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36 Соціальна філософія
СХІД Том 1 (1) січень-лютий 2021 р. ISSN 1728-9343 (Print)
ISSN 2411-3093 (Online)
DOI: 10.21847/1728-9343.2021.1(1).225446
LIUDMYLA OVSIANKINA,
Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University (Kyiv, Ukraine)
e-mail: l.ovsiankina@kubg.edu.ua, ORCID 0000-0002-6003-6289
TETIANA KUPRII,
Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University (Kyiv, Ukraine)
e-mail: t.kuprii@kubg.edu.ua, ORCID 0000-0002-7305-5411
FASHION AS SIGN AND SYMBOLIC CONDITIONALITY:
PHILOSOPHICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS
Introduction
Fashion is a deep socio-philosophical, psychological
and historical phenomenon and a kind of aesthetic phi-
losophy that allows a person to express his or her own
needs, interests, ambitions and values. Acting as a regu-
lator of social behavior of individuals and groups, fashion
itself can be a form of social reflection. Scientists from
leading scientific schools research modern fashion in
philosophical, cultural, historical, sociological, politolo-
gical, psychological and anthropological discourses.
Modern fashion is considered as a specific and dy-
namic form of standardized mass behavior which occurs
primarily spontaneously under the influence of dominant
public moods, tastes and hobbies. This is a cultural code,
a certain conditionality that a person must abide by con-
stantly.
Fashion, as an important element of the culture of so-
ciety, is seen as a symbol of belonging to a certain social
status. This position is shared in his views by
J. Baudrillard, who considered fashion as a tool for the
reconstruction and declaration of social inequality.
R. Barth studied fashion from the standpoint of structural-
ism, considering it a system that generates meanings,
focusing on small details through verbal descriptions in
commentaries on symbolic images. J. Lipovetsky charac-
terizes modern society as a "hyper-consumption society",
in which a person's success depends on his ability to
acquire world fashion brands.
The specificity of fashion is that it is capable of meet-
ing two opposing needs of a person at the same time: to
differ from others and to be like others. In this aspect, an
issue of the ethics of modern fashion, which influences
the formation of the system of cultural and aesthetic val-
ues of the 21st century, is fundamental.
Authors of the study set a purpose to analyze the con-
tradictory fashion phenomenon which accumulates the
most important socio-political, cultural, historical changes
and psychological state of society, responds quickly to
them, offering new vivid aesthetic-cultural images, pat-
The article is dedicated to revealing the specific features of fashion as a system of cultural
and aesthetic values, as well as a contradictory social phenomenon which plays an important
role as a symbolic regulator of mass society. The purpose of this article is to study the mecha-
nism of creation of the sign and symbolic world of fashion, new models and patterns of behav-
ior, evident and hidden functions of fashion in the era of globalization. Attention is focused on
the fact that fashion, as one of the central phenomenon of the modern world, has become an
industry based on the principle of rationality, for the production of original trends, in line with
the trends and challenges of modern times. It reflects social reality, and people who actively
contribute to changing its fashion patterns set in motion models of social reality. It is the socio-
logical study of fashion that can contribute to its most adequate description and explanation.
This is due to the fact that the process of spreading and changing fashion patterns is character-
ized by the value attitude of people both to things and to other people. The result of such an
attitude is the social division of people into groups. A fashionable thing, which is desirable for a
person, at the same time becomes for him a desirable image of the social status and interper-
sonal relations to which a person aspires. The article analyzes modern fashion in terms of sym-
bolic conditionality and symbolic reality characterized by features of sociality, temporality, am-
bivalence and spectacularity. The main attention of authors of the study is devoted to the anal-
ysis of the specific behavior of a human-consumer, for whom the sign and symbolic world of
fashion is not only a means of self-expression, but also an opportunity to fill the spiritual vacu-
um and feel a lost sense of stability. Attention is also focused on the importance of solving the
problem of ethics of responsibility of modern fashion, which is the determinants of all relations
in the sphere of contemporary consumer society.
Key word: fashion; consumer society; social phenomenon; sign; symbolic system; identity; stand-
ardized mass behavior.
Social philosophy 37
ISSN 1728-9343 (Print) SKHID Vol. 1 (1) January-February 2021
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terns and samples of behavior typical for new historical
situations and epochs in general.
To achieve this goal, the task is to use the results of
comparative monitoring of foreign and domestic sociolog-
ical research to further illuminate aspects of the sign-
symbolic conditionality of fashion.
