High Fashion Grunge Veterans

Over time a lot of designers have drawn influence from the grunge aesthetic, whether in a glaringly obvious or manner or by using subtle inspirations.

Marc Jacobs epitomizes the high-end of grunge fashion, with a collection that challenged the subcultures values so much that it contributed to its downfall, but also put it on the fashion map for good.

 

In 1986 Jacob’s designed his first collection with the Marc Jacobs label, mainly hand knitted jumpers and with the signature being mainly 'classic American sports wear'. In 1989 Jacobs and business partner Robert Duffy joined Perry Ellis. This partnership then sparked a whole new look to Jacob’s collections. His collections seemed more daring and fun compared to when he first started his own label. 

Marc Jacob’s collection for Perry Ellis was a series of landmark designs that shocked and thrilled alike, but what exactly what is that got tongues wagging and Jacobs fired? The collection was heavily inspired by the Grunge movement of the late 80’s/early 90’s which was around the time the collection itself was brought out. Marc himself had a grunge style, and this was reflected in the collection, which featured flannel shirts, Doc Martens and other items that made a very obvious visual link to the grunge movement. Jacob’s himself described the collection as “a little fucked-up” (which was probably the reasoning Perry Ellis had when they fired him) and many would have agreed that bringing a dressed down, thrift store look to the catwalk and then trying to charge hundreds of pounds for women to wear it was slightly ludicrous – but critics began talking, a zeitgeist for high-fashion grunge.

Jacob’s collection drew so heavily on grunge that a lot of it was basically just replication of items of clothing from the grunge movement with a slightly high end twist, for example thermals but made out of cashmere, and this is what worried a lot of people, including the powers at Perry Ellis – the collection was TOO similar to the original movement, making it easier to achieve on a lower budget.

Jacob’s began designing for LVMH in 1997. There’s a strict line in Jacobs’s mind separating the Marc Jacobs woman from the woman who is very Vuitton. However, Jacobs continues to inject elements of grunge into his designs for Vuitton, particularly witnessed in his AW11 collection with grunge-influenced oversized sweaters worn over luxurious garments.

This begs the question, is this just a subculture for people who can afford it? 

Middle Market Misery

Other, newer, designers are also using a grunge influence in a more modern context – picking at certain areas for inspiration but not committing to it as much as Marc Jacobs did, and there is a reason for this. Real, original grunge died out in the 90’s with the death of Kurt Cobain but it’s influences have stretched out over time to create a modern ‘faux grunge’ – girls who like to dress down and wear a casual ‘thrift store’ look, but are willing to spend a lot of money to do so. They take inspiration from the original movement but with a lot of dark, sheer fabrics as well as a use of leather.

Richard Chai is a new designer, who released his first collection in 2004. Previous to this he worked with Marc Jacobs and helped launch the Marc by Marc Jacobs label. His style is highly tailored and slightly feminine. In 2008 Chai released his menswear line that got him the recognition he has today.

Chai's style is casual but mixes fabrics like silks with wool and tweed. Until recently Chai's collections seemed to be pretty feminine and delicate with no spark of grunge at all, however, his current collection for fall 2011 tells a different story. The picture on the left is from Chai's menswear collection for 2011. The baggy, dull-coloured look on his menswear collection definitely has a grunge influence. His womenswear for 2011 also seems to have turned over a new leaf, with tailored, fitted, and feminine styles being replaced with baggy, oversized knits over trousers with coats. His first collection for womens RTW seemed to be all nude and white with an innocent touch but that has been dirtied up with blacks, dark blue, olives and browns.

Because of the price tag, Chai seems to design for the mid-market who are fashion conscious, with dresses around the £350 mark. A great example of a designer who embodies these things is Nicholas K in his Fall 2010 ready-to-wear collection – he exhibits a wide range of sheer tops, leather detailed leggings, heavy boots and versatile flannel shirt/skirts. The darker look is sure to appeal to the younger faux grunge audience, but the ties back to the original movement are obvious.

Nicholas K is a new designer who started in 2009. His debut collection follows the androgynous grunge style. For both males and females, it was quite a casual, easy look with baggy dresses, cardigans, trousers and shirts in neutral cream and heavy shades of black. His collection last year for Spring was still that baggy ‘I don't care’ look, however he introduced coloured dresses which were ripped and teamed them with a heavy knitwear.

The fall collection last year took on a hugely dark and grunge style for both men and women. The models wore heavy black eye makeup, the colour of the clothes was mainly black and dark grey and they still showing the baggy, layered look. This years Spring collection is still grungy and definite similarities can be seen to the previous collection. However, the colours are lighter with a more military look with olive and green shades with browns and greys.

Nicholas K's collections all shout ‘faux grunge’, from the baggy style, layering, use of check and colours. The price range is fairly affordable and you can pick up a shirt for £70. The garments are appealing all together as an outfit. So if you buy the shirt, to get that look people want so badly, you have to buy the whole outfit. 

