World-building, wellness and what we wear ­ — fashion’s dream of escapism

An uncertain world is the backdrop to fashion’s latest fantasy ­ — designers respond with futuristic streetwear and a spiritual retreat inwards.

When photographs of Bella Hadid, Hailey Baldwin, and Emily Ratajkowski on a yacht flooded our Instagrams in late 2016, most people thought nothing of it. Influencers in exotic destinations swamp our feeds daily. Those who fell for Fyre Festival’s promo can hardly be blamed for wanting a slice of that lifestyle. These models represent ultimate escapism — to us, their lives look like a 24/7 luxury holiday.

Influencer culture has created generation FOMO (fear of missing out.) While our increasingly tech-reliant lives leave us longing to escape, we are falling further into an existence dictated by likes and followers.

For previous generations, extravagant fantasies of wealth and fame were the product of imagination. Now, social media creates the illusion that the life of a jet-setting influencer is within our reach, as long as we wear the right clothes and post the right content. Not only does this rapidly increase the speed of consumption, but it is not financially sustainable for most.

Digital clothing offers an alternative that marries fashion and tech. Norwegian brand Carlings’ digital collection offers statement, Instagram-ready styles for a fraction of the price you would pay for streetwear originals. There’s a catch. The clothes themselves don’t actually exist. The product is applied to your photo, but you never physically own it.

Carlings’ digital collection is self-aware, not shying away from futurism. A metallic sweatshirt with “Artificial Intelligence” emblazoned across the front looks appropriate for a trip into outer space, whilst another boldly proclaims, “I am not a robot.”

With Facetune as the most popular paid app for two years in a row, digital clothing looks like the next step in our transition to a virtual existence. “[Social media] is escaping into the idea of yourself,” says Dazed magazine’s Jack Mills. “It could well be an extension of narcissism, which is now something that you can get addicted to so quickly. Having perfect skin and perfect clothes. Where does Instagram start and your own body end?” It is almost dystopian to imagine a world where most of the faces and clothing we see do not really exist.

It is not all dystopian doom and gloom though. The social media detox is on the rise. Fashion is also tapping into the idea that many young people wish to escape from their phones rather than into them.

Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s Autumn/Winter 2019 collection created a fantasy that was more about winding down than rushing into the future. “The idea of escapism — holidays, travelling — is really important in the world that I am trying to build,” he told Another Magazine.

The designer builds this world with erotic and exotic undertones, but the peaceful, tonal palette of his designs speaks to a wellness movement that is about escaping inwards. De Saint Sernin’s dusty blues, crisp whites and flashes of silver would not look out of place on a wellness Instagram account.

Calming colours have become as much a part of the self-care movement as expensive candles, Korean sheet masks and vitamin shots. Modern wellness tries to address mental wellbeing whilst also being digestible on social media. This uncanny pairing allows fashion and wellness to go hand-in-hand.

Jil Sander, Eudon Choi and Galvan were among brands whose Spring/Summer 2019 collections delivered a message of freedom and comfort, with wellness as the subtext. At Jil Sander, Luke and Lucie Meier’s debut was inspired by boxers and ballerinas; the discipline of training and the freedom of performance.

Dance references reappeared throughout the Spring/Summer collections. From the studied discipline of ballerinas to the wild abandon of weekend partiers, dance sells itself to fashion’s affair with escapism.

Fantasy offers never-ending excitement, but it can become a way of covering up deeper issues. For Gen Z writer and burlesque dancer Lucy Harbron, fashion and escapism are about more than daydreams. They are about survival. “There have been times when the fantasy of an outfit has been the only thing that gets me through the day,” she says. “When my depression was at its worst, fashion allowed me to smile on some of the saddest days of my life.”

Escapism can be integral to our ability to function day to day, but it can also be used as avoidance. Claire Marie Healy worries that it is “a trap because you’re able to visualise the things that you want to escape into, but you’re actually further from being able to achieve that.” For a socially conscious generation of activists, fantasy poses as a distraction, allowing us to eschew responsibility.

Brands are constantly creating new worlds for us to escape into, but we need to focus on fixing the one that we are in. Fantasy will always have a place in fashion, but it needs to be rooted in reality.

As we escape into an increasingly technological landscape, we would do well to remember the Carlings slogan, “I am not a robot.”