Ugly fashion, especially as it has come to be interpreted in India,is hard to define it.It is, at its core, a celebration of what is normally perceived as ugly, anguished, misshapen and gender agnostic.It attacks the root of the prevalent idea of beauty created by fashion giants whose reductive approach to fashion which has left fashion being deprived everything except glamour.It rejects the notion of the body as an emblem of human accomplishment.Instead, it pushes the boundaries of the physical and the moral.Especially in the age of Instagram and YouTube, ugly seems to be the only way to stand out among perfection.In India, “ugly fashion” also, perhaps, rose as a reaction to the over-ornamental bridal clothes that dominate Indian designer labels. In 2019, we are still peddling embroidered flowers and kitsch at international fashion events.Shapeless clothing, chunky heels and puffers are the highlights of fashion’s next invasion. Trending, along with dad sneakers, are ugly floral dresses, ugly work vests, ugly sweaters, ugly jackets and high-waisted mom jeans.It is a trend designed to agitate or even irritate the world.This wave of not good looking designs has been on the rise for a few years now, but the ugly clothing trends are no longer in the side, they have officially gone mainstream now.Once influencers and celebrities are pictured in magazines and on social media wearing a trend, it begins to go mainstream, and it’s around to a point that a catwalk trend filters through into stores, making it accessible to you and I.
-SARASWATHI P S
Fashionistas 