By Emily Scherzinger

Fashion and music go hand-in-hand. Many music idols are now some of the most influential fashion icons in the world, but fashion in music is extremely varied. Artists are expected to reflect their musical style in their appearance, so styles change from rock to pop to hip-hop.  As specified by Janice Miller in her book, Fashion and Music, “the correlation between music and fashion informs not only the creative activities that are part and parcel of these industries, but also the interests of both the existing audiences for specific brands or stars and the tastes and habits of consumers more generally.” Basically, music and fashion as industries encourage each other creatively while also complimenting each other materialistically.

In order to analyze fashion and music, it is important to acknowledge that music is understood in terms of genres, which in turn affects the fashion of musicians. For example, neon colours may be popular among fans of pop music, but may not be a fashion trend among punk fans. Similarly, it is doubtful there would be many fans of pop music walking around in suspenders, spiked hair, and Doc Marten’s. This makes it clear that specific styles of fashion play a crucial role in making cohesive musical genres. Then, what popular artists of a certain genre wear commonly filters down to the clothing of the fans, thus causing a trend – as large amounts of fans attempt to emulate the musicians they look up to, they wear similar clothing to their favourite musicians. This can be seen in the recent resurgence of vests among folk rock and indie rock fans at around the same time Mumford & Sons became popular, as well as the sudden popularity of beards that can be credited to the blues rock band The Sheepdogs.

The connection between fashion and music is not limited to just what musicians wear – artists constantly mention fashion brands and styles in their songs. For example, in the song “Murder to Excellence” by Jay-Z and Kanye West off of their best-selling album, Watch the Throne, West raps, “Hit the mall, pick up some Gucci/Now ain’t nothin’ new but your shoes.” It can be argued that fans of Jay-Z and Kanye West would be more likely to purchase Gucci clothing than fans of fellow rapper Tyler, the Creator, who is notorious for wearing t-shirts and Supreme snapbacks in his music videos.

The effect of mentioning brands and styles in music is clear: the creation of fan uniforms. In this way, fans of a specific musical genre can be distinguished and differentiated from fans of other genres based on their fashion choices. It is now easier than ever to discern an indie rock listener from a hip-hop buff.

But why is fashion so important to music? In a world where the typical work uniform is, as specified by Miller, “dark trousers and a white shirt,” musicians admirably break the mould with trendy clothing such as high-waisted jeans, neon colours, crop tops, vibrant hair colours, faux-leather suits, and casual hats. Moreover, fashion is a method by which people express themselves. Many people believe that particular fashion and musical taste define one’s personality. This is supported by the fact that people with similar tastes in music are more likely to become friends. Thus, to mix fashion and musical taste in outward expression allows one to display what many consider defining aspects of personality.

With all of this said, music is ultimately understood to share the same core values despite what genre it is defined as: emotion, entertainment, and making listeners feel a sense of belonging while at the same time allowing them to distinguish themselves from others through their tastes. So, while musical taste may be expressed differently through fashion, it is ultimately used for the same purpose: to convey preference for something that evokes emotions in the listener.