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Olivia Kovacs

Professor Hunter

English 1201

24 November 2019

Fashion's Impact on Everyday Life

Clothes are not just being worn by people, they are also shown off. Fashion is about the

clothes people wear, and how they are worn. Clothing is not the only thing that defines fashion;

it is also the style people attach to trends. I find fashion to be underappreciated because a person

can truly express themselves through the clothes he or she wears. Not many realize how fashion

really impacts a life. Throughout my whole life, I always adored clothing. My mom dressed me

in such appealing dresses, shirts, pants, and skirts when I was little. In other words, I grew up

knowing how to properly dress. Doing so meant to wear whatever I desired and not let anyone

tell me otherwise. When I am in college, I want to major in Fashion Merchandising. This major

will determine what I will be doing for the majority of my life. I will have a chance to work with

the trends going around hands on and be a part of the fashion community. People should be more

educated in fashion because it is underrated and they could have the opportunity to make better

choices when choosing what to wear based on how fashion impacts everyday life.

Before diving into why people need to be more educated about fashion, it is important to

know what fashion truly is. When a person first hears the word fashion, one might think of it as a

manner of doing something. It can be used to describe how something is being done, however,

there is another definition of “fashion.” Fashion is used to express what a person likes to identify

themselves as. The choices people make with fashion shows off an individual’s personality and

something about them. Style is based upon trends going on or how a person wants to wear

clothing and accessories. Individuality is expressed when different pieces of clothing are worn by
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separate people. A simple piece of clothing can be transformed into something extravagant due

to how one wears it. Fashion is seen differently through everyone’s eyes.

In general, fashion has a definition, however, everyone looks at it differently. People can

have similar perspectives, but not the exact same vision. One person might have the ability to

look at a non-clothing item and vision it as an actual clothing item due to the way their mind

works. Robin Givhan wrote in his article, "Balenciaga's Demna Gvasalia is changing what we

consider fashion", how Demna Gvasalia had a creative approach when it came to clothing. For

example, Givhan quoted Gvasalia saying “‘I was doing things out of curtains. I was

improvising,’ he explains. ‘I could take an armchair and turn it into a parka. That was my way.’”

Due to the way Gvasalia’s mind connected with his eyes, he was able to look at an object and

turn it into a piece of clothing. Out of the ordinary ideas can become normal by changing the

mindset. It is up to that person to look at fashion in a certain way. There is not only a specific

way to look at something, but also how it can impact one’s decisions.

People see clothing and become inspired in ways that cause them to want to change.

Clothing can alter over time based on what the trend is and what is wanting to be worn. A

fashion designer’s work can influence others to choose another way to dress. The work inspires

people to purchase new clothing or alter the way they style the clothes already accessible. For

example, instead of actually wearing a flannel, a person might tie it around the waist to make it

an accessory. One has the ability to decide what they want to wear for the day. Fashion overall is

being changed due to the influence designers have. Givhan wrote, for example, “His work has

already influenced the way people dress. Now it's altering the way we think about fashion as a

whole,” in which he is referring to Demna Gvasalia’s works of clothing. This means by looking

at another person’s clothing style, it can impact how people start dressing themselves. Fashion
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has evolved over the years due to the purpose that brands have. Each and every brand has a

different purpose. High-end brands sell products for more money because of the quality,

however low-end brands just try to sell more for a cheaper price. The brands can affect a

consumers’ way of buying.

Different fashion brand’s personalities, which is based on the atmosphere and

surroundings, can affect consumers. A brand or store can give off a certain personality, such as

competence, sincerity, and excitement. For instance, people can tell whether or not a store has

good competence based on the way the clothes are displayed. The clothing should be easily seen,

not crowded by other things, and creatively displayed. Su Jin Yang and Yuri Lee wrote the

article “Mid- to Low-End Fashion Brand Personality Affects Consumers’ Perceived Quality,

Commitment, and Loyalty” about how newly marketed fashion brands have emerged with

economies. Chinese versus Korean consumer perceptions were used on European and Korean

mid-to-low end brands. Su Jin Yang and Yuri Lee said “Results showed that competence and

sincerity significantly predicted affective loyalty toward both Western and Eastern brands, and

excitement played an essential role in loyalty to Eastern brands.” The commitment brands gave

as well as the quality, gave a prediction for the effect that loyalty contains. People can perceive

the way brands present themselves. In addition, consumers are affected by fast fashion.

