Is archive fashion killing individuality? – Culted

Whether you like it or not, archive clothing is everywhere and it’s here to stay. Take a look at the red carpet, for example, where Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner were both pictured wearing Spring/Summer 1998 Thierry Mugler at the Academy Museum Gala, or Taylor Russell donning three archival looks at Venice Film Festival including a white gown from Chanel’s Spring/Summer 1993 Couture collection. Or even just head down to London Fields, the most insufferably hipster area in East London, which is littered with archive stores such as Brother LDN, Baraboux and Files London, all a stone’s throw away from each other. It feels like ‘archive’ has reached the forefront of fashion, but why have we suddenly become obsessed with the year and season of garments, and are we more fixated on the status that archive clothing brings rather than its revolutionary designs?

Although it seems like the archive trend came out of nowhere, archive enthusiasts have always been around; you just had to go to the depths of Reddit or forums to find them. Even though it was a niche back then, the archive community has always been small yet extremely tight-knit and cult-like. But with the meteoric rise and normalisation of vintage clothing, the nostalgia factor alongside the sustainability benefits have made archive garments more desirable. 

Because some archive garments are from more prestigious designers or iconic collections, there’s a higher demand for them because of certain factors such as cultural significance and being worn by famous celebrities, the impact of the collection on the designer’s career or its extortionate price. An example that combines all of these aforementioned factors is the Raf Simons’ Riot Riot Riot Bomber Jacket from Autumn/Winter 2001 that famously sold on Grailed for $47,000 in 2018. Essentially, it’s an MA-1 Bomber Jacket from a small European military company called Fostex (previously 55$ but now 270$ due to its notoriety) with some added patches of David Bowie, Richey Edwards from Manic Street Preachers and a Bauhaus poster – not to mention that it was worn by Kanye, Rihanna and Drake. But how do you explain and justify such a ridiculous price tag for a faded, camo bomber jacket? 

The answer is: you can’t. Just like any item in fashion that develops its own hype, it’s about a level of exclusivity and rarity combined with a mind-boggling price tag that creates this folklore-like status. The only difference with ‘archive’ is that there’s the appeal of being able to namedrop the year and season of the collection to flex your fashion history knowledge (whether its surface level or not). 

Even though we get to see the reemergence of revolutionary garments from the ‘90s and 2000s, sometimes wearers think that just having the piece itself is enough to carry the weight of the whole ensemble. You could argue that it’s a shame when these highly coveted pieces are borderline disrespected and aren’t done justice in their styling, diluting the allure of the garment that’s been cultivating for decades. The significance or magnitude of one singular clothing item (no matter how rare or exclusive it is) will never be enough to embody individuality, no matter how cool it sounds to say it’s from ‘Spring/Summer 97.’ It’s about how it’s styled in conjunction with other garments and accessories and if worn in an unoriginal fashion, it could have a reversed effect and come off as uninspired.

Despite this, greatness should always be appreciated. Individuality can always be lost when there’s hype on a particular item – the difference is that the stakes are just higher with archive pieces because years of cultural significance and the integrity of a widely-loved (and cult-followed) designer is on the line. Rather than being quick to bash a bad archive moment for how it’s been worn or by who it’s being worn by, let’s just be thankful that a piece of fashion history and innovation can be appreciated by more sets of eyes. 

Featured image via Dior©

More on Culted

See: Can celebrities exist without parasocial relationships?

See: Chromakopia: what we know about Tyler, the Creator’s new album so far