There are a lot of ways fashion is perceived – creative, critical, cash cow, tech advancement, feminism. Yet, fashion can also be an act of rebellion, with a historical role in societal uprisings.
In the 18th century, there was a ban on tartan and kilts, imposed by the British (The Dress Act 1746), to suppress Scottish clans and Jacobite followers, with religious tensions at play (Catholic vs. Protestant). And as with bans, the world retaliated along and made it famous – embraced over time by groups from lumberjacks to the queer community in the US, and even influential designers like Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Alexander McQueen, and Vivienne Westwood.
Another fashion-related but sad one is the Zoot Suit Riots in the 40s where young Mexican American, African American and Filipino Americans were beaten up if they wore Zoot Suits because the large amount of fabric was considered unpatriotic during WW2 – which eventually led to the Chicanos Movement
The Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) witnessed attacks on people wearing "bourgeois clothes" as Mao Zedong’s goal was to erase cultural and class distinctions. Today, China is a fashion powerhouse. On the contrary, probably the only thing Nazis got right was their fashion sense given Hugo Boss was their designer.
The Iranian Dress Code made it compulsory for women to wear veils/hijabs from the age of 9. The Iranian women’s revolt is rising. The French Burqa Ban doesn’t allow women to wear a Hijab (nor does it allow anyone to openly disclose their religion as to the secular nature of the state) – now I could be wrong but I believe this led to the uprise of including hijabs in fashion weeks and sportswear.
From a cultural standpoint, the flapper movement in the 20s involved women rebelling against the conformity of what is expected of a “woman” with their short dresses, bobbed hair and bold makeup. Hippies culture in the 60s with its tie and dye and symbol of peace and love and antiwar. The punk movement in the 70s rebelled against mainstream conveying a sense of anti-establishment and non-conformity. The Black Power movement of the 1960s and 70s embraced Kente designs and natural afro hair to challenge societal norms.
This is likely only a fraction of the significance of fashion movements on society. But these resistance movements have been powerful over centuries.
