#whatisfashion?: Nietzsche and fashion that enslaves

Nietzsche

THE GERMAN PHILOSOPHER HAS PRECISE IDEAS ON THE FASHION CONCEPT

#whatisfashion? After the summer break, we propose you a new episode of the social initiative promoted by Wait! and Shopenauer, aimed at investigating what fashion is, through the theories of philosophers. The last time was Seneca’s turn, today is that of Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900). The thinker, author of memorable works like the Antichrist, Thus spoke Zarathustra and The Joyful Wisdom, from whose pages emerges the famous phrase «God is dead! God remains dead! And we killed him!», ge has clear ideas on the fashion issue too. And, as in the case of the Roman stoic, they are not at all benevolent.

Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington, Los Angeles, Vogue Italia, December 1989, Photography Steven Meisel

Fashion is «the misunderstanding of slaves on beauty.» First sting. But what does it mean? Nietzsche is known for concentrating most of his discourse on the moral question, from which comes the desire to reconsider all the values of his era. For the native of Röcken, a small town in Saxony, fashion is mistaken for beauty. And by whom? Who are these slaves? Obviously all those who rely on it believe it can actually make them more interesting to others. The second sentence takes up the association of Seneca on the concept of fashion and consumerism. In fact, the thinker defines it as «the form of the many.» The way in which most express themselves, imitating each other. The clothing industry is therefore a world in which only people similar to each other participate, unable, always according to Nietzsche, to reveal their uniqueness. In this way they support each other. Thus fashion becomes a «serene meeting between those who know each other related to its law.»

Logo-mania by Gucci

#whatisfashion? PERFECT BODY, LOGO-MANIA, GLOSSY IMAGES: THE FASHION CODE

In the eighties the models are tall, curvy, dressed in leather and are acclaimed all over the world. They are the tops and respond to the names of Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. The logo-mania reigns and Steven Meisel takes his first steps to become what he is today: one of the greatest fashion photographers of all time. His glossy images are the protagonists of sector magazines, in particular Vogue. A decade later all this shimmer goes out a little because on the catwalk Kate Moss arrives – thin and pale – on the radio Nirvana is listened to and photographers like Mario Sorrenti and Corinne Day, whose photos are less glamorous, are depopulated. The brands on display disappear and return to their premises, or hidden on the label of the tops, skirts or shirts.

Kate Moss photographed by Corinne Day

What does all this mean? #whatisfashion? That fashion really dictates a code that changes every time, but to which one must (must) act. Here is the law Nietzsche talks about. But perhaps they are all theories already known, especially today. Just think of the value of a photograph in our age: immense. We no longer speak through words but through images. Coated or not.

Extraordinary is that the thoughts of the German philosopher manage to be current and true after more than a century. The same is true for those of Seneca and the thinkers already discussed. And then perhaps it is true that the image of life is a circle and that everything returns, cyclically. And fashion is not immune. Like life and death, it is also an integral part of our daily life. Positively or not it is certainly important, so much so that it is taken into consideration by the most important intellectuals.