Fast fashion is where inexpensive clothing is produced by mass-market retailers based

upon the latest trends. It caused the prices of clothing to decrease, which led people to shop

more. It contains a growing trend in stores and e-commerce. There was a positive impact on the

economy due to consumers making more purchases in fast fashion stores. Ľubica Knošková and

Petra Garasová wrote “The Economic Impact of Consumer Purchases in Fast Fashion Stores”

about how fast fashion has become a new trend in today’s society. For instance, Ľubica
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Knošková and Petra Garasová stated “Increasing customer consumption can have a positive

effect on economics, but also a negative impact on the environment.” The clothing is not

expensive to buy, so a majority of people purchase it. Since there are more consumers, the

economy has had a great impact. Even though the environment may be getting harmed due to

fast fashion, the positive outcomes outweigh the negatives. Shopping turned into a form of

entertainment for people because the amount of money one had to spend was not as much due to

the prices of clothing going down.

Everyone enjoys shopping when there are sales going on, hence why Black Friday and

Cyber Monday are such a great deal. On those two days, people shop in stores and online. There

is a grand amount of clothing items that are on clearance for one to buy for a discounted price.

While paying full price for some items can be worth it, paying less is the better deal to get

instead. If people do not have to spend as much money when there are stores with lower prices,

then they will be able to save money and use it for something later in life. Saving each day can

help a person in the long run when least expected. There are people in this world that do not

think about saving money, and just spend it whenever something interesting is found to buy.

Those who are rich tend to not think twice about buying something, no matter if they need it or

not. While buying something a person wants is a good thing every once in a while, it will not

help later in life if it happens all the time.

Rich people tend to show off how much money one has with expensive, name brand

clothing. By wearing those types of clothing, people with lots of money flaunt around. Those

who do so use the high-end brand clothing to represent the status symbol one wants. The status

would be high because one would be showing off that they can afford expensive clothes. Not all

rich people are like this, however the majority are. The name brand clothing items may be from
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Gucci, Burberry, and Prada in which people have to spend a high amount of money on. While

the high-end brand clothes can be good quality, inexpensive clothes can be too. People do not

have to spend a lot of money in order to look how one desires. If a person likes what another is

wearing, and the other person is wearing an outfit from Burberry, then they could go to Target

and find items of clothing to copy the look. One does not have to spend a lot of money on an

outfit in order to wear what one wants to wear. Finding inexpensive clothes is easy in order to

copy another's outfit. There has and always will be an impact of fashion in daily life.

For the longest time people have been influenced by fashion. It is a reflection of one's

inner personality, which is usually not shown on the outside. Rishika Bajjuri wrote an article,

“The Influence of Fashion in Daily Life” about how fashion has made an impact on everyday life

overall. For example, Rishika Bajjuri states “In one way or another, it is simple — and reflects in

our appearance, manners and characteristics. Fashion can as well be used as a way to let loose

and experiment” to convey that fashion is an inside look into who people truly are. Everyone has

the opportunity to discover new things by trying out different appearances with outfits.

Individuality causes a difference in personality expressed through attire. Everyone has a

contrasting nature to reveal by choosing articles of clothing based upon what speaks to them. A

person can do many different things with clothing, such as experimenting with who one is.

Fashion allows people to try different things and discover new findings.

Choosing what to wear is not only based on personality, but also how one is feeling for

the day. Wearing different outfits causes different moods. The color of the clothing can impact

how one feels. Kendra Cherry wrote an article, “Color Psychology: Does It Affect How You

Feel?”, about how color can affect a person’s behavior and mood. There are colors that give

people a neutral feeling, such as grey and white. Both colors go with everything and can easily
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mix and match. As a result, one might wear the same neutral color many days in a row.

Contrasting colors have different effects on moods. For example, wearing the color yellow can

make a person feel more happy and cheerful, while wearing purple might make a person feel sad.

A person has the ability to choose what one wants to wear based on the emotions they have. If

one does not feel very happy when they wake up, then one might wear a shirt that is a darker

color. Red is a color that can either make a person feel excited or angry, therefore it is important

to choose wisely when deciding what to wear because a person might make the wrong choice.

