As of January 1st, smoking in public has been banned in Milan which means no more cigs while waiting in line for a show at Fashion Week (unless you want to be fined 40€ to 240€). But with fashion's fixation for taboo, how will the industry respond to the no smoking ban?
With fashion icons like Yohji Yamamoto, Coco Chanel and Kurt Cobain all famous for having a cig between their fingers, smoking has become a symbol in fashion for the cool and chic. That’s because it’s rebellious and taboo, showing others that you don’t conform to the norm which is ultimately what fashion’s constantly chasing: being different.
From Nick Knight’s legendary pic of Susie Bick smoking whilst wearing Yohji Yamamoto in 1988 to Kate Moss sparking one at Louis Vuitton’s Fall 2011 show to even Christian Cowan sending models for a smoke down the runway for Fall 2024, it’s clear that fashion’s relationship with cigarettes has endured. With each generation, smoking is given an updated yet consistently cool meaning.
Fashion’s obsession with smoking is symbolic and aesthetic, but we know it’s not all that and if you’re doing it just to look cool, it kind of comes off as try-hard. Maybe this is a sign that fashion’s measure of what’s cool needs to shift to something less self-destructive and toxic or just look for other outlets.
With the ban forcing people to, at least, smoke less, the fashion industry will look towards their next radical thing to obsess over. Whether it’s replacing one bad habit for another or a taboo fabric or maybe even something body related, we’ll have to see. What we’re sure of is that something will come up - fashion always needs something controversial to obsess over.
Featured image via Alasdair McLellan©
More on Culted
