Disaster Fashion Aesthetic
Blazing like an atomic bomb, the sun’s red heat hits you like a histrionic slap in the face. Hot, wet, humid air provides a stifling feeling with drips of slimy sweat seeping down your body.
In the summers of the mid-2020s, Europe, the southern United States, and South Asia experienced exhaustion and overheating as the climate grew hotter. The reality is, the climate crisis is a serious issue that we can’t afford to ignore. The summers of the future are predicted to be worse.
Yet, life goes on. Humans may intellectually worry about a climate apocalypse, but we couldn’t possibly be distracted from that next scrumptious dinner or cooling herbaceous drinks in the latest “trop style” cocktail lounge. Indeed, we constantly divert our attention from the latest expiring species for whatever new indulgence beckons us.
Fashion, being one of those indulgences, remains essential to our daily lives, regardless of the weather outside. It’s not just about looking presentable, but also about expressing our individuality. After all, one can’t go out looking like a distraught peasant freshly back from the fields and stinking from tilling the soil.
Yet, as much as we rationalize, there is no respite from the advancing climate decline. Sooner than we hope, science has determined we will have to face unusual, raging storms, eye-watering heat, and crippling colds. But while we wait, it’s all fine for scientists in the Antarctic to dress like the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man waddling in the snow.
But no one with any fashion sense will welcome you with open arms as you stumble around encased in layers of practical wool and goose down. It’s high time we start considering sustainable fashion choices that not only keep us stylish but also contribute to the preservation of our planet.
So, how do we dress for continuing climate disasters? I was raised to believe that shorts and T-shirts were meant to be worn when I played sports, not as alternative formal wear. On the other hand, layering sweaters and sweatshirts may keep me warm, but I’m trying to avoid looking fatter and sloppier than I already do, so that’s out.
Some of you may decry me for my superficiality and my loss of focus on serious environmental issues. To you? I say fuck off. I enjoy looking well-groomed and dressed appropriately for a sophisticated dinner or a casual cocktail after work.
Looking like a urine-soaked hobo or a flood victim does no one any good. And frankly, if I am going to die in a hideous heatwave or falter in the freezing tundra? I need a future archaeologist to find my corpse and gasp. “But my God? He had an eye for style, didn’t he?”
But that leaves the question: What do I wear now as we perish in a massive climate catastrophe?
As a human race, we adore daydreaming about the apocalypse. We love to trigger our fears of what lies ahead. Humans, by nature, are inquisitive, and being anxious about the future and the potential collapse of society is in our DNA.
Notions of apocalypse and post-human society have been romanticized in fashion and across various forms of literature and entertainment, including poetry, comics, cinematography, music, and video games.
Consider the Epic of Gilgamesh, where, 3,000 years before Christ, we imagined a dystopian flood. Our seemingly endless plagues, wars, and revolutions are a fervent seed for our apocalyptic fantasies.
And believe it or not, fashion has consistently played a role. For example, after World War II, with much of the globe operating in survival mode, fashion was dominated by rationing.
Pragmatic clothing and uniforms were the most ubiquitous forms of “fashion” during and after the war. Plain monochromatic cloth and simple, functional clothing were bought with ration coupons. Putting aside the human misery at that time, rationing fashion would have made me feel like the shell-shocked Effie Trinket stranded in District 13.
The trauma of the postwar period and economic strains led to a paucity of goods. Place yourself in post-World War II, with up to 3% of the population annihilated. Today, that correlates to 240MM people dead or, in more direct terms, most of the USA would be dead except for our friends hiding in the forests and hills.
If that wasn’t an apocalypse, then someone text me and tell me what defines a global catastrophe. Clothes rationing and fabric shortages persisted until the early 1950s, even in the United States.
However, humans have an astonishingly short memory span, and the simplicity of post-war clothing was anxiously shucked out the window when Christian Dior launched his historic “Corolle” collection in February 1947.
There is a historical precedent for how disasters affect the clothing choices of any population. World War I and World War II changed how people thought and dressed, not only for practical reasons but also for emotional ones. Women began to wear pants more regularly as they took on the roles traditionally held by men in the workforce.
The Great Depression of the 1930s prompted a radical shift in clothing, as fashion gave way to durability and functionality. People also had to consider wearing and living with a smaller wardrobe, as the cost of clothing had to be balanced with essential needs like food. Or in Kim Kardashian’s case, the acids and fats she uses to make her ass look fat.
