From 'indie' to 'trash', this is how the modern style has evolved in ten years

TrendsWe've gone from cat prints and baby collars to XXL sweatshirts and pointy boots. Two generations in search of the different, but very differentiated

By Patricia Moreno

As a millennial from the provinces, I remember looking through the window of, let's say, modern fashion, through the Internet. It was the days of MySpace and Fotolog and, one day, I don't know how, I ended up in the profiles of the gang that would end up becoming the first court of national net-celebrities (let's remember that this is the pre-influencers era). I'm talking about Gala González and Pelayo Díaz, at that time, Spaniards in London doing their own remastering of the British look; also from the most extreme –something that today continues to be her personal imprint– Miranda Makaroff. And there was Brianda Fitz-James, a resident of Madrid and owner of what seemed to me to be her own aesthetic coordinates: ones that oscillated between the naive, the retro and the arty. All these words together, and mixed, would shape what became known as indie fashion. And this fashion was the one that the moderns of the time wore, whom we all ended up calling hipsters.

Among the involuntary ambassadors of this style, Brianda was through her blog, Bri anda dibujando, where she shared her referential universe and her illustrations; Russian Red did the same with her music, songs and look; while, internationally, Zooey Deschanel earned the title after starring in the film 500 days together (Marc Webb, 2009), which was presented as a revision of the classic romantic comedy, although it ended up proposing a model of a woman who was, after all, a new kind of masculine fantasy. This one was coined with the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl. The actress herself made the most of her feat by launching the HelloGiggles: a Positive Community for Women website, although her idea of ​​an empowering community for women today would be quite questionable. But that is another topic.

Returning to our borders, both Brianda and Lourdes (the artist who hid under the name of a lipstick stick) sealed great ties with indie labels in continent and content: they were independent products, what has always been called author , as opposed to the large fashion chains that divided up the market; and aesthetically they assumed and defined the dress of so many girls that they made baby collars, lantern sleeves, colored stockings, cat or polka dot prints and lace-up shoes their uniforms with which to show themselves to the world. They were, in the case of the first, La casita de Wendy, to which he lent his image and for which he devised several prints; while the second was Kling's face on different occasions.

I put myself, once again, in the shoes of that young girl who travels to the capital –oh– once a year and I remember Fuencarral street and its surroundings as the place of pilgrimage for these girls and all those who tried (we tried ) to emulate them. And there it was, in the extinct market, the store of the designer Pepa Carnero, Pepa Loves. His space, with pink and white striped walls, was a sanctuary for those who wanted (we wanted) to be part of that aesthetic religion. We spoke with Álex Solís, who leads the team, ten years after that boom to find out about his current moment. According to his account, "the collections continue to have their colourful, cheerful, naive and fun style, but with models focused on a slightly more adult client", so, in essence, the firm is maintained thanks to that loyal audience from before he has grown older. Something that also makes the difference is that today they have a cruelty-free vocation, freeing their products from any animal origin.

Who has also refused to check her DNA is Inés Aguilar, alma mater of La casita de Wendy. "We started at the end of the 90s and our fashion was not understood, the Spanish public saw it strange, we sold almost everything abroad. One of our milestones was that Björk wore one of our designs, which always provided something dreamlike and magical," he recalls. . Now, he feels that there is room for everyone, although nostalgia continues to be an important value of the business "We have verified that what we do is absolutely timeless, far from trends, which is why we have created a section in the online classics store, where we reissue old models. For example, we take out the ET sweaters every year and they sell out, being a design from 2003!", says the creative who, in addition, has created a branch of training and advice for entrepreneurs in her little house.

In a few years now, with the arrival of another generation at the age of consumption and prescription, a new modernity has been defined. If their older brothers longed for the 70s, they long for the 90s or the early 2000s: the years of grunge, excess, hip hop, bakalao. It is then that this chapter sets out new coordinates, ones that, stylistically, are based on the tracksuit, the hoops, the pointed white boots, the sports shoes with an air chamber, the logos and the fanny packs. What, in short, is known as trash. And the new icons confirm it: where Russian Red and Brianda Fitz-James were, now there are La Zowi and Sita Abellán. Internationally, Zooey Deschanel gives way to Rihanna. As for musical tastes, things have changed from the indie prefix before pop or rock to trap; The media have also changed: from Blogspot or Fotolog to Instagram as personal spaces in which to shout out a personality to the world.

