Is Fashion really just about the clothes? Can we see
anything beyond the runway, the draped and textured garments and the
skyrocketing platform shoes?
Well what if I was to say that Fashion does in fact have the
ability to voice out societal concerns and address topical issues such as women
and civil rights.Clothes have always been used as a way to indicate social
class, social position, and occupation and to some extent reveal ones relevance
in society.
Take Coco Chanel’s iconic
suits for example. She revolutionized how women dressed which in turn changed
how women perceived themselves and their role in society. Her suits which were
influenced by menswear collections in the 1920's were the perfect balance of
feminine style, strength, confidence and power which were the characteristics
the post war woman needed to build a career in the male dominated workplace.
Her suits allowed women to envision
themselves as equals to their male counterparts in the workplace and challenged
the conventional ideals of womanhood. Her interpretation of feminine clothing
enabled women to have a voice beyond domestic affairs in the confinements of
the home and introduced them to the public sphere where they could be women of
influence.
Karl Lagerfeld’s Spring/Summer 2015 Chanel
show was no different. The models were seen wearing suits with wide trouser
legs, bright chiffon blouses and knee length dresses as they walked down the
runway. However this wasn’t your ordinary runway. Karl Lagerfeld used the
runway to recreate the concept of a typical street he named it ‘Boulevard
Chanel’ where the models walked down the runway to their respective jobs. After
the show models returned to the stage holding placards in support of feminist
ideals, whilst some models screamed through the megaphones to make their voices
heard.
Although gender equality has a long way to go some fashion
designers have been able to use fashion and the runway as a platform to discuss
these ideas.
To say the least the runway has presented itself as a space
that confronts conventional and social ideas. It constantly challenges us as
individuals and causes us to step out of our comfort zone and dares us to walk
with purpose and charges us to have a bigger presence in our society. 