It’s hard to imagine the desperation of a future financial depression or another world war. Still, an economic collapse remains an ever-present possibility, and a collapse of our infrastructure due to climate pressure is a genuine concern.
There is a real, non-fantastical threat of natural disasters. Future climate disasters will change our economy and way of thinking. But the one thing we can’t change is our need for clothes, so it’s time to take some lessons from the past as we ponder an uncertain future.
Living anywhere on Earth, people can face extreme weather conditions, such as those experienced in Miami during August or Oymyakon during winter. We need to start considering all the possibilities for the fashion industry. Should I have an apocalypse bag ready to flee, and what should it contain?
Common sense demands that I include scotch – you cannot begrudge me that – water, cereal bars, first aid supplies, and medication. Practical, but…
where is the glamor? Where is the Gucci?
Dressing for the apocalypse requires one to consider serious issues such as preparing for temporary displacement (toilet paper, lube, passport) or the end of the world (loss of scotch). Do not judge; the apocalypse is no reason to stay sober.
Yet, what should I wear? There are two opposing challenges to avoiding death in extreme weather. Clothes for the future need to consider tomorrow’s unpredictable, more extreme climate events. And we must remember the existential question:
Do I look pretty?
Designing for extreme weather means prioritizing function over form, which seems too practical for our papillon-like culture. Aesthetics count. Even so, sustainable fabrics and finishes are absolutely crucial. Clothes need to be durable and provide adequate circulation to regulate heat and cold.
There is no escaping it; dressing for disaster will require multi-functional garments that can be worn daily and adapted to extreme weather conditions. There is no avoidance; our clothes will likely need to be multilayered. One layer must act as an airbag or insulation to protect against ice or fire.
Waterproofing technology will also be essential to our robes of tomorrow. Sustainable fabrics must be designed to avoid harsh petrochemicals (they will not be available). For example, there is new technology using lotus leaves that can organically stop water from penetrating fabric.
Scientists and engineers have adapted lotus leaves to develop coatings and treatments for fabrics, making them waterproof and self-cleaning.
Choosing breathable, natural fabrics like linen or cotton is logical for extreme heat. However, these fabrics are not significantly durable. We must rely on innovative synthetics and cellulosic fibers to regulate body temperatures and avoid hideous sweat stains.
These synthetics are typically referred to as phase change materials (PCMs), which are incorporated into fibers or applied as coatings. They absorb excess heat when the body is hot and release it when the body cools, creating a buffer against temperature swings. Some smart fabrics, such as those developed at the University of Maryland, are made from yarns coated with carbon nanotubes.
In hot, humid conditions, these yarns constrict, opening pores in the fabric to allow heat to escape. In colder, drier environments, the fibers expand, trapping heat to keep the wearer warm. So perhaps we shan’t have to look like Porky Pig in a divinely fat-looking Moncler puffer jacket.
However, designs for the apocalypse are not just about textiles. It is also about thoughtful design.
Many of the most fashion-forward designers have been creating their garments with panels, slits, or even kimono-inspired sleeves to maximize airflow. And, of course, we will likely still have to rely on chemicals, but technology is introducing “green chemicals,” which use algae and plant seeds to wick away moisture.
I see myself sitting in the dense darkness, wearing my gorgeous, viridian-green chemical jumpsuit with kimono sleeves, listening to the screams of the dying. But before my smugness takes hold, we have to plan ahead. These new-age fabrics rely on technologically advanced manufacturing. We will need to create clothing that utilizes sustainable, durable fabrics and is adaptable to extreme weather conditions.
Our future clothes must be multi-functional, probably unisex (God support us), and timeless. Since I despise gender-neutral garments, I will likely be screwed in the future. Nonetheless, I refuse to die without a fight, so I must accept that I will likely dress like an actor from “Space 1999” with sensible jumpsuits while cicadas and cockroaches take over.
But I have hope. Industrial advancements and thoughtless waste have brought us into our current mess, but science will also help us get out of this situation. But is it too much to ask for some pops of color?
Recovering from an obsession with Italian-designed menswear, Alfonso decided to take a deeper look into women’s fashion to see how our relationship among clothing, society, and business has changed. Educated as an economist with an MBA, he travels between Chicago, Miami, and Mexico on a search to see what happens next to fashion.
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