Methodological basis of the research
The ambiguity of the phenomenon of fashion has giv-
en rise to a variety of methodological approaches to its
study. The scientific research was carried out on the
basis of a methodology that combined dialectical method,
system analysis and comparison with a number of special
scientific methods: structural-functional analysis, semiotic
approach, which had a significant impact on the modern
interpretation of fashion (presented by R. Barthes,
R. Sennett, P. Bourdieu, J. Baudrillard and Yu. Lotman)
and others. The sociological aspect in this work is repre-
sented by the monitoring of specific social research on
this topic. The recognition of fashion as an important
social phenomenon that has an impact on society is
common to all concepts. According to the systems ap-
proach, fashion is a specific element of modern post-
industrial society, which is characterized by dynamism,
openness, redundancy, social differentiation and mobility.
It is a dynamic form of standardized mass behavior in
society and defines certain codes and symbols character-
istic of modern reality. Significance as an essential prop-
erty of fashion is considered by the representatives of the
semiotic approach as a reason that is necessary to stimu-
late constant exchange in society (R. Barthes) and the
existence of a special "attraction to fashion" (J.
Baudrillard). However, the emphasis in explaining the
social characteristics of fashion varies significantly in
different theories. This is, first of all, due to the fact that
the concepts of fashion are based on different methodo-
logical foundations that determine corresponding areas of
research.
In addition to the original basis, published scientific
studies, which are presented by foreign and Ukrainian
studies of the last twenty years A. Sapira (1999),
D. Martín-Consuegra, M. Faraoni, E. Diaz, S. Ranfagni
(2018), A. Voronkova (2016), O. Skalatskaya (2015),
S. Guzol (2008), N. Koznova (2013) and others.
Results and Discussion
Fashion is a short-term domination of a certain type of
standardized behavior based on a large-scale change of
the external environment of people. It plays an important
role as a symbolic regulator of mass society, determining
the cyclicity of change in the views, ideas, tastes, moods
and behavior models of its representatives. Unlike style,
fashion characterizes more brief and superficial changes
of external and internal (sphere of morality) forms of sym-
bolic text. Fashion emerges as a result of factors of su-
perfluity and self-sufficiency, it is a cultural phenomenon
and a surrogate of religion, it is based on herd human
instincts. Obviously, fashion changes not only the materi-
al world, but also the spiritual. There is a fashion for sci-
entific approaches, artistic style, taste passions etc. Ac-
cording to researcher K. Mikhalieva, the tough structure
of the fashion industry system today determines the pro-
cess of legitimation of designer creativity and is decisive
in its inclusion or exclusion from the fashion system
(Mikhalieva, 2015: 79).
The development of civilization in the 21st century
contributes to the emergence of such kind of a person
that surrounds himself with things-signs, symbols that
distinguish him from others and at the same time unite
with them and the world in general. All elements of fash-
ion are connected with the structure of values, norms,
ideals, traditions, rituals and cultural meanings (codes)
that prevail in a particular society. In this regard, fashion
reads and expresses itself as text, as a message. Form-
ing a symbolic language of communication, fashion al-
lows conveying meanings and senses, establishing a kind
of mutual recognition of carriers of actual patterns.
Fashion is a dynamic form of standardized mass be-
havior in societies characterized by dynamism, frankness,
superfluity, social differentiation and mobility. The fact
that fashion products are in constant change and devel-
opment, their dynamics in modern conditions determines
the directions of further development of the fashion indus-
try can be called a fundamental feature of the project
activity of various subjects of the fashion industry. How-
ever, as a result of physical and moral aging, the con-
sumption value of the product decreases with the only
difference that physical aging contributes to the complete
use of a resource with the full benefit for the consumer,
and in case of moral aging a product may not be used at
all, that is, turn out to be useless (Hofman, 2004: 112).
Modern post-industrial culture is a strongly marked
culture of mass consumption. The consumer society is
essentially a society that creates symbols that must be
followed because they, including fashion, define individu-
als’ way of living and behavior, moral attitudes and value
orientations that are consistent with the spirit of consump-
tion as a condition without which it becomes difficult to
achieve social success and prestige.
The modern sphere of the fashion industry is con-
stantly developing ways to attract attention to fashionable
global brands and the rapid change in customer motiva-
tion. After all, today a completely new era of innovative
relations between manufacturers of world brands and
consumers has begun. Modern social media has opened
up new opportunities for the global reach of consumers
with the most fashionable companies. To implement the
strategy of these companies, special sociological and
marketing research is carried out. For example, the re-
sults of a study (Martín-Consuegra, Faraoni, Diaz,
Ranfagni, 2018) to study the ability of social networks to
influence consumer confidence in a particular brand, the
image of this brand and the final intention to make its
purchase show that brand trust has a positive effect on it.
image and intention to make a purchase. But at the same
time, these results show that, in addition to activity in
social networks, the direct influence of brand trust on the
intention to make its direct purchase is decreasing. This
testifies to different styles of consumer behavior in virtual
and real spaces, which are deeply different in their true
intentions, motivation and specific actions.
