The Cost of Soap
The aroma of soap and detergent is an ever present scent I get to experience, dove, Ivory, Dial, Irish Spring, amongst the other various brands that carry our national cleaning goods make billions on average. According to Statisa, " The average price per unit of soap products in the U.S. in 2021 was highest for liquid body wash. In the year, the average price per unit of liquid hand soap amounted to some 2.78 U.S. dollars in the United States." So, when walking through Target and retrieving a bar of soap, it is never a second guess, and it is a very common product most people own, unless you are someone who is homeless. The homeless epidemic is no surprise, with more than, 653,100 people in the U.S. experiencing homelessness alone. This is now, a state of emergency we can not shy away from.
Homeless Chic
Flipping through magazines I have seen the bizarre craze of what the next fashion trend will be, what has the minds of those who are head producers of fashion art commit towards launching in their next campaigns. But to my surprise, it has been completely strange: homelessness fashion. A new phenomenon, people seem to be out of touch with, in understanding the luxury brands who create such styles are only grazing the reality many unfortunately have to experience. This craze in the height of 2020s was called Homeless Chic. With brands like, , many wealthy individuals had expressed the appeal. Even one fashion entrepreneur stated, "It’s terrible to say, very often the most exciting outfits are from the poorest people." Christian Lacroix, to Vogue. Tiktok influencer, Kristina Avakyan is known for her outlandish looks on the subway. Her account called, Subwaysessions documents various looks while she paces back and forth to display her accessories, the silhouette and overall vibe. Many attest her style is similar to someone who is improvised, but I would argue this could be completely satire, and her normal essence. Kristina feels if she does not get an emotion out of her outfit, she wouldn't bother putting it on. Whether you can agree that her outfits are a bit strange, or very good, I can objectively state that there may be a person style extremism. Her life as a teen was bounded by not wearing anything too showy, and she feels her style now is just an acclamation of that. This does not excuse the fact that there is a fine line between chose who are truly homeless, what homeless "style" looks like, and who can get away with outlandish looks with little to no judgement or issues with poverty.
"It’s terrible to say, very often the most exciting outfits are from the poorest people." Christian Lacroix
Aestheticizing Homelessness
The homeless chic aesthetic was popularized in 2010s by brands like Yeezy, Christian Dior in 2000, and Vivienne Westwood, (Balenciaga's distressed sneakers scandal), just to name a few, who have showcased various looks defined as unique and out of the box. Back in 2017, brand N.Hoolywood's Fall Collection was inspired by homeless individuals. Creative Director, Daisuke Obana referred the looks as "street people." According to Fashionta, it was stated, "As our designer traveled the cities of America," they read, "he witnessed the various ways in which people there lived on the streets and the knowledge they have acquired while doing so. His observations of these so-called homeless or street people revealed that them [sic] to be full of clever ideas for covering the necessities of life." The outfits appeared polished with unique draping, hats, and warm feel for anyone to brace the cold autumn weather. The cognitive dissonance between the acceptability of homelessness looks, modified and codified by certain individuals in the fashion industry, is a stark realty of how little people truly sew into the devastation of improvised neighborhoods and communities. Leeann Duggan, in an article for Refinery 29 states,"I think part of it is the football-field sized disconnect it takes to see a human who's living without basic necessities through the lens of 'stylishness' or 'inspiration,'" she wrote. "It makes me think of Maslow's hierarchy of needs: Homeless people, totally without a safety net, are living at the very bottom of that pyramid. People who live at the very top, in the heady realm of 'self-actualization,' can only see the homeless through their own extremely privileged lens."
"People who live at the very top, in the heady realm of 'self-actualization,' can only see the homeless through their own extremely privileged lens." -Leeann Duggan
Initivites and Brands to Support
In response to the Balenciaga scandal of the distressed sneakers, a initiative called, Truly Destroyed reclaimed the commodity Balenciaga was making out of homelessness, and created a campaign of awareness in response. Cloudfactory for The Dutch Salvation Army together with fashion photographer Carli Hermès created this campaign to share the realities people go through who are dealing with poverty. They put on display shoes that are actually worn by homeless individuals, to humanize this epidemic and shed light. Other brands to support when it comes to improvised communities and homelessness advocacy are: OutsideIn, Sheltersuit, Marks and Spencer for Oxfam just to name a few (more will below) They all work to bring an awareness and support for individuals when it comes to their needs.
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