I only know what I know so prove me wrong. I think almost all other forms of art, from music to television and cinema to sculpture and mixed media and painting to dance all have proletarian channels, but fashion is almost exclusively for the wealthy. Arguably also it seems to me that a lot of culinary art tends to cater to the wealthy too, so fuck that as well.

  • SnugMelon [he/him]
    ·
    4 years ago

    High fashion is inaccessible to the working class - but so are most forms of high art! And there absolutely is working class fashion, it's just not recognized as such

    This argument could work a little bit for things like architecture and theater, but everyone wears clothes

      • cracksmoke2020 [none/use name]
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        4 years ago

        You do realize that the people who design these things are often working class themselves right. It's about being able to sustain their art in such a way they can work on more focused and time consuming projects rather than having to pump a ton of lower quality stuff out for cheap.

        There was a study done a while back that discovered the people who eat at the very highest end restaurants are not wealthy people, but mostly people who save up for months and enjoy this as their main hobby.

          • cracksmoke2020 [none/use name]
            ·
            4 years ago

            I don't think that's the case, people also save up for going on vacation because it can be a fun new and engaging experience. Economic status doesn't improve or lower ones ability to appreciate high end (re: only can be made by the most talented folks) food, art, and fashion. The people who work in these fields often have interest in this stuff and are working class themselves.

            There are very few hobbies that are just for rich people even if a rich person could afford a more luxury experience within that hobby or do it more often. Extreme sports comes to mind as being only for rich people.

      • MiraculousMM [he/him, any]M
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        4 years ago

        I'd never heard this term before, but an excerpt from the wiki:

        Considering the amount of time, money, and skill allotted to each completed piece, haute couture garments are also described as having no price tag: budget is not relevant.

        Yeah, let's burn it down

        • invalidusernamelol [he/him]
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          4 years ago

          Let's not pay attention to the amount of time, skill and lack of money that goes into sweatshops that make t-shirts though. Their time and skill is priceless too, as in we don't pay them.

    • cracksmoke2020 [none/use name]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Interests in theatre aren't inherently haute, you can see most Broadway shows in NYC for 30 dollars if you know what your doing, and off broadway stuff for less.

      The only hobbies that are always going to be haute are ones that require very expensive equipment, which generally speaking, only applies to certain sports.

    • gayhobbes [he/him]
      hexagon
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      4 years ago

      Yeah good point, I always seem to struggle with it because fashion seems so aspirationally bougie. But you are right. They're ripping off poor people, jacking up the price, then gatekeeping.

      • qublic69 [none/use name]
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        edit-2
        4 years ago

        They’re ripping off poor people, jacking up the price, then gatekeeping.

        antithesis...
        companies sell cheap, trendiest stuff is available to poor people†, they rip off workers so much more than consumers††, items have bad durability and ecological impact

        † in fact most extremely 'high end' brands are just selling their brand, not the design, the items cost maybe $200 but they sell them for $3000 which makes it a status symbol.
        Those 'high end' things are barely even sold, but just by existing they generate demand for the cheap and flimsy unbranded version, usually made by the same corporation.
        What they also do is sell unaffordable 'high end' handbags, then use the same brand to sell cheap cosmetics and accessories, capitalizing on their expensive brand cred.

        †† there is extreme competition within in the fashion industry, which means consumers have plenty of choice, and the market forces companies to give them a good deal while cutting corners everywhere else.
        That said rich people can afford to buy things that are durable and that ends up being cheaper in the long run.

        I always seem to struggle with it because fashion seems so aspirationally bougie.

        Aspirational bougieness is exactly why it sells so well to people who can barely afford it, most people trying to look like they are one class higher; meanwhile rich people deliberately act like they're at least one class lower (read at your peril...).
        'High end' fashion is largely fabricated by advertising and such, the emperor has no clothes as it were; they want people to think it's bougie, it sells better than sex.

        • gayhobbes [he/him]
          hexagon
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          4 years ago

          (read at your peril…).

          The worst part of this article wasn't even the class faking (although that was a significant massive part of it) but the odd rehabilitation of the Christakis duo because they suck.

            • gayhobbes [he/him]
              hexagon
              ·
              4 years ago

              The fuck is that shirt homie is wearing lmao

              I love how these guys become free speech warriors when their cushy HUSBAND AND WIFE JOBS are threatened for saying something stupid

      • regul [any]
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        4 years ago

        It's not aspirationally bougie. Just like outsider art isn't aspirationally bougie. It's aspiring to rise above the mundane, it's just that we've conflated that with bougie because typically it takes a lot of wealth to accomplish.

        There are plenty of affordable entry points into fashion. Thrifting has always played a big part in accessible fashion. So have the various fiber arts: sewing, knitting, crochet