Fashion Industry Evolution: A Long Journey

Clothes, garments, attire, outfits, are a major part of our lives, isn’t it? We get excited while going shopping; we make so much effort to style clothes in our unique ways; and we like to know about the events related to fashion and clothing. Why? All of this is because clothes have become an integral part of our lives (well obviously), but thinking about it deeply, clothes have become more important than anything else. Has this been the case since forever? We will get to know in this blog.

In this blog, we will be telling you the long history of change in fashion and how it evolved to become such an integral part of our lives.

The purpose of Clothing

In its initial form, clothing was meant to cover the body, offer warmth or cooling, provide protection, and maintain modesty, but it has since developed into more complex shapes. Nowadays, people use clothing to express themselves artistically, draw attention to themselves, accentuate physical characteristics, hide insecurities, and demonstrate their attractiveness.

Factors that impacted clothing

Fashion is influenced by a variety of variables. The appearance of clothes is influenced by a variety of factors, including place, time, money, taste, occupation, social setting, gender, and other cultural and personal preferences.
You may express yourself through fashion in many different ways. Even in societies and times where the amount of skin that can be covered by clothing is restricted, a person can experiment with colour, pattern, and garment mixing and matching to fit their tastes and abilities.
So in reality, how can one define fashion?

What is fashion?

Clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, make-up, hairstyles, and body posture are all forms of self-expression and autonomy throughout a certain time and place in a specific context which is what fashion is all about.

We are aware that fashion keeps on changing, and therefore we have a long history of fashion. Let us understand fashion based on the eras and times when it changed and made huge waves among people.

The Evolution Of Fashion

India has a very diversified and rich textile history. Each Indian area has its own distinctive traditional clothing, accessories, cosmetics, etc. Fashion evolution in India is not only restricted to its own borders; it also perfectly incorporates western culture into many developed and developing nations.

Simple 1950s style

The 1950s were filled with the energising aroma of freedom and were strongly flavoured with patriotism. The Swadeshi movement was represented by the hand-spun khadi. The scene was dominated by simple salwar suits or cloth sarees draped in various fashions.
The majority of the clothing was functional, but there were hints of European influence, particularly in the males.

The vibrant spirit of the 1960s

The tiered orange saree and Anarkali outfits were inventions of the 1960s. As the decade changed, women's attire gained in style and everyone welcomed vibrant colours and prints.

The 1960s were also big on embracing curves, with body-hugging churidar suits, shorter blouses, and a hint of skin on display. Not to mention the winged eyeliner and poofy hairstyles.

1970s hippie-trippy atmosphere

The 1970s, known as the "decade of excess," were a significant decade for fashion. We still remember the decade for its iconic polka-dot shirts, hippy fashion, and Cabaret feathers.
The most iconic fashions from this era are polka dots, platform shoes, big glasses, oversized shirts, bell-bottoms, and cropped shirts.

1980s vivid creativity

The over the top (OTT) aesthetic dominated the 1980s. There was a lot going on in this decade, including blingy adornment, large shoulder pads, garish colours, metallics, untamed hair, and leg warmers. But the first wave of Indian fashion designers, including Rohit Khosla and Satya Paul, also emerged during this decade.

The National Institute of Fashion Technology was founded in 1986, and Bhanu Athaiya received India's first and only Oscar for costume design in 1983.

90s cool kids

The most popular style throughout the 1990s was a traditional one that included sarees, Kurtis, patialas, salwar, etc. However, while discussing the western style worn by women during that decade, it was high waisted wide pants paired with collar shirts, long skirts.

When discussing men's fashion in the 1990s, slim jeans come to mind, although they didn't survive very long before being replaced with baggy jeans. By 2005–2006, buttoned shirts, slim jeans, boots, short scarves tied around a select few people's necks, and the belt were all once again quite in style.
Without wearing a choker at least once, you wouldn't have been able to make it through the 1990s.

The sartorial face of the 2000s
Many foreign fashion companies opened stores in India in the aughts or the 2000s. People who had contacts abroad were no longer the only ones who could sport the newest fashions and trends. This overtly sensual era was marked by extremely tight clothes including tube tops and micro-minis as well as Desi fusion outfits.
Comfy atmosphere of the '10s

Moving on to the most recent decade, the 2010s introduced us to influencers and social media! We gradually bid goodbye to extremely provocative attire and warmly welcomed athleisure. Celebrity trends lost prominence as street style became increasingly popular.

Popular trends from the era included micro purses, sheer tops, oversized sweaters, and cycling shorts. The main trend-setters were bloggers and supermodels with a large following on Instagram.

The emphasis is still on comfort and fashionable attire as the decade comes to an end amid a full-blown pandemic. The next ten years of fashion are expected to be increasingly diverse and centred on technical innovations like smart materials and clothing that can only be worn online.

Every year on the 9th of July, Fashion Day is celebrated. Fashion Day 2022 teaches us that fashion is ever changing, and so everyone should dress up in their own unique ways. It should not be restricted to a particular style or trend. Everybody has the liberty to wear anything or everything they want. Seeing the evolution of the fashion industry, it can be said that fashion is what you make it.

If you are someone who is exploring your style, then you should definitely check out www.therealb.in. Our collections have different kinds of clothing items with different styles. Check out our collections to get yourself a makeover or choose your personal favourite style.