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Story MINH NHAT
Photos INTERNET
Dance clubs and summer raves are not only a source of fun and inspiration but have become an indispensable part of the fashion landscape.
The influence of Rave culture
Glenn Martens, the creative director of the Diesel brand, shared in NSS magazine in 2024: “Going into Berghain and spending six hours dancing is like a therapy session.” For many young people who love parties and techno music, Berghain has become a globally beloved space, even gaining notice in mainstream newspapers like VnExpress: “This club makes those who have never been there restless, while those who have been seem ‘enchanted’ and do not want to leave.” Berghain, music, and rave culture during the vibrant summer days also reflect the motto of Diesel’s lifestyle and fashion products: “For successful living.”
In the 1970s, disco reached its peak with famous clubs frequented by celebrities like Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. More than half a century later, as techno dominates the hottest dance floors, the music parties of these two periods still share similar values. It’s all about young people turning to the vibrant world of sound to temporarily set aside life’s stresses and social issues. At the same time, with the explosion of escapism, fashion is increasingly moving closer to what clubs are offering to music enthusiasts every night of the week.
In collaboration with the global radio platform NTS, Diesel organized a massive 8-hour techno festival in Spring/Summer 2024 alongside the launch of a new collection. The scale of more than 10,000 attendees, not counting online viewers, is just one of the huge numbers that the Italian brand has achieved by investing in rave activities. Going beyond the role of a subculture inspiring fashion, rave officially accompanies models on the runway. For Glenn Martens in particular, the collaboration with NTS allows the creative director to contribute to clubs and people looking for a safe space to be themselves, even if just for a moment. Thus, it can be said that the symbiotic relationship between fashion and rave culture stems from the need to express personal values and the desire to transcend limits.
The synergy of creation
Aside from the definition of rave as large-scale electronic music activities, it is also understood as a “rage.” Like any other profession, fashion uses these rages to escape the repetitive nature of creative work. Fashion originates from art; however, fashion is also a serious business. Balancing creativity with revenue makes these “rages” more popular than ever.
To this end, designers/creative directors have begun producing music. Shayne Oliver is a prominent name operating as both a musician and designer. He also pioneered the new fashion era, which gave birth to the famous Virgil Abloh. The fact that Abloh is both a DJ and a creative director is no longer unusual. Coming from the other direction are rappers like Kanye West and Travis Scott, who ventured into fashion by launching personal brands and collaborating with luxury giants.
In 2020, the French brand Courrèges welcomed its new leader, Nicolas Di Felice. He rejected the idea that creative directors should only contribute ideas during fashion show music production. While studying fashion at La Cambre, the Belgian designer began experimenting with a series of music tracks in his 18m2 dorm room. Di Felice’s debut collection for Courrèges, named I Can Feel Your Heartbeat, is a tribute to the rave community, which was confined throughout the social distancing period due to the pandemic.
Most recently, in the Fall/Winter 2024 collection, Courrèges once again explored the idea of intimate human contact. Here, the background music was intertwined with the warm, steady breathing of women. The sound combination is both evocative and intimate, accurately simulating the atmosphere of music parties. Right in the middle of the runway was a stark white art installation, moving up and down in response to the breathing like a giant heart.
The entire show exuded the spirit of a music festival, where reality is temporarily left behind to make room for liberation and relaxation. “What I love about fashion and music is that the movement brings people together and that’s one of my goals in this job,” Di Felice said in the Spring-Summer 2023 issue of AnOther: “For me it’s one of the best ways to open the fashion world up, when historically it’s been so closed off. Bringing people together is everything.”
