on such a day, but it is still worth remembering how World War II generated a new language of fashion that we still speak in our times.
Among the best examples we have the trench and duffel coats, originally created for soldiers during the First World War, but still in fashion today, slightly altered for smart civilians and modern urban dwellers. Streetwear is not immune to the military influence if you think about bomber jackets, shoes and sneakers inspired by military boots or field jackets ripped apart and radically reinvented, maybe bought from vintage shops and covered in badges or slogans to show the wearer's allegiance to a cause (while more radical wearer may customise them as tributes to partisans).
The semantics of war expanded during the decades transforming tactical into practical, generating in our times uniform-inspired garments, zippered looks that point at the garments of fierce aviators, protective gear, and even smart suits or dresses in dazzle camouflage (a pattern originally developed during the First World War).
Portable high-tech devices that we use everyday inspired outerwear with large pockets that call to mind fatigue jackets (and Schiaparelli's "Cash and Carry" collection...), while green and khaki, regular army colors, are always on trend.
Yet maybe the most striking inspiration is coming to us from rationing: the path towards sustainability is indeed prompting designers to look for new solutions and materials (think about Salvatore Ferragamo who started using raffia, lace, cork and even cellophane from sweet wrappers for his shoes rather than leather, sparking a trend) to readjust consumption and minimise waste. In the last few months we have seen menswear brands recycling nylon and wool, students coming up with collections made from repurposed and recycled clothes and brands and trying to find innovative ways to make more durable and sensible clothes.
Hopefully we will see more sustainable experiments during the next few weeks as the A/W 20-21 runways kick off, but, in the meantime, you can still get some inspirations from the "Make Do and Mend" pamphlets like the ones issued by the British Ministry of Information in the midst of WWII that gave readers suggestions about decorative patches to cover holes in garments, unpicking old jumpers to re-knit them and turning men's clothes into women's.
Comments