For example, Kendra Cherry states “While the color red is often described as threatening,

arousing or exciting, many previous studies on the impact of the color red have been largely

inconclusive. The study found, however, that exposing students to the color red prior to an exam

has been shown to have a negative impact on test performance.” Cherry described how the color

red can affect someone, therefore wearing red takes consideration. Decided to wear a red shirt

could be intended to express a person is excited about something, but end up making them angry

in the long run. Making fashion decisions plays a major role in people’s lives and it is a key part

to living life to its full potential.

It is impossible to live life without fashion being there, and it may or may not be

noticeable. Most people do not take fashion into consideration, but those who do not should. In

the article “Influence of Fashion in Our Lives” by Lass Vogue it states “Although some

individuals don’t really care about what they wear, it’s the negative comments that we receive

from other people that affects us.” The majority of individuals do not put much thought into what

will be worn for the day. Either there is not enough time to decide what to wear or there is no

motivation to think about it. Others might feel the need to comment harsh things about a person's

chosen outfit. While people may not consider fashion every day, he or she will consider a rude
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comment made towards them. Those who think about what to wear for the day mainly do it so

there is no criticism.

Others have the capability of impacting what a person would want to wear. There are

harsh words that can be spoken or actions towards another. People tend to say or do something

directly to someone without thinking beforehand. However, this is not a good concept when it

comes to impacting fashion. It is taken to heart when someone criticizes another based on what

attire is being worn. Criticism originates due to one person wanting to make themselves feel

better by bashing on another person's choices. If one is jealous over what the other is wearing

because it is an eye appealing outfit, then one might not compliment on it. The person might also

be wearing a non-name brand clothing item, such as from Target or Walmart, and the other

would be wearing a name brand, such as Gucci. A person wearing Gucci may make fun of the

person wearing something from Walmart because they feel they are better than them since the

article of clothing is an expensive item. When someone is picking on another over what one is

wearing, it is important to not listen and focus on what one’s self truly wants to wear. If there are

negative comments being made, then disregard them. Listening to what the heart wants is key to

dressing how one desires because the thought is not coming from someone else. Even though

fashion is impacted by what models wear, it is in a positive way. Models cause others to want to

dress like them or give new ideas, unlike those who make fun of people. Instead, those who do

so cause others to not dress how one desires. Making a choice is all up to one person only, and

that is their self.

The clothing people wear represents who one is in ways people initially would not see.

Something that fashion has proven is that there is only a border line in the mind of how far to go

with fashion. There is no limit out there to stop fashion from being spread and surround those all
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around the world. The main thing to understand about the impact of fashion is why it has one.

Adrian Daniel Schramm’s article, “Does Fashion Have a Lasting Impact on Society,” proposes

the idea that fashion reflects society's cultural, social, and economic environment. Fashion has

improved due to those in the United States that have felt, seen, and lived the contributions that

neighboring countries have given. Daniel Schramm said, “The fashion/clothing/garment

industry, outside of tech, has been and continues to be the industry most impacted, influenced,

and supported by immigrants, foreigners, global thinking.” People from all around contribute to

the industry in different ways. It is not just one area that helps the industry because fashion needs

all the help it can get from others. The more input fashion has from different people the better. It

allows the industry to grow and spread the word to everyone available out there. There is always

an impact on society caused by fashion.

Society has the ability to choose clothes, and each piece will represent who each person

is. With this being said, fashion is a sense of art. Art is not just paintings or drawings done by

artists, it is clothing as well. The people who design the clothing are the artists, and so are those

wearing the masterpieces. Different designs are made to create a variety between each artist.

Every pattern and shape is created to make individualistic works of art. Aesthetics and art can be

applied to everyday life. In Schramm’s article he states, “It creates a world where art and

function not only coexist, but become necessary. Wearable art; clothes; our choices create a

moving canvass out of the world around us.” Clothing is a way of art being transported

everywhere a person goes. Whether one realizes it or not, there is art all around due to people

wearing articles of clothing. It does not have to just be clothing, but it can also be accessories

such as necklaces and earrings. There are designers that create those works of art as well and

make them no matter how big or small and flashy or non-flashy they desire. Art is an important
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aspect in everyone’s lives because there are many people that contribute to it and people look at

it everyday.

Fashion designers are artists that create articles of clothing and present them to the world.

