Socrates vs. Streetwear: philosophy rescues us from the ‘trend’ mill

Walk through the streets of Sydney for a few years and you’ll be irked by the speed with which youth street style collectively changes. Trends are met with almost passive acceptance; a fact of life, are seen to be generally harmless and strangely, symbolic of dynamism and innovation.

But I think it’s worth philosophizing about trends and how we can save ourselves from them. Because yes, a mass afflicted (myself included), unrecognized shortage of self-knowledge, prompting a constant compulsion to purchase is a cause of concern. More on this later, but for lovers of ‘Streetwear’ who will find it hard to remove one’s self from the teat of what they perceive as ‘street culture’, there’s one message. In our rapid acceptance of varying trends, we’ve departed significantly from the very point of streetwear: dressing with an intimate knowledge of who you are, what you stand for- even if this is in relation to a group you legitimately belong to, and what you actually do. Importantly, we’ve become alienated from the self-improvement and creativity inherent within street subcultures.

The real problem with trends is lack of depth in engagement- both with ourselves and with external objects. Clothing is loaded with meaning- allusions to subcultures, bold ideas and dreams of change. At the moment we’re cycling through styles so fast that there’s no ability to appreciate and absorb the deeper meanings behind the clothing that we wear. In that way, we also fail to be affected in positive ways by these meanings. We simply put on the clothes and take them off, neglecting any opportunities for discovery and future flourishing.

Let’s go into a bit of detail. The first ingredient of a trend that gains momentum is an aspiration point: there are people out there who we admire for a plethora of reasons both good and bad. Wearing clothes like them situates us as one of them. Brand theorists would say that this is the simple, justifiable and right. What we purchase is inextricably related to identity. It’s just self-expression.

But as aforementioned, this is where the lack of self-awareness comes into play. We don’t delve into ourselves before taking in their outside markers of their identity. We don’t know what we must improve on and what constitutes the large gap between us as we stand and the very people we admire. We’re not really expressing ourselves at all. We’re expressing them. Their artistic resolution or daily life has shaped them, helping them to understand who they are and what they want to say. We’ve skipped the journey and purchased, not reached the destination. We’ve exited street culture and rode the express lane of inauthenticity.

This lack of self awareness acts as a fuel for unscrupulous people who will propel our idols to great heights, dress them in clothing far departed from their personalities, and watch us do the same. Additionally, a reason why trends die and new ones form so quickly now is the rapid dissemination of information caused by the internet, largely by these unscrupulous people themselves. This speed of information transfer, compounded by our fascination with being ahead of the pack, leaves little time for self- reflection- we are compelled to ‘keep up’ without regard for deep understanding. Ironically, in keeping up with streetwear, we lose touch with true street culture.

What if displaying the outside markers of values and traits (i.e. wearing clothes we’ve seen our idols wear) was a reward for the absorption of positive qualities and our own self-betterment as opposed to simply an exercise in looking good? So what can we do? The answer is a combination of self-awareness and critical purchasing.

We can draw on Socrates to help us get back to the street. Knowing thyself is critical. Understanding what we love, what we value and who we are gives us a first defense against the rapidly changing desires of those around us. But more important is Socratic questioning. When faced with a new purchase, ask yourself. What does this garment stand for? Are my values in accordance with that? If not, am I ready to absorb this ideal? In other words, all things considered, am I ready to let it into my life?