With all the fashion weeks happening, it is a great moment to remember all the musicians who changed the fashion game and made it what it is today. “There’s a perception that fashion comes from the creative minds of the happy few at the top of the fashion food chain and eventually trickles down to the masses. But then there is music to remind us that actually, fashion often trickles upwards” (Arch-Music, 2016).

Most musicians are often broke when they start their careers. How do you stand out as an artist without a penny to your name? How are you to be taken seriously without the money for special effects? The answer is imagination and creativity. Fashion comes from the streets, from people who want to turn their rags into riches and who want to express themselves for the better. These are, in my opinion, the top 10 most influential musicians that changed the fashion game and what it is today. 

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10. Kurt Cobain

Nirvana’s iconic album Nevermind has just celebrated its 31st anniversary. In the 90s, Nirvana changed the lives of teens and young adults everywhere by contributing to the pop-punk movement. Kurt Cobain was one of those artists who did whatever he pleased, never trying to impress anyone with the intention of setting a trend. However, he changed the perception of fashion for a whole generation of kids with less money. He invented the modern grunge style and started to set the standard that men were allowed to play with fashion as well, not just women. His mentality led him to wear women’s sunglasses, skirts, bold accessories, and huge sweaters. He broke gender-based stereotypes. His style still inspires designers like Marc Jacobs to this day.

9. Madonna

Madonna’s musical and cultural impact has been incredibly substantial since the 80s. She is still considered one of the most remarkable women in musical history and one of the biggest fashion icons of the 21s tcentury. Since she rose to fame, her style has evolved drastically. Her trademark was chunky religious necklaces, controversial conical bras (by Jean-Paul Gauthier), oversized bows, and lace gloves. Her style’s characteristics remain in fashion today. It motivated every teen in the 80s to recreate her famous white lace bridal ensemble, which she wore year after year for her 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, Halloween, and costumes for her parties.

8. Bad Bunny

In 2016, Bad Bunny went viral because of his song “Diles” and Puerto Rican culture has never been the same since. In the last 6 years, Benito has managed to give Puerto Rico a voice because of his music videos and personal style that defies gender norms and paves the way for inclusivity and acceptance for all. When he was young, he would get lost in the women’s section of department stores with his mother and realized that the clothing fit him better. “I’m taking advantage of this moment in my life when I can do whatever I want and wear what I want, so I get to live life more authentically,” Bad Bunny says. “I don’t do it to become more famous or to call attention or to disrespect anyone. People on the outside can think that I have a strategy or I wear this to call for attention, but in reality, I just know who I am.” (Betancourt, 2022) Because of his way of looking at fashion as a way to express who he is, he breaks gender-biased norms every time he gets the chance.

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7. Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has reinvented her style over and over again in the last 14 years. At the beginning of her career, she would wear eccentric pieces that would cause controversy, like her most famous meat dress that she wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards (pictured below).  Her extravagant style was always a form of expression for her. Every piece had a political or emotional meaning behind it. She was even rewarded with the fashion icon trophy at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) award ceremony. She was given this award for being a fashion revolutionary due to her outrageous outfits.

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6. Jimi Hendrix

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Jimi Hendrix’s music and style revolutionized the counter-culture movement. He would use different colors and textures in order to express emotions and freedom. His classic look consisted of flared bell bottom trousers,  open poet button shirts, a silk scarf or hat, army jackets, and many, many pieces of jewelry.  Slightly feminine and completely romantic, he brought pure expression to the menswear sphere and its appeal is still just as strong today. Jimi showed that it was okay for men to wear a variety of colors and flowing outfits and to experiment with clothing. Hendrix was the staple of hippie fashion.

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5. Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot is THE French actress and singer who defined the French-girl chic we know today. From her enviable poofy hair to her cat-eyeliner and perfected basics, her signature style transcends time, even half a century after she released her debut album “…And God Created Woman”. She would constantly be photographed in sundresses with flattering empire waists, ballet flats, headbands, cropped pants, and a cat-wing eyeliner. What makes her such an inspiring and timeless fashion icon is how even today, her 1950s style still looks modern.

