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Sociology of Fashion: Order and Change

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Sociology of Fashion: Order and Change SO39CH09-Aspers ARI 24 June 2013 14:3 Sociology of Fashion: Order and Change Patrik Aspers1,2 and Fred´ eric´ Godart3 1Department of Sociology, Uppsala University, SE-751 26 Uppsala, Sweden 2Swedish School of Textiles, University of Bora˚s, SE-501 90 Bora˚s, Sweden; email: [email protected] 3Organisational Behaviour Department, INSEAD, 77305 Fontainebleau, France; email: [email protected] Annu. Rev. Sociol. 2013. 39:171–92 Keywords First published online as a Review in Advance on diffusion, distinction, identity, imitation, structure May 22, 2013 The Annual Review of Sociology is online at Abstract http://soc.annualreviews.org In this article, we synthesize and analyze sociological understanding Access provided by Emory University on 10/05/16. For personal use only. This article’s doi: Annu. Rev. Sociol. 2013.39:171-192. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org of fashion, with the main part of the review devoted to classical and 10.1146/annurev-soc-071811-145526 recent sociological work. To further the development of this largely Copyright c 2013 by Annual Reviews. interdisciplinary field, we also highlight the key points of research in All rights reserved other disciplines. We define fashion as an unplanned process of re- current change against a backdrop of order in the public realm. We clarify this definition after tracing fashion’s origins and history. As a social phenomenon, fashion has been culturally and economically sig- nificant since the dawn of Modernity and has increased in importance with the emergence of mass markets, in terms of both production and consumption. Most research on this topic is concerned with dress, but we argue that there are no domain restrictions that should constrain fashion theories. We identify venues around which sociologists could develop further research in this field. 171 SO39CH09-Aspers ARI 24 June 2013 14:3 INTRODUCTION devaluated in academia because it is sometimes seen as a “capitalist manipulation of the public” Fashion is both a significant sociological topic and is associated “with women’s pursuits.” and a social phenomenon par excellence. As Similarly, Kawamura (2005, p. 9) explains that a sociological topic, fashion lies at the cross- fashion is academically devaluated because it is roads of several core subject matters of the disci- “linked with outward appearance and women.” pline (Crane 2000, Kawamura 2005), including Despite these difficulties, many sociologists collective and personal identity dynamics, pro- have addressed fashion since the birth of the duction and consumption patterns, and social discipline. Classical works, for example of distinction and imitation mechanisms. Hardly Simmel (1904 [1957]) and Blumer (1969), still any area of contemporary social life is not sub- play a central role. Blumer (1969, p. 290) asked ject to fashion, and it is a topic in which all sociologists to “take fashion seriously and give classical sociological questions reappear, from it the attention and study which it deserves.” the culture/structure conundrum to the mi- Over the past 15 years, a new generation of cro/macro debate. We argue that the increased sociologists has paid heed to his call and shown interest in fashion (see, for example, Giusti great interest in this topic, highlighting the 2009, White & Griffiths 2000) should be ac- difficulties of theorizing in fashion studies knowledged as a sign of both its importance (Tseelon 2009) and calling for more of this and its generality. And sociologists are well ¨ type of work (Quemin & Levy 2011). White & equipped with theory and research tools to un- ´ Griffiths (2000, p. 1) showed enthusiasm for the derstand and explain this phenomenon. changing context: “The history and theory of The fast-paced change patterns and easily fashion has ...become a field of unprecedented observable mutations of fashion have led Bell academic interest.” Fashion, we argue, is still (1976, p. 17) to observe, “In sociological studies largely a conundrum, but renewed interest fashion plays the role which has been allotted to opens up relevant venues for research. We Drosophila, the fruit fly, in the science of genet- foresee that a consolidation of the theoretical ics.” As a social phenomenon worthy of social- and empirical understanding of fashion would scientific enquiry, fashion spreads far beyond allow us to apply this knowledge to numerous sociology to adjacent disciplines such as his- social processes far beyond the current domain tory, philosophy, economics, geography, and of application. cultural studies—which in turn influence soci- In sum, research on fashion is in need of two ology: “The ‘mystery’ of fashion changes has interrelated developments: a clear definition fascinated not only economists and sociologists, and more academic legitimacy. The first aim social historians and cultural anthropologists, of this article is to review the field of fashion as but also philosophers and moralists, poets, play- Access provided by Emory University on 10/05/16. For personal use only. a sociological topic, with a focus on fashion as Annu. Rev. Sociol. 