Do you dress like what you listen to?: How music and fashion influence one another

Mechanical engineering sophomore Jaclyn Brodersen plans to see heavy metal bands Lorna Shore and Gojira live in April, and she already knows what she will be wearing.

“Crust pants, battle jacket, platform docs, a top I made and more layers,” Broderson said. “I place importance on wearing my crust pants and battle jacket to the respective concerts I go to because it displays my taste in music to the people around me … who often start conversations about said music. I’ve made many friends from this alone.”

From hip-hop and street style to grunge and rock, fashion and music have a long history of influencing each other and shaping what listeners wear. 

Music goes hand-in-hand with identity, according to ethnomusicologist Sean Williams. In her book “Musics of the World,” she said people can imagine what type of person listens to a specific music genre. Identifiers such as personal style can coincide with the characteristics we associate with particular music genres. 

Hip-Hop 

Hip-hop was born in New York City around the late 1970s and early 1980s, according to Afterglow. “B-Boy culture” largely dominated fashion during this early era of hip-hop. 

B-Boys were breakdancers, and they often wore clothing items such as tracksuits, chains and Kangol hats. These specific looks gave the initial push of “street style” in the New York hip-hop scene. 

Rap group Run DMC can also be thanked for shaping hip-hop’s trademark street style. The group established the signature street-style looks of Adidas tracksuits and laceless shell-toed sneakers in the 1980s, according to Afterglow. 

However, as the genre advanced, so did streetwear. Starting in the ‘90s and progressing to the modern day, lavish and designer clothing has been integrated into rap culture and street style. 

“I feel like people inspired by the style that comes with hip-hop are quick to try to dress in a way that would impress others, such as with expensive sneakers and clothes,” business administration junior Robert Evan Delgado said.

Virgil Abloh, the designer of the popular streetwear brand Off-White, played a major role in elevating streetwear into luxury fashion. Abloh created a new era for youth fashion and shifted the way people viewed Black culture in the fashion industry with his streetwear line and work with the luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton. 

Off-White and other high-end streetwear brands such as Bape and Supreme helped the style rise from a sub-culture into the mainstream. Rap artists have also spotlighted the fashion industry over the past two decades — whether it be by mentioning “Christian Dior” in their lyrics or representing brands at shows.

“A lot of clothes were made popular because of music, such as Air Force ones with Nelly,” Delgado said.

Delgado believes the hip-hop artists he listens to have shaped his style today. 

“I found my style by replicating what artists I liked were wearing, especially Tyler, The Creator,” Delgado said. “For a long time I thought my style was just copying him, but immersing myself in that style gave me more confidence to really wear what I like down the line, and soon enough I started to grow into my own style that feels very much me.”

Rock

Rock is a broad genre with a variety of subcultures that have shaped the fashion of listeners.

Since its conception in the late 1940s, rock music has evolved and expanded, but it still thrives in its original message of non-conformity. 

Rock music’s significance in breaking barriers has been reflected in its fashion.  

Punk rock infamously influenced fashion, and the genre’s impacts are still celebrated today. Punk rock initially started in the 1970s and can be described as “progressive rock,” according to Master Class. 

This form of rock was much more aggressive than mainstream rock at the time, and this has shaped what punk listeners wear. Ripped jeans, safety pins and leather accessories are some of the few styles associated with punk fashion. 

Notorious late designer Vivienne Westwood was known for elevating punk fashion in the 1970s. She began her fashion career with punk music when she dressed the Sex Pistols. Her anarchist style influenced the band’s songwriting, according to CNN. 

However, she soon switched from punk to high fashion with her brand, “Vivienne Westwood.” She maintained her ways of going outside the box with her brand, and other designers started to take inspiration from the “distressed” look Westwood was known for in punk fashion. 

Other famous luxury designers such as Chrome Hearts founder Richard Stark were heavily influenced by punk rock music in his designs. He also got his first big exposure by styling the Sex Pistols, according to Cloud Nine Archive. Today, Stark still is known for his incorporation of leather and metals in his pieces.

This sentiment rings true for Broderson. She predominantly listens to metal, goth and punk music.

“I would loosely describe the aesthetics related to these genres as alternative [collectively]. This tends to describe anything that goes against mainstream or trend culture … a more abrasive, shocking look … and inherently encourages one to be themselves,” Broderson said. 

Grunge rock came about in the 1990s with bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam in Seattle, Washington. This particular category of rock music created a different subculture within fashion. Instead of punk’s leather jackets and chokers, grunge fashion was more relaxed with oversized t-shirts and flannels, according to Fashinza. 

Highly-acclaimed designer Marc Jacobs was fired from Perry Ellis for putting on a show inspired by grunge fashion, according to Vogue. While both punk and grunge clothing seemed outrageous at first, their styles still widely persist in fashion today.

“This outward appearance helps people within the genre identify each other, and create a sense of community,” Broderson said.

Electronic Dance Music (EDM) 

Bright colors, crazy patterns and exposed skin. All of these attributes are key components of rave wear. 

Club music, specifically EDM, created rave culture in the 1980s. The styles have expanded from tie-dye shirts to bejeweled bra sets. However, rave fashion has always been inspired by electronic music being a “source of escapism.” 

This idea of escapism in both electronic music and its fashion has allowed people an outlet for creative expression. Whether it’s sewing on stuffed animals or wearing adult pacifiers, there is no line to cross in rave wear. 

High fashion designers liked the idea of escapism behind rave wear amidst the pandemic, according to WWD. People were experiencing a lack of freedom during COVID-19 and designers have wanted to defeat that in their collections. Givenchy and Raf Simons are just a few designers who have reflected the freedom of rave culture in their designs. 

The evolution of fashion and music are interrelated with each other, according to Broderson. She said new music genres and fashion styles have inspired each other to create subcultures people can resonate with. 

“Music influences the fashion of its listeners, and the observance of fashion encourages the listening of music,” Broderson said. “Both are fueled by a desire for personal exploration, and community within one’s passion.”

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