4. Elvis Presley

In the 42 years that Elvis Presley lived on this earth, the king of rock ‘n’ roll managed to change the way men dress, from a rockabilly aesthetic to less-is-more jewelry. Elvis is one of those rare icons whose fashion legacy outlived their career. Not only was his musical style unique, but so was his fashion sense. He would take basic pieces of clothes and wear them in ways that were completely his own. His use of smudged eyeliner, pop of highlighting makeup, button-down shirts, and wide-leg trousers will live on forever. Elvis broke the rigid gender norms of the time and encouraged young men to experiment with fashion, which had previously been a purely female activity when he burst into pop culture in the mid-fifties.

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3. Freddie Mercury

In the 1970s, Freddie Mercury was a musical and style icon. Like Presley,he is another rare musician whose legacy outlived their lifespan. His name is now a synonym for flamboyance and expression, influencing mavrick artists like Lady Gaga to David Bowie. He insisted that Queen’s concerts were not just any show, they were fashion shows. He reached a pinnacle of fame that very few can match,where every element of his aesthetic is universally recognized and frequently copied, using fashion design as a means for constant reinvention. Always jumping from leotards to bold yellow jackets,Freddie’s style was in a constant flux of reinvention. Mercury took his style seriously, stating “I dress to kill, but tastefully”. He abandoned the androgyny of the 1970s, expressing his sexuality and free spirit through his fashion.

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2. Prince

A beacon of fearless and firm personal style, Prince was a purple flamboyant icon in the 80s. With his fantastical and gender-bending onstage attire, the foppish Minnesota native challenged and stretched the boundaries of masculinity, sex, race, and rock ‘n’ roll. To create a distinctive rock god look, he drew inspiration from a variety of references, including Victorian peasant blouses, sequins, and a seemingly bottomless pool of purple. His influence can still be seen today on the stage and in the songs of black male eccentrics like Miguel and Kanye West, and it will definitely continue long after the Purple king himself. This is his legacy, which knows no bounds.

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1. David Bowie

One of the most iconic singers and fashion icons of all time, David Bowie was a master of every kind of drag. He was never afraid to play loose with gender, would constantly reinvent himself, and with each new aesthetic he would inspire boys and girls all around the world to express themselves with clothing. In 1970, on the cover of The Man Who Fell to Earth, his 3rd studio album, he was a street urchin in a vintage frock. “A year later, he had a Greta Garbo

moment on the cover of Hunky Dory. Then, there were the legendary mutations into Aladdin Sane, with the jagged red hair and lightning bolt, the radical alien called Ziggy

Stardust, and the strange austerity of the Thin White Duke” (Portwood, 2016). In later decades, Bowie settled into his role as the grand patriarch of gentle gender ambiguity. His changes were constant, and he showed multiple generations how a man could be powerfully feminine.

Sources:

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Chong, D. A. (2019, October 17). 9 iconic Madonna looks that should inspire your next outfit. Who What Wear. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://www.whowhatwear.com/madonna-style

Betancourt, B. (2022, August 16). Bad bunny makes the world listen. Harper’s BAZAAR. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a40772052/bad-bunny-icons-interview/

Tortolani, P. A. (2021, October 12). Bad bunny will do whatever he wants. Allure. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://www.allure.com/story/bad-bunny-cover-interview-november-2021

Underwood, K. (2018, February 8). The reason why Lady Gaga’s saying no to meat dresses these days. Us Weekly. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://www.usmagazine.com/stylish/news/lady-gaga-reveals-why-she-toned-down-her-style-w445328/

Staff, H. B. (2022, August 24). Lady Gaga wore a voluminous Christopher John Rogers gown with her platform boots. Harper’s BAZAAR. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/g1497/lady-gaga-wild-style-photos/

Ii, R. C. (2015, July 22). 6 essential style lessons Jimi Hendrix taught us. GQ. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://www.gq.com/gallery/6-style-photos-jimi-hendrix

Fearon, F. (2019, November 27). Jimi Hendrix’s psychedelic style is all you need to see out the decade. British GQ. Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/jimi-hendrix-style

Goto, Z. (2020, January 8). At 85, Elvis Presley is still menswear’s greatest style icon. Esquire. Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.esquire.com/uk/style/a30418462/elvis-presley-style/

Bumpus, J. (2018, October 18). Style icon: Freddie Mercury. British Vogue. Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/style-icon-freddie-mercury

Beard, L. (2021, November 24). Freddie Mercury under pressure: Inside the dying queen frontman’s quest to live forever through song. Peoplemag. Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://people.com/music/freddie-mercury-queen-singer-looking-back-on-his-final-days-on-anniversary-of-death/

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