Those who do the designing come up with different styles and patterns to make it their own piece

of work. While designers are the creators of clothing, there are Merchandise Display Artists that

create ways for the designers’ work to be shown off. People with that profession have to think of

different ways for clothing to be displayed in windows and in-store. The outfits might be on a

mannequin or on shelves; it depends on what the artist thinks is best. Displays have to convey

what the designer is trying to express with the article of clothing. There are different professions

that go into ensuring fashion is put out for people to see.

Fig. 1. This image shows how the clothes are creatively displayed in a store. They are hung on a

rack, as well as shoes on a shelf on the bottom. It shows how the display artist made the clothes

easily accessible and seen, and it is also presented nicely.

On the other hand, fashion has to be used to its potential before it goes out of date. When

there is a trend going on, people like to join and start doing what others are doing because there

is a desire to be just like everyone else. There is a thought that it is not really fashion unless there
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is a majority of other people dressing the same for a long period of time. Henry Navarro Delgado

wrote an article, “Fashion’s Potential to Influence Politics and Culture,” discussing the ways

fashion has had the capability to have an impact on social issues. Rather than political dressing

being how politicians dress, it is how individuals and groups express their political outlook. The

fashion industry has a history of co-opting political and countercultural movements in order to

receive a good profit. Henry Delgado states “There would be nothing wrong with making money

this way, except that the aftermath of co-option by the fashion industry is cultural irrelevance.

Just like other goods, fashion must be consumed before its expiration date,” to describe that

clothing is like other goods, it can be worn for a while, but the trend will eventually die out. A

person should embrace how they dress, but also possibly change one's political affiliation.

However, fashion is still a grand subject that should be discussed.

It started when I was younger, and has continued to this day of me adoring clothes. I

grew up knowing how to dress properly, which was to wear whatever my heart desired. Fashion

is based on how clothing is worn, and not just what is being worn. The style people attach to

trends is used from clothing. A person has the ability to express themselves through the clothing

one wears each and every day. There may be restrictions on what a person could wear

occasionally, such as a uniform for a job or school, but it is easy to add an accessory to make it a

personal style. People should have the accessibility to education about fashion because it is

important that they have the opportunity to know about making better fashion choices. Those

who could be taught would also learn how to dress according to personality and show it off,

rather than what others are wearing and look just like everyone else. Fashion has an impact on

everyday life due to what is happening in the rest of the world.

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Works Cited

Bajjuri, Rishika. “The Influence of Fashion in Daily Life.” Telangana Today, 10 May

2019, https://telanganatoday.com/the-influence-of-fashion-in-daily-life.

Cherry, Kendra. “Can Color Affect Your Mood and Behavior?” Verywell Mind, Verywell

Mind, 17 July 2019, https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-2795824.

Delgado, Henry Navarro. The Conversation, The Conversation, 22 Jan 2018,

https://theconversation.com/fashions-potential-to-influence-politics-and-culture-90077.

Accessed on 20 Oct 2019.

Givhan, Robin. "Balenciaga's Demna Gvasalia is changing what we consider fashion."

Washington Post, 24 Apr. 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

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https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A583413973/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=4640

df65. Accessed 20 Oct. 2019.

Knošková, Ľubica, and Petra Garasová. “The Economic Impact of Consumer Purchases

in Fast Fashion Stores.” Studia Commercialia Bratislavensia, vol. 12, no. 41, June 2019,

pp. 58–70. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2478/stcb-2019-0006.

Lassvogue. “Influence of Fashion in Our Lives.” Lass Vogue, 30 Sept. 2015,

https://lassvogue.wordpress.com/2015/09/30/influence-of-fashion-in-our-lives/.

“Retail Boutique Clothing Display Racks For Sale”. Fashion Boutique Store Design, 17

November 2019, https://boutiquestoredesign.com/product/retail-boutique-clothing-

display-racks-for-sale. Accessed 17 November 2019.

Schramm, Adrian Daniel. Twin Cities Agenda, Twin Cities Agenda, 15 March 2018,

https://tcagenda.com/2018/fashion-lasting-impact-society/. Accessed on 20 Oct 2019.

Su Jin Yang, and Yuri Lee. “Mid- to Low-End Fashion Brand Personality Affects

Consumers’ Perceived Quality, Commitment, and Loyalty.” Social Behavior &

Personality: An International Journal, vol. 47, no. 7, July 2019, pp. 1–14. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=137631642&site=eds-live.