Time Traveling Fashionably Early: The History of Futurism
Image Courtesy: Visionaire World
Fashion and art have always displayed a form of time travel. While some designers have indulged in vintage looks, others have taken interest in wondering what the future would look like. In any industry, people are always wondering: what’s the next trend going to be? What’s future technology going to look like? How will the Earth and the human race function in the future—that is, will we even still be on the Earth?
Futurism is a movement in art, music, and literature that began in Italy and marked an effort to “give formal expression to the dynamic energy and movement of mechanical processes,” according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary. Futurism in fashion specifically, was a change for those in the 20th century to leave the past behind and experiment with ideas of the future. This changed with the decades and eras. At some point, futurism looked industrial and mechanical, nowadays futurism seems to reflect other-worldly fabrics and designs.
THE BEGINNINGS: CONVENIENCE AND DIFFERENCES
Image Courtesy: The Uffizi Galleries
In the early 1920’s, futurism was associated with breaking the rules of fashion. Fashion in the 20’s was simple, symmetrical, polite, and uniform. Breaking these norms would be introducing asymmetry, louder colors, and wearing comfortable and roomy clothing. The tuta (the name coming from the Italian word “tutta” meaning “everyone/all”) by Ernesto Michahelles was essentially a unisex jumpsuit made from one piece of fabric. This “T” shaped garment required little stitching to create and covers the whole body with just seven buttons and a belt. This was popular amongst the public due to its comfortability and ease in movement. This was also convenient because it was easy to make; The cost of living was high in the post-war period, and no extra fabric could go to waste. Patterns of the tuta were published in the paper and the first 1,000 readers could pay an extra 50 cents to receive a printed pattern.
PREDICTIONS FROM THE 30’S ABOUT Y2K
In the 1930’s, theaters projected shows and news bits before a movie began. One of those pre-show reels was a Pathetone Weekly reel that showed fashion designer’s predictions about the year 2000. Predictions of female fashion consisted of, “net fabrics being worn to catch the males.” While we have come a long way from the need to care what men think about our outfits, the prediction is not far off. Netted fabrics and sheer clothing had their day in the limelight in the 1920’s as stockings and nightwear. The trend swung back around in 2008 when sheer fabrics were used in tight clothes, layers, and accessories. We aren’t ready to say goodbye to sheer just yet either thanks to Iris Van Herpen amongst other great designers.
The 30’s didn’t predict it all. We are all still waiting on the prediction that said we would have apparel that will be able to adjust to the perfect temperature despite our environment. (We Floridians are dying for sweaters and outerwear that won’t kill us in this heat).
THE 50’S & 60’S RETRO FUTURISM
The 1950’s and 1960’s idea of Futurism is what we now refer to as Retro Futurism, which is what is often seen in vintage films and comic books. The best reference to describe retro futurism would be The Jetsons, an american animated sitcom that was set to take place in 2062. Garments included leotards and PVC clothing, an assumption that clothing in the future would be unvarying from one another. This futurism was the beginning of all things “raygun gothic” and subgenres like Cyberpunk, which stems around the “combination of high-tech and low-life” as writer William Gibson defined it. Cyberpunk followed Retro Futurism in the 60’s and 70’s. We may not be flying through the galaxy and wearing antennas on our heads, but if there’s one thing that these decades nailed about the future, it’s that patent leather boots have definitely made an appearance.
2020’S FUTURISM PREDICTIONS
Today’s futuristic fashion comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Sustainable fashion has become a focus in our futurism as we battle our carbon emissions and the effects of climate change. Finding ways to recycle materials, reflecting on our fashion related ethics, and discovering ways to preserve our resources, are challenges impacting the way we do fashion. Technological advancements that can interact with our apparel have also been a part of our definition of futurism, as well as what textures and materials we can create with our newest tech. Despite all the things that may separate us from previous generations, we still continue to use the elements practiced in their futurism. The 2010’s inspired their futurism from “dystopian perspectives,” but according to Emma Chiu, a trend forecasting director, it’s predicted that 2020’s futurism will hold more positivity and correlation with alternative realities and “defying time, space, [and] matter.” With Generation Z’s talk about Elon Musk’s technological advancements, the Burning Man festival and psychedelics, and our embrace of astrology, 2020’s futurism seems to be dipping into our minds and the universe within, and outside, of us.
Strike Out,
Writer: Danielle Cuestas
Editors: Malú Carrillo and Natalie Hernesman
Tampa