#CONSTRUCTIONCORE - Analysis of the current internet-fashion

[English-only this time!]

Berets, puffer jackets, metallic chains, stripes and checkerboard-patterns - you think these don't go together at all? Well, they really don't - but that is what makes it intriguing. The fashion-universe came up with a really special style-genre lately, and it baffled me of how many different influences it's constructed. One of which I thought the world wasn't ready for . . .

So what is #CONSTRUCTIONCORE, and what is it made of?

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If you're not someone who's present on the internet 24/7 and loves to follow emerging styles, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. I noticed a collection by Berlin designer-brand THE LAST HEIRS last year and didn't think much of it, just writing it off as very unique collection.

But the more time progressed, the more often I came across people on Instagram wearing similar colors and materials. Or other runway-brands like VETEMENTS coming up with similar cuts and concepts. Eventually, when I set my foot into one of h&m's stores, it dawned on me that this could be a t h i n g.

The style-elements of #CONSTRUCTIONCORE?

oversized puffer jackets
berets
eyelet-rivets, safety-pins, zippers, straps
big letters
chain-chokers, silver accessories
plastic materials (foil, trash-bag, fetish-faux-leather vibes)
patterns: checkerboard, stripes
main-colors: bright yellow, bright orange, black, white, red, metallic silver, beige/nude
oversized fan/football-scarfs

Who are some of the #CONSTRUCTORS? (doesn't that sound cool? I know!)

B R A N D S: OFFWHITE, VETEMENTS, UNiF, ADIDAS, THE LAST HEIRS, W.I.A.
I N F L U E N C E R S: @uglysxegirl, @kickiyangz, @mikafrancis, @internetgirl, @llifeisapigsty, @evkeisnothome

From top to bottom: Gosha Rubchinskiy - Vetements - Versace - The Last Heirs - IG @uglysxegirl & @kickiyangz - IG @uglysxegirl

WHAT IS IT MADE OF? The countless influences.

When we refer to an internet-influenced style, we often just say how it's so 90's or so 00's.

But it's not always that simple. This aesthetic isn't typically 90s', neither typically 00's; not goth nor grunge. The different items and elements it contains all come from completely different (aesthetic)-movements of the past decades. Here are a few of the most prominent:

1.// P U N K

How To Look Punk: A 1977 Guide For Wannabes

This was one of the first influences that came to my mind. I wrote a paper about the origins of the Punk Culture in England in school, and my interest for this movement hasn't lessen since.

In the late 60's and early 70's, a group of people started to form the Punk counter-culture (a counter-culture actively acts against the main culture rather than just being part of it, like a subculture would be). The Punk-movement emerged in different countries such as the U.S. too, but the economy in England at that time and the hate towards the soft-hippie-'activism' created a different wave of rebellion against society. [*two books i can recommend are "Punk Rock - So what? The cultural legacy of Punk" and "The philosphy of Punk: More than noise]

Just one of the punks' recognizable signs were their clothes, which they teared apart and put back together using safety pins. One of the (many different) reasons why the movement lost pace in the late 70's was that the fashion industry introduced the Punk-Style to the masses. These magazine scans of "How to look Punk" in 1977 are a perfect reflection of that.

Today, we still see this style pop up in fast-fashion stores on a regular basis. And the #CONSTRUCTIONCORE - aesthetic includes the typical Punk-elements like chain-chokers, neon colors, piercings and safety pins.

2.// 90's H I P - H O P

TLC

Aaliyah

If this aesthetic has a sprinkle of 90's in it, it's definitely coming from the Hip-Hop culture of that time. One was able to see female artists dressing up like the male stars of the industry, in huge baggy pants and t-shirts in bold colors.

