The worlds of music and fashion have long gone hand in glove, whether it’s the clothes performers wear in music videos, costume changes at live events or the soundtrack to catwalk fashion shows. There are many reasons why music and fashion tend to go together, from helping define a social group to the simple fact that people who enjoy similar music tend to share similar values in other areas of life. That’s not to underestimate the active role that modern music trends can play in shaping fashion choices of the younger generation.

Thanks to music television and mp3 players bringing music into more areas of life, today’s music scene is more diverse and vibrant than ever, meaning young people have a wide range of options when choosing their favourite sounds. Nor is the music climate as divisive as it once was, especially looking back to the heyday of the mods and rockers in the 1960s, where a tailor-made suit or leather jacket would define which define which army you served under on the fashion battles on Brighton Pier.

Today’s music culture is not so rigidly black and white, but there can still be a gulf between social groups that is inevitably traced back to music. One of the genres where this is most prominent is the world of hip hop, which has a long association with designer sports brands stretching back to Run DMC promoting Adidas in the 1980s. While schoolboys aren’t likely to go out in search of expensive ‘bling’ to demonstrate their wealth, many still seek to define their image through designer sportswear labels – a fashion style that hasn’t been confined to the playing fields for a very long time.  Read more...