Civilizational dissent at late 1990’s: body, fashion and club cultures in contemporary society

Abstract

British fashion of the 1990s manifests a fin-de-siècle social anxiety. Facing a systemic crisis of culture, some designers embodied the sociological concepts of risk and carnivalization in their creations. This attitude is reflected in the emergence of themes such as the wasted look and abject aesthetics, epistemological solutions arising from a legacy of grunge experiences. Based on a documental approach, materialized in media and art works, to some British fashion shows of the 1990s, we will discuss in this article several aspects of the relationships between body, risk, carnival and fashion, focusing on the works of British designers and its manifestation in the hidden economies (club cultures scenes included), in which Alexander McQueen played a central role.