Fashion and Fame

Across the globe, celebrities play a major role in shaping fashion fads and patterns. BONIFACE MWALII examines the prevailing trends and what possibilities exist for local entertainers.

The world over, celebrities are often associated with coolness and achievement and for this reason many young people idolise, envy and even in extreme cases, worship them.

This takes on many dimensions and so the influence of celebrities is felt in various facets of human life.

Within the confines of normalcy, fashion is considered one of the core pillars of celebrityhood and as such, actors, musicians and socialites are considered trendsetters in that department.

In hip hop culture for instance, rappers are known to have a tremendous influence on the dressing patterns of urban youth.

In the early 1990’s, pop rappers such as The Fresh Prince, Kid ‘n Play, and Left Eye of TLC popularised baseball caps and bright, often neon-coloured clothing.

TLC and late R-n-B singer Aaliyah created a fashion trend among women.

They wore over-sized pants and big flannel shirts often with a tight tee underneath to show their own version of femininity.

This rapidly became a trend during their time. Kris Kross also established the fad of wearing trousers backwards.

Similarly, it was rappers who popularised sagging through their music videos.

The trend, which at one point was labelled “indecent and illegal” spread through the ghetto in America to the suburbs around the world owing to its association with enviable personalities in the hip hop world.

Never mind that it actually originated in prison, where oversized uniforms were issued without belts to prevent cases of suicide and their use as weapons.

There are cases of popstars such as Lady Gaga who is probably more famous for her eccentric fashion sense than anything else.

The multi-talented singer ensures her name is constantly in the press by wearing risqué outfits ranging from dresses woven out of meat to seductive thigh high shoes accompanied by pant-less attire creating quite a sensation wherever she goes.

Then there’s Sarah Jessica Parker who is singularly credited for making Manolo Blahnik a household name through her shoe loving character, Carrie Bradshaw in the popular TV series Sex and the City.

When at one time she proclaimed that she owned over 100 pairs of the designer shoes, fashionistas around the world went crazy about the brand.

Probably the biggest reason for their fashion influence is that celebrities show their solid confidence and their refusal to follow prevailing trends.

People then want to break away and stand out from their peers and are thus willing to take the fashion and style risks to do so.

The fact is, celebrities and average people will always have one thing in common: they want to look nice and get their appearance appreciated.