Later in the 90s, artists like Lil' Kim and Aaliyah moved away from the tomboy-style and towards a more fitted and sexy attire. What's left for #CONSTRUCTIONCORE? Bold colors, baggy puffer jackets, fitted lacquer-leather skirts, huge word-prints and straps. And obviously, the

metallic- silver materials that 90's techno

celebrated to the max.

https://the5thelementmag.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/tumblr_mliw5jjqja1s4nolao1_500.jpg?w=1920

80s/90s Fashion Label 'Cross Color'

3.// THE B E R É T

Left to right: Asos, Dollskill, Fenty Puma by Rihanna, IG @kickiyangz

If you haven't noticed already, this accessory is on the rise once again:

"After thousands of years of existence, the beret has taken on a number of meanings. At first, it was meant to symbolize a peasant's status, and then an artist. In the 19th century, it had the power to symbolize a political belief. In the 20th century, it could be a fashion statement and a hint to one's ideology. By the 1970s, it could be a signal of black pride and by now, the 2010s, it can symbolize pretty much anything, from a political stance to just wanting to innocently wear a beret. For a hat, it certainly has a lot of power." (article)

I couldn't have said it any better. #CONSTRUCTIONCORE breaks up the elegance of this headpiece once again by using fake-leather materials, eyelet-rivets and rings as decoration.

4.// C H E C K E R B O A R D

Patterns used by the police in New South Wales

This aesthetic generally uses the stark contrast between black and white, noticeably by the heavy use of the checkerboard-pattern. It started its journey on chess-games and as a floor-patterns.

Also known as "sillitoe-tartan" or "dicing", the scottish police started using checkerboard-stripes to dress their policemen, having many other countries follow them up to this day.

In the fashion industry, the skater-brand VANS helped the popularity of the pattern enormously, printing it on their slip-on sneakers in the 1970s. When those shoes were featured in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982, it really reached mainstream fashion. Even in my childhood in the early 00s, people were still rocking the pattern on their Vans-backpacks in school. And weirdly, it makes me think of Avril Lavigne . . . I wonder why.

Anyways, brands like UNiF and DIOR (in their SS18 Collection) are bringing this pattern back once again. For the #CONSTRUCTIONCORE - aesthetic in specific, I believe the police-attire to be the main influence, because it plays into inspo - No.5:

5.// C I T Y - A T M O S P H E R E S

Photography by Michael Crompton - The Last Heirs SS'18 collection

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/CN/20141207/REAL_ESTATE/141209862/AR/0/construction.jpg

Yes, I'm aware of how weird this association sounds. Nobody wanted to wear working-overalls or the color orange before, in fear of looking like trashmen or construction-workers. But I guess that the world is ready for that now.

The use of overlapping straps, huge bold letters, reflecting stripes and broad jackets - #CON-STRUCTIONCORE look like as if someone took photos of NYC and made an outfit out of them.

Did you grow up in a city? Because as someone who didn't, this place has such a huge influence on me now. Buildings rise up as others fall, huge lights shine on the dirt on the streets - contrast is everywhere, and obviously, it's reflecting in fashion.

So why do I call this aesthetic (yet-inofficialy) #CONSTRUCTIONCORE?

Not only because it's constructed out of so many different movements, style elements and decades and cannot be categorized as just one or two. What's new is the major influence of the city as a place of contrast, with the the street- and construction workers being the forces of growth. Their orange attire, the metal materials and safety-straps add to the bold and baddie-feeling of this aesthetic.

These are the influences I was able to decipher, kinda, but I still have question marks when it comes to the fan-scarfs. In Germany they're worn by everyone who calls themselves a football/soccer-fan, but I'm not sure how they ended up in fashion yet...maybe that's a story for another time.

B O N U S: HOW TO BUY THIS SECONDHAND!

Look out for:

puffy jackets
oversized, worn out t-shirts
pullovers with huge sleeves
checkerboard-items
everything orange
key-chains
berets (which you can decorate yourself!)
...

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I wonder if this style is already dying or just starting to take off. I sure hope so, because that would make this blogpost relevant! No matter what's gonna happen, my goal is to inspire you to look at different styles in general, and try to follow the history of their different elements. Fashion is always a reflection of the culture(s) that we're living in!

Thanks for reading xx

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// S O U R C E S //

I don't own any of the pictures, I only edited them. The sources that I didn't link in the article directly are the following: