DECODING FASHION PSYCHOLOGY

 

    Decoding Fashion Psychology


           There has been a buzz recently on social media about  

fashion psychology. Having spent a good part of the five 

decades of my life in this industry, I am asked very 

often about my views on this. I decided to do a series 

of videos that you can find on  YouTube:


THE SCIENCE OF FASHION PSYCHOLOGY and


WHAT IS FASHION PSYCHOLOGY with more coming up.

In case you are more comfortable with that medium! 

Else, stay on, read and reflect. 

 

Let us get definitions out of the way. 


The word ‘fashion’ implies styling, the way one chooses 

and wears clothing (primarily) to make a statement 

about oneself. 


Psychology is the science of emotions. 


Though most people cannot articulate it, psychology is 

reflected in personal fashion. Take, for example, a 

teenage boy whose ‘go to’ outfit is a black hoodie. 

In choosing this piece of garment, he is possibly trying

 to deflect attention, blend into the surroundings. 

 

Is fashion psychology just something behavioral scientists 

would be interested in? Not really. 


Clothing is fundamental to all of us. We have gone past the need-based approach of protecting our bodies from the elements of nature, and yet clothing remains elemental as each of us uses clothing as a membrane that separates the inner one and the outer perceived one. Clothing is a reflecting mirror of our personality traits that we choose to magnify or subdue. Power dressing is the best example of this: the corporate world has its blazers, the world of politics, its khadi. 

 

In closely examining our behavioral patterns and responses to clothing, we also understand more about our own selves. Do we shop more when we feel low and need cheering up? 

 

The need to understand fashion psychology is pressing today. It is no longer just ‘nice to do’ or ‘interesting to know’. Mother Earth is bearing the brunt of our emotional approach to fashion: landfills, exploited workers, depleting resources are all

pushing producers, the industry, and consumers, us to contemplate. 

 

The first step to sustainable fashion is thus understanding 

fashion psychology. Look out for more blogs as we delve 

deeper. 

 

- Rama 

 

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Find your size

Image
How to order for your ready made blouse? We have made basic blouses in a few designs to kick start the ready made blouse orders. Get into a well fitted bra. Note the size listed on the label. This has 2 components- say, 38B. 38 is the chest size and B is the cup size. To cross check the label measurement in your bra, you may want to measure yourself too Look up the Umbara blouse measurement chart, match the blouse size that is closest to the chest measure. The blouses chart is made for B cups. However, cross sizing works here just as it does for bras. So, if you are a 38B,  you could also pick a ready made blouse which is a 36C or a 40 A which can be worn after minor sewing adjustments.
Read more

Why do urban young women dress the way they do? Is it only their business?

  The inspiration for young women is largely the fashion industry, one does see models on the ramps and actresses at social dos dressed in what may be considered outrageous garments. For impressionable teenagers and young women, clothing is a critical element of self-expression and independence - they do not see anything wrong in ‘wearing what they want’. This is despite the all prevalent male gaze, which research and personal experience shows is quite different form the female gaze. Advertising has numerous examples of the male gaze: the elegant outline of a car’s form is compared to the curves of a woman. (I have elaborated the point here .) The ‘Me-too’ movement threw up narratives of women being at the receiving end of inappropriate behaviour. The oft-cited excuses have been the ‘provocative’ garb of women. In contrast to the ‘body objectivising’ that happens when a man is in the picture, is the sheer body positivity that young women feel, which springs from within. There...
Read more