Is Space-Age Fashion the next big TikTok fashion trend?
The fashion community on TikTok has found a new trend from the past to revive: space-age fashion! The trend from the 60s is getting a 2020s makeover. Although fashion houses picked up on the revival, TikTok trend-setters are giving the blueprint for the extraterrestrial fashion comeback.
The original space-age trend focused on experimental designs with unique silhouettes while using unconventional materials such as chains, PVCs, metals and plastics. It was mostly led by European fashion houses such as Courrèges, Paco Rabanne and Crawford but pioneered by French designers André Courrèges and Pierre Cardin. The trend was inspired by the developments in space travel in that era leading to experimentality in designs.
For 2022, Lyst predicted in their “what’s next section?” of their “year in fashion 2021” report that the current space tourism developments “will continue to inspire more future-minded designs'. TikTok trend analysts @thealgorythm and @oldloserinbrooklyn agree and are explaining the comeback in various TikToks. In @thealgorythm’s TikTok they argue that the 60s mod trend had a comeback in 2021, but in 2022 it’s time for the futuristic space-age to be revived. They mention that the trend has taken over both runways and social media but that there is a “tension between this trend on the runway and the subversive theme [online]” as both sides interpret their possible future differently, depending on their social class. While @oldloserinbrooklyn explains that vintage Paco Rabanne and Courrèges, clothing with dramatic shapes and go-go boots with an edgy twist will become very popular.
This 60s trend revival has also appeared in runway collections in the 2020s. The retro futurism inspired designers such as Courrèges, Paco Rabbane, Rick Owens, Mugler, Loewe, and Marine Serre. Micro skirts, white boots and PVC material have made a comeback in the 2020s. Fashion brand Commes des Garçons designed inflated garments which seemed like space debris floating through the air. Collections shows were also inspired by the space craze. Balmain's F/W 21/22 was staged as a rocket hanger with the moon hovering over the models, while Chanel had a life-size model of a rocket in the middle of their runway.
On TikTok, fashion fanatics are showing the new aesthetic by wearing plastic boots, shiny dresses, extravagant silhouettes, and unusual headwear. TikTok users, such as British artist @eloisemp3_universe, have been getting into what she describes as alien fashion. She shows her 60s space era influences, especially vintage Mugler. The pieces are made from sparkly material and into dramatic silhouettes with big shoulder pads. Her videos include her own extravagant outfits with experimental shapes, makeup and headpieces. Though she takes inspiration from the old space-age, her makeup especially brings in a modernness with colourful eyeshadow looks and even her whole face painted green. For her, it’s an expression of her artistry as she explains: “I took all these inspirations and made it into the song you’re listening to” referring to the song playing during her TikTok. This shows how the trend (within social media) not only applies to clothing but is becoming a lifestyle/aesthetic.
Comme des Garçons Spring 2017 Collection.
Image: Yannis Vlamos.
One specific brand is reigning in the new subculture: vintage Courrèges. With stars like Dua Lipa wearing the sought-after vintage pieces, it comes as no surprise that the TikTok fashion obsessed have been trying to get their hands on it as well. Tiktok user @oldloserinbrooklyn explained in her video that it took her 3 years to find her dream vintage Courrèges jacket. The jacket in question is a vinyl leather cropped jacket that comes with a matching headpiece, in varying bright colours, taking inspiration from the astronaut look. The same jacket appears in other fashion hauls from TikTokkers such as @emimussssssss who also says that she “has been searching for this for a very long time”. Other TikTokkers such as French user @matdebs unbox vintage Courrèges hoping for it to fit as he says “oh no it looks a bit big, I’m not sure it’s going to fit well”, showing how popular these clothes really are as they’re bought no matter the sizing.
In 1966, British designer Crawford created an Astronaut-helmet-inspired hat, called "Dollar Princess" which was a half-visor, half-space-helmet creation and intriguingly made from milk bottle tops. The unconventional material gave it a reflective shine while plastic was used for the visor. Innovative headwear from the era was inspired by the 60's astronaut helmets. Spanish Designer Rabanne took a less liberal interpretation of the astro wear with mini shift dresses and matching headwear made from unusual materials such as chain mail. Models appeared as extraterrestrial soldiers. This might be inspired by the 60s astronauts seeming like soldiers venturing into an unknown space. However, no brand quite shaped the style such as Courrèges' 1964 Moon Girl collection. It presented white go-go boots, A-line skirts made from shiny PVC, tight unitards and spherical headwear. The shininess of the clothes was inspired by the astronaut suits which were made of very reflective aluminized nylon.
Paco Rabanne with a model in one of his link dresses, 1966.
With billionaires such as Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Virgin's Richard Brandson or Tesla's Elon Musk racing to conquer the space travel industry, it makes sense for culture to relive a second space-age craze. However, one can only imagine how the innovations of 2020s space travel will shape fashion designs. We have only seen the beginning of this trend and 2022 will show what fashion influencers can make of it. Perhaps we'll see. new materials and new silhouettes taking inspiration from astronaut suits, rockets and other related inventions. Like in the 60s, experimentalism in fashion through space exploration is back in style.
