Individuality is in crisis, but you probably don’t realise the extent to it. We wake up, and we feel like we decide on the fresh outfit we put on in the morning; it’s a daily task for everybody. If we’re feeling down, we could put on the comfy sweater that might make us feel marginally better. If we’re feeling daring, we could wear that shirt with an unusual or revealing fit. If we’re feeling like standing out, how about wearing that colourful coat? 

 

Each of us are saying something every time we put on a garment. Our bodies are canvases for the emotion we feel when we’re dressing ourselves, but as Camille Liu says: “everybody is saying something through their clothes, but if everybody uses the same words it’s really not interesting.”

 

Countless advertisements sell ideals on how we should be looking, whilst trend reports and celebrities also endorse a singular, celebrated style of appearing. ‘Fashion’, when taking the word in its literal sense, is about following the crowd. 

 

Repeating the same language through clothes can become exhaustive. As the media continues to dictate to us consumers which clothes we ‘absolutely must have’, and we idly flick through ASOS post-uni in our bedrooms, and suddenly, recommended to us is that exact garment we were told we ‘desperately need’… we fall for the trap. 

 

But it’s a trap that affects us all. The older generations are told their body clocks are ticking, and convinced that when reaching a certain age, dressing for comfort is a rite of passage. Those who don’t conform might be labelled with an unfortunate Bridget Jones-esque tag by peers, bemused by the fact they dress like they haven't found someone to settle down with and start living like a normal, mundane person. 

 

Sure, it’s much more comfortable to fit into the crowd, but why not have fun? If clothing is language, then let's make our own beautiful words. Copying someone else is plagiarism.