The years I was tuned into fashion in my teens was Fall 2005 (I remember cutting up the September Vogue issue that year in an art class) through Fall 2008, and if you're looking for some amazing creativity I highly recommend checking out those years of fashion!!
I notice that when some people here mention their favorite time in fashion or the best time in fashion in general, it's always the first 1-2 years when they discovered the world of fashion and were a bit intoxicated by what seemed like endless creativity, which in reality it was them on a personal journey of education and exploration of a brand new field and it's never really going to be as exciting as when it first unfolds, all fresh, in front of you.
That being said, I was also lucky to come of age around those years and.. we were really spoiled and had no idea!. The amount of categories and subcategories in fashion design, the fashion design scenes that were full of talent and so uninterested in imitating NY/Milan/Paris, like those in Vienna, in Tokyo, the projects that actively rebelled against commercial fashion and its gross marketing and went out of their way to remain as distant as possible (Altieri's Carpe Diem, etc). And of course, the amount of independent design and the more ethical boundaries within luxury brands to not try to quickly absorb anyone that demonstrates minimal potential into a conglomerate. Press was less sponsored too, it still had a respectable place so, while there was no social media, harsher criticism in large-scale publications compensated for that and kept things competitive.
When I look at teenagers now, I feel a bit bad that it's all been so eroded for them, and that, just like in most industries and economies, the aggressive grip of the boomer generation has really impacted several generations at a time and the way they understand the possibilities of clothing and creativity is inevitably constrained by this indoctrination that 'this is it for you, take it or leave it'. In the 80s, 90s, early 00s, fashion design being highly competitive in terms of creativity felt like a requirement to stand out among other people that were under the same pressure to be respected and believable as a potential 'fashion genius'. That competition seems to have been replaced with the race for who can master better the double role of businessman and creative director. That's what 'being at the top of your game' means now and it's always, always under the direction of the suits, who care about profit and nothing else.
We're at rock bottom now but I don't think we're at a cul-de-sac. The reason independent design rose to such a respectable heights late 90s/early 00s and the way it became so abundant, raising the bar so high for everyone in fashion and multiplying into different scenes and subcategories, wasn't really because they couldn't get hired by a big conglomerate (a common idea among young people now and the result of the indoctrination the suits want you to acquire), but simply because a lot of mainstream fashion in the mid 90s denoted vulgarity, lack of sophistication and relied solely on in-your-face sexuality and wealth (e.g. Gianni Versace), so some people started to repel that and to gravitate towards the designers who valued intellect and more complex, less obvious techniques and image. That's how a lot of these circles were also super exclusive even if the clothes themselves were more affordable than those from a big label.. because it demanded a sharper, more educated fashion consumer to be understood. So yeah, I think it only takes a generation or a movement in some culture/society that understands all the domineering elements of the industry right now (the conglomerates, the covers band format, meritocracy being at an all-time low, the role of social media, the current bro/all-men dynamic in womenswear) and that wants none of that. There really is nothing particularly worse in young humans right now, everything just goes in waves and these waves span for a few decades. The role of the internet has been major in the past 20 years, it has transformed education, sense of world, wealth, communications. For the generations that have experienced these changes (and not born with them), such as gen x, millennials and gen z, it's hard to come to terms with these resources as a tool to study, seek individuality and build, it's been mostly connection and pleasure really.. but maybe generation alpha will be the one.
@BerkeleyStudent just get really angry, and stay angry, and save us. 🥲