High Street Fakers and Faux's

The transition from mid-market to high street has become blurred thanks to designer collaborations with high-street giants such as Topshop, Urban Outfitters and H&M. This new era of designer-high-street collections gives consumers the availability that they lust after for designer goods, without the price tag. This requires designers to adapt their aesthetic to match the target market for the store they’re selling with.

Despite being one of the largest and most commercial brands on the high street, Topshop is still one of the stores that fashion conscious consumers choose to shop at. Their collaborations with young british designers such as Christopher Kane, Ashish, Ann Sofie-Back and Mark Fast, draw in an audience that may not have shopped at the store otherwise.

All of their products reflect an “effortless grunge” style, perhaps due to the designers perceiving this look as sailable, and an easy look to wear – therefore, making it more available to a wider range of people.

Grunge model turned designer Kate Moss, has had her collections for the store specifically labeled as grunge by fashion giants such as Vogue.

“IT'S time to embrace your inner grunge girl as the latest offering from Kate Moss for Topshop hits the shelves tomorrow - and it comes ripped, studded, shredded, rocky and cool.”

This reinforces the idea that celebrity style will sell. And if celebrities are wearing a style considered “grunge”, consumers will imitate this look and designers will remake and revive this look for the customer.

This imitation does not always work to a stores advantage. All Saints collections when viewed as a whole, fit the criteria for a grunge look. However, with boy-bands such as JLS representing the stores look, their grunge image has become tarnished in the fashion industry. This is making it difficult for mid-market designers such as Nicholas K to sell their product to the right audience. If their collection is looking too “rough and ready” (an “All Saints jeans-tucked-into-boots” combo), a fashionable consumer will associate the look with unfashionable boy-bands rather than the grunge era that may have been the designers original inspiration.

This issue for mid-market designers creates a full rotation in that if their product is too expensive for the disheveled look the young consumer is after, they will not be willing to splash out for basic “thrift store” goods. A further problem is that if a designer aims to sell at this level, the quality of their fabrics must increase, consequently decreasing the grunge aesthetic.   

Grunge and Faux Grunge: Designers and High Street

Over time a lot of designers have drawn influence from Grunge.. whether glaringly obvious or  subtle inspirations and Marc  Jacob’s collection for Perry Ellis was a series of landmark designs that shocked and thrilled alike, but what exactly what is that got tongues wagging and Jacobs fired? The collection was heavily inspired by the Grunge movement of the late 80’s/early 90’s, around the time the collection itself was brought out, and featured flannel shirts,  Doc Martens and other items which made a very obvious visual link to the grunge movement. Jacob’s himself described the collection as “a little fucked-up” (which was probably the reasoning Perry Ellis had when they fired him) and many would have agreed that bringing a dressed down, thrift store look to the catwalk and then trying to charge hundreds of pounds for women to wear it was slightly ludicrous – but at least the critics loved it. Jacob’s collection drew so heavily on grunge that a lot of it was basically just replication of items of clothing from the grunge movement with a slightly high end twist, for example thermals but made out of cashmere, and i think this is what worried a lot of people including the powers at Perry Ellis – that the collection was TOO similar to the original movement, making it easier to achieve on a lower budget.

Other, newer, designers are also using a grunge influence in a more modern context – picking at certain areas for inspiration but not committing to it as much as Marc Jacobs did, and there is a reason for this. Real, original grunge died out in the 90’s with the death of Kurt Cobain but it’s influences have stretched out over time to create a modern ‘faux grunge’ – girls who like to dress down and wear a casual ‘thrift store’ look but are willing to spend a lot of money to do so – which takes inspiration from the original movement but with a lot of dark, sheer fabrics as well as a use of leather. A great example of a designer who embodies these things is Nicholas K in his Fall 2010 ready-to-wear collection – he exhibits a wide range of sheer tops, leather detailed leggings, heavy boots and versatile flannel shirt/skirts. The darker look is sure to appeal to the younger faux grunge audience but the ties back to the original movement are clear to see.

Finally, faux grunge has become to commercial and desirable as a subculture that high street brands such as Topshop, H&M, Religion and All Saints have catered to the needs of a lot of faux grungers out there by making it more widely accessible to those who don’t have to cash to throw at designer brands.  All Saints in particular is embracing the faux grunge feel with a lot of clothes sporting a ripped/torn or deconstructed look, as well as the expected sheer materials and various leather items. But what makes All Saints interesting is the fact that they cater to such a wide audience in the way that JLS, a group who would never be associated with faux grunge in anyway, are often sighted dressed head to toe in All Saints clothing. Which begs the question – is faux grunge only truly accessible to those with the money to spend on designers who are committed to it, as opposed to high street stores which are just going along with it to keep the masses happy?