FASHION and music go hand in hand, and the flow of inspiration goes both ways. Musicians are dressed by designers who are in turn inspired by the stars of the stage… and the looks sported by pop and rock stars eventually make their way into mainstream fashion.
In the 20th century this symbiosis has grown a new dynamic. Fashion doesn’t need? music in the same way that music may need fashion. The global clothing industry is worth around $1.2 trillion, recorded music sales in 2012 were $16.5 billion. If the music were to stop tomorrow, the fashion industry would keep right on trucking.
The reason they work so well together is that they’re a perfect match—a fact that has been exploited by fashion houses and musicians alike. Musicians are in the public eye in a very specific way, different to the relationship the public have with designers and models—the clothes they wear and the trends they set will be replicated by their fan bases. Think of the suits the Beatles wore, or Run DMC’s shell-toe sneakers, or Kid-n-Play’s Kangol.
There are more recent collaborations too: These New Puritans and Christian Dior, Florence Welch and Chanel, Lady Gaga and Thierry Mugler. M.I.A formed a grimy, grungy collaboration with Versace. Shoe company Adidas showed a willingness to experiment by signing Kanye West. Even skate brand DC Shoes wanted a piece of the action, joining forces with the Wu-Tang Clan.
The Beatles
It all started with THAT haircut. Cute enough to drive young girls to hysteria, unconventional enough to shock their parents, the moptop style was considered long and accordingly rebellious at the time. Over the years, the band’s style changed with the times and set numerous trends. Their collarless suits, heeled boots, hippie tunics, John Lennon’s round glasses, and many more signature looks still resurface from time to time.
David Bowie
The man who wowed the world with his daring looks and outrageous style from the moment he first set foot on a stage has been many things over the years: Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, the Thin White Duke, a Berlin Hipster, a gender-bending glam rocker, a New Romantic clown – and presumably an Earthling all along (although sometimes we’re not quite sure).
Madonna
The Queen of Pop was certainly not the first artist to court controversy with her racy outfits, but she is the one who did so most often and most memorably. From sloppy fishnets with fingerless gloves to underwear as outerwear, couture dominatrix, blonde bombshell and gothic Lolita served with a side of blasphemy, Madonna has reinvented herself again and again – and keeps it interesting every time.
Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain
On the other side of the ‘90s mood board, grunge reigned supreme—and its undisputed king and queen set trends that eschewed mainstream fashion.
With their head-to-toe vintage outfits (before vintage was even a thing), like sloppy nighties with torn stockings on Courtney and lumberjack shirts with grandad cardigans on Kurt, the couple defined the grunge look.
Lady Gaga
Not a trendsetter in the true sense of the world (we can’t see meat dresses, Kermit the frog jackets or giant eggshells requiring porters coming into fashion any time soon), but Lady Gaga never stops pushing the boundaries of what’s considered wearable. Her main message to her adoring army of “Monsters”: be who you want to be, wear what you want to wear, and embrace individuality.
Excerpts by Fiona Brutscher
