James - Hip Fashion

Big wooly jumper anyone?

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(Cited on A Hipster Website)
Thinking about this little artcile in context could we think about why they wear these items? Maybe its the global downturn with the lack of money, making many young people restore to second hand clothes. Or is it because the Hipster movement is rebelling against the consumer society we live in and constructing their own style of living and belonging. Or is conform over style?

These jumpers make me think of the think my Grandparents would of knitted me for Christmas, so could it be linking into how as this generation is getting older we are sadly starting to lose remembers of grand parents this is linking back to earlier days?

A Hipster (website)

Thought it was interesting that the website I got the previous article from has lots of advertising for "Urban Outfitters" and "TopMan", with targeted advertising on the internet is this a hit at the out lets that tap into this subculture ? Does this make the Hipster subculture mainstream and a sign of the absorption?

Quick Screen Grab from TOPMAN & Urban Outfitters Websites

On topman site we get the Chinos which is talked about heavily on the "A Histper" website, which is interesting as they were originally Military Trouser, hinting back to the bircolage of styles. Then we have the heavily repeated pattern on the t-shirt like with the jumper above and then linking in again is the "nerdy but cool glasses". Are Hipster just early trend setters?

I defiantly believe Urban Outfitters sells a lifestyle, if you have ever been in one of their stores, from clothes, music, books and so on. These are what the trend setters should be reading, listening too, wearing and doing. I say doing from the way they decorate their stores and some of the item they sell, from hanging fixed bikes on the ceiling to the lomography they confront you with as soon as your through the door. (I dont believe this is a bad thing and I personally like Urban Outfitters but its interesting, even with the company name. Fitting you out for the urbarn environment/lifestyle.)
On the website their is a big thing about the UO community has lots of videos and events. I think these videos are interesting in the way they suggest ways of behaviour which I will pick up later on.
http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/scat/community/

Cycle of Fashion

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This cycle makes me think of the retroactive cycle, which is to go to the past, to exist in the persent, to look to the future. Which I feel is a similar thing here with the use of vintage styled clothes and analogue technologies like 35mm cameras and fixed wheeled bikes.

Reference

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(cited on Google Books)
I feel this quote from "Subculture: the meaning of style" is interesting and reflects what is happening with the fashion of the Hipster subculture with rupturing previous discourses to create new meanings from though clothes they mash together creating their own niche (style of living) away from the mainstream.


Rebelling?

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"And since the brands couldn't fulfill the deep desires they were awakening, 

social movements had a new impetus to try." 

(cited in NO LOGO, by Naomi Klein).

I feel this quote expresses something within most of us, the search for something other, maybe this is what the Hipster subculture and others like it are doing. Rebelling against the same thing they see everywhere, on every high street. With vintage and charity shop stuff its not going to be the same thing in every store you going into, allowing you to have a real connection with the thing you consuming and wearing as a identity (feels more like a one off and more an expression of yourself?).

Round up

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Think this video looks at some directions to explore within hipsters and some key names. More things to explore  = ).