Music, Models And Fashion – A Love Affair To Remember

There has always been a love affair between music and fashion, and through time we’ve seen the two come together with creative brilliance and profound impact on cultural evolution through the decades.

In the golden years of the 1960s, mod legends The Small Faces became the best-dressed band in England, Cilla Black and fashion label BIBA were a perfect fit, while the Beatles and the Stones embraced the foppish hair and frilly shirts of psychedelia. Through rude boys and rockers, the relationship between music and fashion blossomed, becoming intimately entwined in the sound and vision of Roxy Music.

Malcolm McLaren, 2001, the man who launched a legendary boutique, a legendary punk band (Sex Pistols), and introduced the world to a legendary designer (Vivienne Westwood), said, ‘Fashion and music – music and fashion – are the expressions of the same needs”. This synergy, popularised and commercialised in the Sixties, between music and fashion, the two pillars of popular culture, has never faded.

Musicians can nowadays  often be found at international fashion shows, performing live on the catwalk, wearing the clothes in the advertising campaign, or they might even, and this is not unusual today, have a pop at fashion design themselves.

The Catwalk x Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

Music is no stranger to the catwalk, not only to set the mood and brings atmosphere to the event, but more and more runways are turning into live music shows, with artists performing their contemporary hit songs alongside models catwalk the newest fashion garments on the runway.

The famous Victoria’s Secret fashion show is one that has embraced and implemented this practice successfully though the last years with world-known musicians such as Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5 and Justin Bieber, and last year Taylor Swift, performing at these high profile fashion shows.

After a break to go across the pond to London in 2014, the show is returning to the States for its 20th anniversary which can, only by now, be called a phenomenon of modern culture.

Iggy Azalea x Steve Madden

You know her as a rapper, but Iggy Azalea is also primed to take the fashion world by storm. The “Fancy” star landed her first national campaign for Forever 21 last year. The rapper/model is known for her statement-making outfit choices on stage and this year we see Iggy teaming up with renowned designer, Steve Madden.

Bold colours, unique fabrics, sexy silhouettes — Iggy Azalea wears it all. The SS15 ‘90s-inspired collection, featuring chunky platforms, sporty neoprene sandals and metallic slides, consists of a variety of designs and bold colours.

Idris Elba x Superdry

Many brands use music in-store to create a particular vibe. As a brand strongly associated with music, Superdry influences the music scene from the ground up, and supports artists through their global presence.

Supporting emerging talent with its SoundCloud channel, the brand uses its store portfolio to act as a platform, giving upcoming artists the chance to be heard by the masses, acting as a springboard for their careers.

Furthermore, actor, rapper and DJ, Idris Elba, is another addition to the fashion world. He’s recently teamed up with Superdry to bring out a premium men’s line, scheduled to be launched in November.

Elba, who was featured as a DJ at this year’s Snowbombing event in Austria and Glastonbury festival in England said, “I love clothes. I’m 42 years old now and I wear clothes that I can be comfortable in, that will look good for a long time and that I can wear from set to a dinner party to a club. Functionality and a sense of durability were the key things for me.”

Run DMC x Adidas

Fashion and music tend to mirror each other, with musicians often the driving force behind the latest fashion trends. Partnerships can cause a snowball effect on the popularity and success of artists, and vice-versa, proposing many opportunities that otherwise would not be made available to them.

Run D.M.C.’s 1986 track ‘My Adidas’ impacted the sportswear fashion world, and can be seen as the beginning of modern hip hop sensibility, sneaker culture and product endorsements. A senior Adidas employee witnessed the 1986 Madison Square Garden performance of the Raising Hell tour, and was stunned by the sight of tens of thousands of fans lifting their Adidas sneakers into the air during the track. The popularity of the iconic song triggered paradigm shift in the rap and fashion worlds, with the first ever endorsement deal between a music act and an athletic company. Impacting the sportswear fashion world, it brought about modern hip hop sensibility, sneaker culture and product endorsements.

Music and fashion have always influenced each other. As music genres become more or less popular, the fashion and styling aspects associated with that genre can also move with the changing attitudes. In this way, fashion and music tend to mirror each other, with musicians often the driving force behind the latest fashion trends, changing the industry and bringing a focus on the music scene and popular culture. 

Sarah Tramm