OUGD601: New Wave Magazines / Symbolic Meaning of Products

Newer wave magazines which have the luxury to look at fashion as a commodity rather than a necessity look at clothes as art, and editorials are the way to curate it all together. The raw simplified purpose clothes bring us is so we’re not naked, we’re warm and to an extent ‘safe’. However, when we remove this underlying function, aspects of identity and fantasy can be introduced. Magazines like Knotts magazine are highlighting these two elements to tell stories, using the garment as visual language to communicate the fantasy the brand wants to immerse you into. This does not cost the viewer (all content available online) whereas buying a new outfit to get the same feeling would cost $$$. Psychologically speaking, what we wear impacts who we are as individuals (and places us in subconscious boxes)- often we’re not wearing what we want for ourselves, but other people etc. Clothing also has the ability to communicate emotions, reference alternative points in history or align with a subgroup/counter-culture.

The meaning of an object can be lost when a group connotation relates it to something else, which can also change over time. Polo by Ralph Laurent was advertised and seen as for many years, for the privileged. Civilised garden parties, croquet & horse riding, preppy. Now, street wear has taken Polo by Ralph Laurent under its wing just as it has taken Burberry’s iconic check print in the past. The brand (and logo)(even if a fake product) is used as a status symbol, devaluing the brand and placing ‘high culture’ with ‘low culture’, ultimately messing with the hegemony of society and the products underlying intentions. Brands develop yes, but does Ralph Laurent really want to be known for east-end ‘roadmen’ wearing his caps and jumpers? Could this detract the future generations of preppy teens buying into the brand? Considering Polo from an editorial point of view, Ralph Laurents adverts and fashion photography has gone further to the ‘high society’ style again, portraying overtly civilised perceptions of reality (and who symbolises the brand) (very Hamptons)