French Fashion designer Coco Chanel once said that “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” This may sound like a load of bullshit to some, but it is important to make a distinction here. Overpriced designer labels may set the prevailing mode of fashion, which in turn trickles down to the masses via cheap knockoffs, allowing them to conform to current trends that may not have anything to do with their ideas or the way they live at all. But where do these trends come from?

Designers have been inspired by everything from nature to history to other ethnic cultures. Lately, their designs seem to have been coming from those who rebel against the norm. They come from the street, from the fringe, from those who, at least at one time, chose to express themselves with an appearance that was consistent with their ideas and representative of their lifestyle. So when countercultural self-expression is pounced on by fashionistas with little concern beyond aesthetic appeal and profit, what does it mean for those on the fringe who were attempting to make a statement that cuts a little deeper than the surface?

James Curcio addresses a similar question in his article The Death of a Scene. Well, the way I see it – and James already touched upon this – all subcultures, whether they be goth, punk, rave, etc., form because people identify themselves with the groups they associate with. We know ourselves, to an extent, through those around us. Subcultures represent an extension of the self, and if the self happens to be drastically different from the fictionalized norm of the mainstream, then the counterculture offers a small world in which they can feel accepted.

While you may call yourself a rebel and refuse to conform to the system, there are other people “just like you” within a particular subculture. People tend to conform to that subculture through such indicators as music, lifestyle, and of course fashion. It is good to be an individual in that you act of your own compulsions, but the fact of the matter is that humans are social beings and need to play with others (even if poorly) to help define themselves.

There are labels for everything these days, and while many scorn them, the world would be an even more confusing place without them. This is not necessarily such a horrible thing as long as sweeping generalizations and hurtful stereotypes are not formed. That being said, perhaps the acceptance of certain subcultural fashions into the mainstream may not be so terrible. If you feel the loss of your rebel status, you never truly were a rebel…there was a whole subculture to which you conformed. The mainstream acceptance of your lifestyle and fashion may indicate that your subculture is no longer feared or scorned or dismissed as freaky. Instead, it is appreciated for its artistic value, for its contribution to the diversity of expression. And that may be a big step towards the appreciation and acceptance of the subculture.

I think the real tragedy is not conforming because one is drawn to an aesthetic allure, but conforming because people say it’s “in” and everyone blithely parrots those they see as the trend-setters. I pity the robots who blindly follow the styles of the fashion industry just to be In, sometimes without any real appreciation of the aesthetic, and often without any notion of the history or lifestyles behind the fashion. Take, for example, those who may faithfully follow the trends depicted in this month’s French edition of Vogue magazine. What, pray tell, was the inspiration behind the “Sacrément Inspirée” photo shoot? Oh, just some routine dark magic. You know, Wicca, Voodoo, Satanism – complete with related props: tarot cards, sacrificial goat, skull, pentacle. Yet somehow I doubt the model knows a pentacle from the Star of David.

It’s true that commercialization of fringe culture just to make a profit, without any real understanding of the culture, can seem pretty exploitive and at times disrespectful (see James Curcio’s article Wake Up Neo). But still, in some cases, imitation of the scene should be considered a compliment; they say imitation is the highest form of flattery. It means people see something of value in your lifestyle, whereas before they did not. It is progress.

And while designers who offer clothing lines in countercultural fashion may be out to make a buck, they are also supplying an easier way for the people within a subculture to find clothes that they like. But if you’re really afraid of blending in, by going for the independent designers rather than a large mainstream label, you can ensure that you won’t look like a clone of every shmuck and his mother who follow the latest trends.

Delicious Corsets feature an assortment of ready-to-wear, specialty,and custom corsets for both casual and formal wear. Corsets may be back in style according to mainstream fashion, but the gothic community has been sporting these babies for a good while now.

Redbuttafly is a fashion design company that actually fuses the fashion elements of different subcultures for those who want to create a truly unique look. So you can be a little bit punky, a little bit rock n roll…with some hip hop flair and gothic mystique to boot.

Shrinkle designs are currently only available on ebay, but include clothing and accessories for both goth and punk fashions.

If you’re interested in creating a look that is distinct and difficult to duplicate, check out chateaubizarre. This site features hundreds of obscure independent designers that you won’t find in mainstream shopping centers, including small neighborhood stores, co-ops, one-person operations, and more. Chateau Bizarre offers tons of resources for a myriad of styles: vintage, cyber, streetwear, fae fashion, hemp, glam, drag, punk, gothic, ballet, ballroom, burlesque, medieval, Victorian… there’s something here for everyone. And just for fun, take a look at their “Haute or Not” feature; it’s always entertaining to mock the more ridiculous aspects of Haute Couture.

Fresh Fringe Photos

Some photographers have also done amazing work in capturing a certain essence of fringe cultures. The same shock value that goth and punk cultures deliver is being fine-tuned for aesthetics, channeled through a magic lens, and transmitted as high art.

Jeff Cohn is one such photographer. Cohn began shooting photos of his favorite bands as a teen, but his hobby soon became recognized as full-fledged talent. His secret? “To me its all about creativity, personality, passion, lust, desire, sex, art.” (See Sex and Fashion for full interview). Cohn taps into his models’ unexplored beauty and exotic mystique, and uses his imagination to create images that burn on the retina.

Lithium Picnic, formerly a photographer for Suicide Girls, was a pioneer in this style of photography and has a collection of extraordinary shots that prove that the fashion world and fetish world need not exist in separate universes. His expertise and painstaking attention to detail, combined with his passion for the unique and obscure, generate an intensity that pulls you into his images. (Ed: His work with Suicidegirls, thanks in part to their draconian legal strategy, has put this great photographer out of his studio for the time being.)

Photographer and prominent music video director Floria Sigismondi brings her flair for the macabre into her work by blending traditions of classic art with bizarre, sometimes disturbing elements. She describes the atmosphere of many of her visual works as “entropic underworlds inhabited by tortured souls and omnipotent beings.”

The abnormal has intrigued photographer Chad Michael Ward since he was a child. While his art explores the eeriness of all that is morbid, his portraits reveal that beauty can lurk in darkness as well.

Russian-born Nadya Lev revels in the artistic value of self-adornment. She emphasizes that her images celebrate “creative people who dare to alter themselves beyond the pre-packaged styles offered by popular culture, drawing on history, film, literature and art to become walking testaments to their ideals.”

It is interesting, though, that Miss Lev should refer to fringe fashion as a creative impulse that lies beyond pop culture’s pre-packaged trends when it is beginning to become an inspiration for such mainstream trends. Perhaps the link between music and fashion is to blame. Oftentimes fringe fashions are inextricably tied to a certain style of music, whether it be punk, heavy metal, emo, or otherwise. In fact, many of the aforementioned photographers have done shoots or music videos of famous musicians in these genres as well. By showcasing fringe fashions to mainstream society via popular music icons, maybe these unique images become more palatable, or at worst, an acquired taste.

The work of these photographers highlights the differences among human tastes while asserting that each lifestyle has beauty and artistry. But even though mainstream clothing trends can also help foster an appreciation for countercultural fashions, nothing beats the authenticity and honesty of those who experiment, or even pioneer a fashion coupe.