Fashion is different from clothes! Fashion is a cultural expression and clothes are functionality

Fashion is a cultural expression involved in art, historical and social context, realities, designers, industry and political relations, based on the cycles of fashion history. Clothes and famous «looks of the day» are inserted in the final result of fashion narratives.

Clothing needs to be functional, after all, have you ever imagined a world without clothing? Or even without the textile industry? The fashion industry is present in several (or almost all) sectors, but the basis and what makes fashion fashionable is a relationship that goes beyond everyday life.

One example: the period of crises! Humanity has experienced many times of war, political conflicts, financial crises and much more. And to highlight and contextualize the importance of knowing the history of fashion, during the First World War there was a need for a piece and design that would take on the function of protecting the military. So, Thomas Burberry, founder of the Burberry brand, created the current favorite of influencers and fashionistas, the trench coat. The iconic piece is over 100 years old and has become one of the most difficult designs to produce, taking a year for experts to learn how to do just the stitching on the intricate collar, specific to the trench coat. 

So the piece that was developed out of necessity has become one of the most favorites among the winter trends that come and go. The union of fashion with social relations together with the projections of the fashion universe give the power of transformation.

So, is fashion really just about the «look of the day»? Can a «look of the day» blogger claim to be a fashion expert? To decipher these questions, there’s nothing like the unforgettable scene of Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep, from the film «The Devil Wears Prada» that addresses the perspective of those who see fashion and those who see only functionality. By comparing the differences in the colors of the belts questioned by Andrea Sachs, played by the leading actress Anne Hathaway, Miranda discusses the relationship between fashion and consumption by detailing how the catwalks and great designs reach fast fashion and sale stores, the most common everyday consumption.

And just as often, work by many hands is ignored for a long time when the clothing loses its conceptual and artistic value to gain a functional and cheap value.

Therefore, the «looks of the day» emerge from a long line of diverse workers full of experts, studies and stories not reported because it is crucial that there is only beauty. Thus, making it clear that fashion is much more than social networks, and to experience it it is necessary to know the culture, which begins in the daily streets and lifestyles. After all, contextualized in sociocultural relations in different places, fashion is in the appreciation of the cultural and artistic being, in the knowledge and in the professional of the area.The design present in the functionality of clothing is the conceptual value. Valuing the fashion professional is understanding that wearing the “look of the day” is carrying the history of humanity.