Why Fashion to Flourish Needs a Strong Economic Middle Class
Before even writing this piece, I need to write down my ending thoughts: how can we make fashion good for the environment (not just neutral)?
Okay, back to the topic. Yes, it’s true:
Fashion Lesson 004: For fashion to flourish, it needs a strong economic middle class.
It’s really quite simple (although data is also available): the more power a person has, the more options for identities/fashions. This makes the industry thrive: creatively and financially.
With a strong economic middle class, it may take a generation to see fashion flourishing in full capacity — but it will be on the upwards climb. For example, after WW2 the US was doing much better economically, and continued to grow. The middle class boom continued into the sixties, and young people had more opportunities than ever before. It was at this time that a creative and economic record was hit in the fashion industry.
People themselves were creating new trends (the mini skirt, nostalgic-hippie styles, etc.) at tailors to DIY. For the first time, they influenced up into design houses. Don’t feel bad for the design houses “creatively” though — the ones who leaned into creative heights were the likes of Paco Rabanne and André Courrèges. They went to space in fashion. They simplified dress. They started trends. They could push.
How about a modern example?
Today, Dubai is known as a city at the forefront of globalization. Its local population has one of the largest and wealthiest middle classes in the world. Fashion is currently economically and creatively thriving. In the past three years, abaya and kandora fashion trends have: added color, executed faster silhouette cycles, and incorporated new materials. These new variances that reflect new identities. In a study on how globalization is affecting traditional emirati clothes (2022), young Emiratis express how new clothing styles have created space for expressing different identity experiences. It was even indicated how these changes have influenced marriage criteria, as styles may reveal a person’s perspective, background, direction, etc.
To draw an even further comparison between today’s middle class golden age in America’s sixties and today in Dubai, the ruler of Dubai (His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid) wore a bold space blue color kandora during the country’s first exploration to space: Mars. The kandora has traditionally remained white. Colors have continued to increase in popularity for men and women. This space blue color choice indicates an entrance into a new era, and an accepted new look to move Emiratis forward.
Fashion thrives when the middle class is strong.
At this moment — I revisit my first sentence to this piece. Who can the environment afford to have fashion access? Or better yet, how can we make fashion good for the environment (so she can afford us all)?