From the deaths of fashion pioneers to exuberant displays of haute couture, the fashion industry was a part of many game-changing events both virtually and in-person during 2021.
However, while I love to dwell in the past, it’s time to look to the future. With that in mind, I decided to give you a 2021 fashion news recap and what I hope to see in the future of fashion.
The inauguration or an impromptu fashion show?
The year 2021 started with the inauguration of President Joe Biden on Jan. 20. Many politicians and celebrities in attendance decided to dress to impress as Biden placed his hand on The Bible and took the oath of office. Monochromatic outfits were popular amongst the ladies in office, as well as a couple celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez. We also can’t forget Sen. Bernie Sanders with his knitted mittens and raincoat.
This political display of couture was iconic because the inauguration happened during a significantly dark time in history. The storming of the Capitol building, which happened on Jan. 6, still had Americans on edge while the COVID-19 pandemic was still underway and in-person fashion events were limited. In my opinion, the only thing that really brought up our spirits was the outfits politicians and celebrities wore to this event. Twitter was on fire with memes about what Sanders was wearing and Lady Gaga’s bulletproof dress. Fashion sparked interest in Americans and made them laugh, and hopefully the lighthearted theme of fashion memes will continue throughout the new 2022 year.
R.I.P to so many inspirational fashion moguls
On Jan. 17, the fashion world was hit with the somber news that Harry Brant, a young creator that wrote the fashion column “The Look” for Interview Magazine, died from a prescription drug overdose. He was, unfortunately, the first in many notable deaths in fashion during 2021.
One of the more publicized deaths happened on Nov. 28, when Virgil Abloh, the multifaceted fashion designer, DJ, architect and street style aficionado, died from a rare form of heart cancer. Twitter became a hive of tweets remembering Abloh and all the great things he did within fashion. He was the creator of Off-White, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton, the designer of a bench/skate ramp called the P9 and above all else, an inspiration to creatives everywhere. He proved that no one has to only be good at one thing. Abloh demonstrated that the world really was his oyster.
For the current 2022 year, I hope to see us honor creatives — and just people in general — before it’s too late and they are dead.
The fashion forward avatar
In December 2020, Balenciaga launched their fall 2021 collection through a video game called “Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow.” The game involves players following glowing arrows through various landscapes as they pass other characters decked out in Balenciaga clothing. This was just the beginning of the melding of virtual reality and fashion.
The rebranding of Facebook to Meta was announced in October 2021 by Mark Zuckerberg, and he described the future to be composed of 3D virtual reality landscapes, also known as the metaverse. On Twitter, Meta hinted that Balenciaga would be the designer of our metaverse avatars’ wardrobe. In December, the Balenciaga CEO announced the brand would be creating a department dedicated to designing Metaverse clothing.
In 2022, I expect to see many more fashion brands jump on the Metaverse clothing bandwagon. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some brands work on designing clothing for popular video games like “Call of Duty.” We might even see DIY artists delve into coding and teach classes on how to knit a sweater in the digital universe.
Holiday calender disaster
Finally, to top off a year of innovation came something disappointing, and it’s from none other than Chanel. You would think a brand focused on luxury would create something over-the-top for the holiday season. In 2021, though, that didn’t happen. They created and sold a Holiday Advent Calendar filled with various Chanel paraphernalia for each day until Christmas in a huge Chanel No. 5 perfume-shaped box.
The catch is, the calendar starts on Dec. 5, and each Chanel item was dismal at best. The holiday calendar cost $825, and amongst other unimpressive items, the calendar consisted of a cheaply made Chanel stamp bracelet, a dustbag, stickers, temporary tattoos, a sample size lipstick and a plastic mini-snow globe. A person on TikTok named Elise Harmon showed off the advent calendar, which sparked rage-filled comments directed toward Chanel. Chanel blocked the TikToker, which resulted in many more angry posts and comments directed toward the luxury brand.
The whole fiasco was entertaining for someone who didn’t actually purchase the expensive advent calendar. In 2022, I expect consumers to be less tolerant of this type of deception. Cancel culture ravaged 2020 and 2021, and I anticipate it to continue into 2022. Hopefully it will result in luxury brands getting examined more in depth and held to higher standards.
2021 was a year to be remembered, and I expect 2022 to be even more impressive and filled with fashionistas in oversized sunglasses, revolutionizing what we wear and how we perceive ourselves and each other.
culture@dailynebraskan.com
