Pop Culture and its influence on the local fashion industry

By Anita Zuniga

Both pop culture and music, movies and television programs have established trends that have dominated fashion, which over time has led to the pop culture industry playing a relevant and significant role in personal styles. .

And it is that the type of clothing is a reflection of the perception of oneself, becoming a combination of the external and internal world of an individual and a symbol of identity, whose image is enhanced by the influence of pop culture that will determine the style local dress code: consciously and unconsciously.

Taking into account that, in the last four years, despite the fact that author's wardrobe design has been nourished by social contexts, -in the midst of the setback of the pandemic- today it has evolved and is currently inspired by the creation of accessories and outfits in comfortable and versatile patterns such as the Puntada Austral bet, with a hybrid approach, shaped by the construction of a new identity discourse in national fashion, capable of defying rules, adopting the manufacture of own garments, with couturiers who have borrowed trends such as illustration, political campaigns or the design, manufacture and consumption of fashion that is respectful of the environment, as a differentiating aspect of consumer culture.

Pop culture v/s local fashion industry

And it seems that the Chilean fashion industry focused on "pop culture" has focused on the preference for diversity of styles, as new icons of the future, a trend materialized in unisex or non-binary clothing, in organic garments such as Color Vegetable or embroidered with details by hand, with interventions such as crochet or chopsticks as is the case of some Huaman Autor proposals , or simply emphasizing pieces with their own prints or reconditioned from other seasons.

This, in the midst of a society that has gradually avoided returning to shopping malls and that daily browses the web or is bombarded by pop culture videos posted on social networks such as Instagram or Tiktok.

In a scenario in which the influence of the street agitation of October 18, 2019 has been taken into account, which defined timeless or seasonless fashion, with accessories made by the users themselves, their own prints, intervened clothing, T-shirts with phrases feminists, slogans from television programs or series from the world of entertainment as icons that have impacted the outfits of Chileans, who have also been confined to their homes since 2020.

Undoubtedly, exploring various trends would point to the proliferation of consumers in the future who want to favor slow fashion or dressing in a style that expresses their individuality - as reflected in this design by Isabel Is My Name - linked to women in history , in an orientation of the fashion discourses linked to the revaluation of the subject, to the autochthonous fashion, legitimized by the freedom of choice and the installation -through the wardrobe- trends that reflect the contingency and the promotion of fair working conditions and decent wages to its workers and workers.

And it is in this context that fashion brands this 2022, according to the world's largest trend agency, WGSN , predict the decline of pop culture in fashion, with more sustainable clients, where comfort prevails (Comfy Fashion), or the use of baggy garments, or basics such as T-shirts made of natural fabrics. or organic cotton, personalized handkerchiefs -the case of Galia- that return in glory and majesty, bets that hope to become an opportunity to return to authenticity, where techniques that involve personal and narrative elements will prevail.

Thinking that the choice of clothing and accessories become relevant in the identification of an individual, in the era of social networks that boosted the hype of pop culture as an iconic trend in fashion.