Identity and style: Fashionable, collective, and personal

Abstract

In this paper, I consider the relationship between fashion styles, with a focus on clothing and accessories, and identity. Specifically, I investigate the role played by fashion in three distinct, but often intertwined instances. First, I consider the relation between the choice of a given style and the establishment of collective identity. I then move to the analysis and comparison between what is implied by the possession of a “fashionable style” and by what is instead regarded as “personal style”. The goal is to show both how fashionable styles emerge and gain popularity and how personal styles affect the notion of personal identity. Importantly, I argue for the active role of fashion: a personal style does not simply underline character traits, it is constitutive of identity and can effectively shape who we are.