Erina Mannan's Portfolio

“Dystopias help people process their fears about what the future might look like; further, they usually show that there is always hope, even in the bleakest future.”

– Lauren Oliver, Author

“Dystopia is a wonderfully cinematic setting”

– Vikramaditya Motwane, Author and Film Director

Whether it’s online, in museums, or on the catwalk, artists have always played around with the idea of dystopia. Over the last few months, this fascination with a damned future has only increased, and terms like ‘dystopian chic’ or even ‘warcore’ now circulate amongst fashion enthusiasts. Dystopian fashion often consists of dark, muted colours, ruggedly draped fabrics, and industrial accessories such as utility belts. Importantly, dystopian fashion is always practical (or at least appears so), as if it were designed specifically to help the wearer survive an inevitable doomsday scenario. Is this in response to an overwhelming political climate? A result of growing sci-fi content? Or maybe even a protest against the rapid advance of technology and AI?

Foremost, dystopian fashion represents a growing political anxiety felt by today’s youth. The likelihood is that wherever you’re reading this article, your government is in disarray, and things only worsen on an international scale. At the same time, it seems like a final, environmental disaster is not too far out of reach. Naturally, a peaceful world feels like a distant fantasy, and dystopian aesthetics reflect this. However, I argue that there is something uplifting in these visual representations of collective anxiety. Artists continue to speak out against the injustices they see around them and urge others to do the same.

The sci-fi and horror industries are growing exponentially, and as always, the visuals of Film and TV influence fashion. Titles like The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, and The Last of Us are unmissable staples of contemporary pop culture. As life imitates art, fashion imitates Rick Grimes’ thug-ish survivalist look.

I think it would be fair to assume that no one reading this article remembers life during the Industrial Revolution. However, many of us probably do remember studying it, and how it sparked resistance from those unwilling to sacrifice tradition and nature in favour of technological advancement. Similarly, we are now witnessing a resistance to the acceleration of Artificial Intelligence, which Forbes refers to as the ‘modern-day Industrial Revolution’. AI is paving the way for a future full of strange, slop-filled possibilities. As of this month, the number of bots on social media has surpassed the number of human beings. Additionally, AI chatbots are replacing human interaction and threatening the jobs of many individuals in the service and arts sectors. Simple things we took for granted, such as hearing a real voice when calling a service centre, now seem like a distant reality. With the invasion of AI into our everyday lives, it seems like we may already be in a dystopia – so why not show where you stand with dystopian fashion?

And where do you stand, reader? Is ‘dystopia chic’ just a fleeting interest in apocalyptic fiction? Or is it, at its core, a socio-political standpoint as fashion often is, even if subconsciously?

Main Image courtesy of Diesel X Thug Life