2013.39:171-192. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org wrights, and novelists” (Gregory 1947, p. 148). change. This focus allows us to offer a defini- However, there is much confusion about tion of fashion that is derived from the review what fashion actually is. As explained by of the literature and to clarify its underlying Kawamura (2011), this confusion is due primar- mechanisms. It also helps identify the type of ily to the two meanings of the word—fashion as research that remains to be done. The second change and fashion as dress. To be thoroughly aim is to provide accrued legitimacy to the studied, fashion needs to be clearly defined, and study of fashion. This is why we trace the ori- a clear definition is still lacking. Furthermore, gins of the field to its classical roots. We update fashion research is haunted by “academic classical theories with a focus on the revival of devaluation” (Kawamura 2011). Many reasons the field that has occurred in the past few years. have been advanced to explain this situation. Importantly, although fashion as clothing and Crane & Bovone (2006, p. 320), for example, dress constitutes a valuable setting in which to explain that fashion, like consumption, is study fashion as change, on which we focus, we 172 Aspers · Godart SO39CH09-Aspers ARI 24 June 2013 14:3 suggest that sociologists would gain from using began to mean conforming to prevailing tastes a more developed theory of fashion in which and to imply an idea of change. Mode and moda the two concepts would not be confounded. come from the Latin word modus and refer We have organized this article as follows. to manners; there is also a strong connection We begin by briefly presenting the origins and to the concepts of modern and modernity. history of fashion. This enables us to relate fash- These concepts in turn refer to capitalism, ion to a few other concepts, and thus to clarify which historically emerged with Modernity what it is not. We then turn to some academic (see Breward & Evans 2005, pp. 1–7). Both disciplines related to sociology in which the etymologies relate to ways of making and do- topic has been studied, first, to integrate knowl- ing things, and thus to a diversity of practices edge; second, to show how more recent find- (Godart 2012, p. 27). Moreover, at least in ings on fashion in other social sciences could English, the etymology of fashion refers to be integrated into sociology; and third, to out- collectives. Only gradually and later did these line what a specifically sociological perspective terms refer to change as explained by Luhmann on this topic would entail. The rest of the arti- (2000). cle consists of a review of sociological studies As noted by Welters & Lillethun (2007, on fashion. Taking an international perspec- p. xxv), “the definition of fashion is contested.” tive, we start by exploring the roots of fashion Additionally, a set of concepts are related to theory in order to find core elements that can fashion and share some of its features but constitute a sociological understanding of the do not fully exhaust its specificity. This lack concept, and then move on to the more contem- of clarity does not facilitate research. To make porary approaches, comparing and contrasting the concept clear, we suggest distinguishing the production and consumption perspectives. To- concept of fashion proper from selected related ward the end of the article, we suggest a defini- concepts: fad, innovation, style, and trend. tion of fashion that synthesizes research on this Fads (or crazes) (Barber & Lobel 1952, topic and that could serve as a stepping stone for Sproles & Burns 1994) refer to sudden changes further theoretical and empirical developments. that often spread quickly and fade away rapidly. Fashion differs from fads in two ways: First, although fashions are related in some ways THE ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION to previous fashions (Belleau 1987), fads ap- OF FASHION pear to be random and impossible to predict. Second, whereas fashions are intrinsically lim- Etymology and Relationship with ited in their diffusion because they are driven by Selected Concepts distinction, fads are not restricted by the num- Access provided by Emory University on 10/05/16. For personal use only. It is revealing to look at the etymology of ber of people following them because individ- Annu. Rev. Sociol. 2013.39:171-192. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org the word fashion in a few languages beyond uals do not use fads to distinguish themselves. English, such as French (mode), Italian and Fashion, moreover, is different from Spanish (moda), or German (Mode). All these innovation (Gronow 2009). Both fashions terms have Latin origins. In English, fashion and innovations refer to change, and they comes from the old (twelfth century) French replace or complement something that already word fa¸con, which designates ways of making exists—an older way of dressing or an obsolete and doing things, highlighting the active role of technology—with something new.
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