From rags to riches: breaking down class divisions in fashion

Fashion trends come and go as quickly as the seasons change, but is the British class system still rooted in these style shifts? New vintage fashion movements have led to an explosion in charity shopping: second-hand items are ubiquitous, but certain ideas about class are passed on to them. Buzzwords are used on social media to describe the emerging aesthetic, making it a more accessible environment to judge these different styles. It seems there is still an element of class culture in fashion, despite more fluid styles that don't necessarily require a designer label. Upward trends lead to higher prices. Suddenly, the world of budget shopping has become a cesspool of consumerism.

Anyone interested in fashion shouldn't be surprised to learn that second-hand clothing has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. With the recent acceleration of fashion trend cycles, vintage styles are constantly returning to the mainstream. As such, charity shops went from being a place where one could buy basic clothing on a budget, to one frequented by people of different classes looking for new additions to their wardrobe. However, even though owning second-hand goods is less stigmatized and often celebrated in the modern fashion landscape, there is still a class divide in how people purchase vintage fashion.

Charity shopping became widespread in the United Kingdom during the Second World War. One of the most popular charity shops, Oxfam, opened in 1947 in Oxford. These stores would accept donations and sell products at heavily discounted rates from the original retail price. The profits would then be donated to various charitable causes. Naturally, the low prices attracted people in need of affordable clothing. With the growth of online fashion spaces, charity shopping has become less about budget-friendly clothing and more about finding unique, on-trend pieces. Part of the popularity of second-hand shopping can also be attributed to the growing desire to be environmentally and sustainability conscious among younger generations.

Not all second-hand purchases are equal. With the growing demand for vintage clothing, dedicated vintage stores and online resellers have offered those willing to pay a premium a way to purchase pre-owned items through a simpler, more personalized shopping experience . In this subtle way, those with more money can purchase more desirable clothing and organize their wardrobe to more easily fit an aesthetic. This is one of the ways in which the relationship between class and fashion persists, even if it is no longer as obvious as it once was; Class used to be signified by what brand you could afford to wear. Further divisions between fashion classes can also be found in different online aesthetics.

In particular, the 20-year cycle reflects the continued resurgence of trends from past decades. In recent years, fashion has seen a rise in the Y2K aesthetic, which has brought different social classes into line as young people scour second-hand retailers for sizeable jeans. bass, graphic t-shirts and sequins. However, as demand for these items increased, so did prices. Once again, what was a widespread enthusiasm for the revival of an aesthetic became a hierarchy to which the lower classes had no access. The buzzwords used to describe these trends have demonstrated that this divide persists, even when it's more of a look than a desired label.

Social media platforms like Instagram and Tiktok have heavily influenced the rapid rise and decline of fashion movements through the use of these buzzwords. It can be argued that while the demand for these items has maintained the class divide, society's perception of these items has supported ideas about social class that cannot be ignored. Phrases such as cigarette mom, usually referring to working-class stereotypes, were used online against fashion and beauty trends of the year 2000. These perpetuated class division, because if some people are praised for modeling this aesthetic, others are unable to escape presumptions about their origins based on what they wear.

The growing demand for vintage fashion, combined with lingering attitudes towards class culture, have maintained the existence of the class divide within fashion. The reinforcement of stereotypes as well as the high prices that follow these trends indicate that although the rapid fashion cycle persists, inequalities within the fashion sphere also persist.