No one can deny the huge impact that music has on fashion. This kind of evident influence began to surface in the early seventies and eighties, when music bands tried to differentiate themselves from others, through a stylish and trendy image. Torn or ripped jeans, denim jackets, bandanas, scarves, leggings, boots and even enormous sunglasses were just a few of the fashion trends that slowly slipped into everybody’s wardrobes.
Indie fashion too has its roots firmly placed in music. In fact, Indie music itself refers to music that is created by an artist or a band through an independent label. Back then this was seen as a very different alternative to recording, because most artists signed their respective contracts with huge names and studios. The independent labels were often started by offbeat artists themselves, and were very often relatively unknown. Therein lay the catch- the music was meant to be so good that the name backing the artists did not actually matter. Today Indie music refers to music that is a mix of pop, rock, punk and the like.
Indie fashion borrows much of that same attitude from its namesake in music. Today Indie fashion is about having the freedom to express, to be comfortable in your own style and to have an individual touch. The term is used to refer to kids who weren’t part of any culture, but who stood out. A lot of styles and other fashion trends have gone into making Indie fashion what it is today. However, the underlying rule of fashion remains the same- mixing a variety of styles until the right look is achieved. Fedoras, bandanas, scarves, sneakers, sandals and flip flops are some must have Indie fashion accessories. Other than that, hoodies embossed with cartoon characters, plastic belts, loud shirts, vintage tees, bootcut jeans and t-shirts with characters on them are also examples of Indie fashion. The pants worn include cargoes, jeans with silver button designs and Capri pants. It is not unusual to find true Indie fans, they often wear trousers with colors like orange, light blue, army green or cargoes with plenty of zippers. For girls, there are so much more options. Tops include zipped tank tops, graffiti shirts, fishnet tops, corset and mesh tops, camisoles and vests, as well as tops with lace, stripes and crinkles. Skirts usually have some kind of pattern on them for example prints, stripes, ragged edges, sequin work, zips or pleats. The fabrics used can vary from cotton to plaid. Tweed jackets became the rage and plaid designs or prints began to feature in many items of clothing as well. Accessories in the form of huge crested belts, spike collars, huge pendants, gloves, wristbands and bags also complete the Indie fashion look.
Even today, Indie fashion continues to absorb various influences from all over the world, with distinctive trends that vary from one country to another. Probably no other style of dressing, has united youngsters everywhere by giving them a distinct cool identity the way Indie fashion has.