Iñaki Domínguez, author of the book essay Sociología del moderneo (Editorial Melusina, 2017), has approached these two promotions of Spanish modernity, who shares: "in my book I talk about something I call identity constellations, which are combinations of elements that evoke a specific identity. The hipster constellation would be, for example: a prophet's beard, although neat, skinny pants, fixie, prison tattoos. The combination of these elements creates a certain identity". In his opinion, there is a generational change, but both will coexist in peace. "The new modern will be linked to the trash aesthetic, without a doubt. In fact, from the field of fashion it has been trying for many years; until now without success. I remember reading in a publication, around the year 2006 or 2007 , on how the new wave was going to be the tracksuit and the gold chains. The designers Maria ke Fisherman work in the same line. The grace of the whole thing is in the distance that the consumer establishes with said identities. If one is a Quinqui is not funny. What is funny is playing at being Quinqui, without really being one. Consuming a certain identity. That is one of the keys to modernism. I don't think, however, that hipsters and indies are going to disappear. trap is not for people over 35".

And what brands, besides Maria ke Fisherman, do these next-generation fashionistas wear? LA TI GO –which comes from La Tienda de las Gorras, a temple of streetwear in Malasaña–, Flighters, the sweatshirt firm of María Simun, a stylist (of Rosalía, for example), who has a second brand, Airam Sacul, together with Lucas Sirera, about whom he says: "our favorite item of clothing from the latest collection are skate jackets, made with Gorina fabrics." Yes, these young people prefer bomber jackets or jackets typical of urban culture to lace-knit cardigans. Along the same lines are the creations by Miguel Becer with his signature, ManéMané, winner of VOGUE Who's On Next 2015. In his collections he covers sweatpants, minimal glasses – that Solange Knowles has fallen in love with – or boots with maxi platforms. "We're back in 2000, why? Because enough time has passed for the 2000s to seem interesting again. The key factor for this is nostalgia. Sometimes fashion is sold through sex or position social, and it is done with greater or lesser success, but what never fails as an infallible tool is nostalgia. In addition, young people are eager to consume fashion, music or cinema, and this makes them interpret the codes in their own way", he reflects the extremeño The largest and most historic luxury brands have seen in this generation a way to update and approach the new generations. Two examples: Yung Beef, formerly part of the Pxxr Gvng group, being the image of Calvin Klein, and C Tangana dressed by Loewe on different occasions.

The Kling brand is a sample of how these two scenes can be understood and coexist, also, aesthetically. It's both for hipsters from then (who are around 35 today) and now (a mix of late millennials and generation Z). He has found the balance between that indie fashion and the current trash, a moderate version halfway. The best example? The image of María Simun with a Cher t-shirt, beret, leather miniskirt, stockings and red shoes. The firm, led by Papo Kling, is facing a renovation stage thanks to the intervention of the logistics operator Logisfashion, as announced by the economic portal for the sector Modaes.es, and has opened a flagship space in Lavapiés with a new image and store concept. In fact, the businessman shares his optimism with Vogue.es: "I am confident that the best is yet to come. The fashion sector is light years ahead in terms of innovations compared to other industries. For our part, we continue with the philosophy of take risks in what we do. Many things don't work, but those that do are later adopted by other more conservative firms." And that contained risk is what has made this firm have the approval of two generations that, being different, share a different vision compared to the rest.

At this point, the question, using Iñaki Domínguez's terminology, would be: what will the identity constellation of the next generation be like? what about after thrash, what happened to indie? As Carla Sierra, fashion editor of the print edition of Vogue Spain, writes, "in the hangover of the disheveled style that seems to have imposed its codes in this era – the empire of the sweatshirt, the hegemony of denim, the triumph of the sneakers–, a crosscurrent of designers advocates recovering that dreamy fashion with storied embroideries, tons of tulle, iridescent fabrics and pastel shades". And he goes on to mention the internationals Molly Goddard and Tom Guy, and the Spanish María Rosenfeldt, from Heridadegato, and Celia Valverde, creator of CÉLIAvalverde as promoters of this style. And a promise to keep in mind: Álvaro Martínez. All of these names have a bit of that hipster who loves the dreamlike and the intellectual, but they also share the decadent aesthetic – often through haunting beauties or out-of-focus images – and the social message of the latest generation. Conclusion: modernity is neither created nor destroyed, it only transforms.

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