Attributiveness of fashion in contemporary culture
arises from the nature of the culture itself, the important
immanent features of which are: its mass consumer na-
ture; pluralism and dynamism; simulativeness. The so-
called “passion for fashion” is a striking expression of the
simulative nature of late modern culture. Modern fashion
is a constant simulation, combinatorics and recoding of
fragments of past forms. Figurative-symbolic language of
fashion is a reflection of visual communication. If the
structure of fashion is able to be adequate to the struc-
tures of forms of the outside world, then it is a language
and it is capable of transmitting information of any type. In
this case, clothing is rightly regarded as a form of com-
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munication, as a goal of the symbolic system (Baranov,
Rodionova, 2006: 59).
French philosopher R. Barthes in work “The Fashion
System” (Barthes, 2003) considered fashion as a source
of formation of new identities. Not only the body itself (its
type), but also its transformation (clothing becomes a
means of transformation of the real body into an ideal
“fashionable” body) turns out to be under its power. Cor-
poreality is increasingly becoming a subject of scientific
interest because of the sociology of fashion. The scientist
considered the phenomenon of fashion as an aspect of
myth, as a sign system that uses primitive signs (litera-
ture, history, traditions and customs) already existing in
culture. On their basis, new meaningful constructions –
fashion, advertising, political theater, – that serve not
people themselves, but to support the production of
goods, services, etc., are created. For R. Barthes, fashion
is an ideal model of meaning-making in general: it is ab-
solutely spectacular, detached from functions, from eve-
ryday realities. Fashion is pure, all-sufficient meaning,
rhetoric and apotheosis of ideology.
Analyzing the system of fashion, R. Barthes distin-
guished in it a discrete code of linguistic type through
three types of clothing: image-clothing (visual image);
cloth-description (text, comment); real clothing, that pre-
sent three different structures of the same clothing: tech-
nologic, iconic, verbal. Each thing correlates with a code
of linguistic type, which, in its obviousness, determines
the ability to express it with the help of language (“jacket
for meeting with friends”, “sneakers for traveling in the
mountains”, etc.) (Hutsol, 2008: 127).
The famous French scientist J. Baudrillard considered
fashion as the embodiment of the ideology of consump-
tion and an important factor, declaring social inequality
and social status of the individual in society. He distin-
guished models close to works of art and serial things
that imitate them among fashionable images. The philos-
opher emphasized that fashion is ineluctable because it is
based on the human desire for novelty and conveys no
other content. Fashion is included in the symbolic ex-
change and transforms work and leisure into an ex-
change of signs and symbols. Replacing of reality with
signs is gradually happening in the society. Among the
variety of replicated images, patterns and styles, those
that embody the images-desires, often illusory properties
that capture the public consciousness, stand out by their
attractiveness. Creating symbolic signs that have no real
meaning or relates to real life minimally, shapes appropri-
ate consciousness and moral orientations. According to J.
Baudrillard, fashion is characterized by the fact that “it
differs with spontaneous contagiousness ... It itself be-
comes a passion – the passion for artificiality. A fashion-
able sign is absurd, formally useless, it forms a perfect
system ... necessarily connected with other signs – hence
its contagious power, as does the collective pleasure
achieved through it” (Baudrillard, 2000: 43).
As Ukrainian researcher O. Skalatska emphasizes,
“Fashion, according to J. Baudrillard, exists in the produc-
tion of meaning, in its “objective” structures, because they
are also subject to games of simulation and combinatorial
innovation” (Skalatska, 2015: 137). Revealing the mean-
ing and essence of fashion should concern not only its
external manifestation, but also its symbolic, functional
definition. Actually, according to the French researcher,
fashion is becoming a more complex phenomenon, which
not only focuses on clothing, but also extends to all
spheres of human life. To understand fashion, it is neces-
sary to trace an alternation of signs that combine the past
and the present and, as a result, create reality
(Voronkova, 2016: 71).
Conditionality of fashion is bound to the idea of pro-
duction, while not all the mechanisms of fashion can be
reduced to the relationship of direct exchange. Along with
the commodity-money system of the sign, more complex
symbolic mechanisms of the formation of values work
both in fashion and in society. In P. Bourdieu’s work “On
Symbolic Power” (Bourdieu, 2007) the concept of “fash-
ion” correlates with the concept of cultural taste and class
struggle.
P. Bourdieu emphasizes that: “the world itself is a
quasi-magical power that enables acquiring the equiva-
lent of what is obtained by (physical or economical) force.
This power is only possible if it is recognized, that is to
say, unrecognized as arbitrary” (Bourdieu, 2007: 95).
According to the researcher, clothing as a symbol of
power is nothing other than objectified symbolic capital,
and the destruction of the power of symbolic suggestion
implies an awareness of arbitrariness and the automatic
destruction of faith.
Considering the semiotics of fashion as a sign system,
it can be said that clothing is text consisting of signs (re-
flects the socio-economic status, characterizes taste of the
owner of clothing, shows the presence of personal qualities
and gender, reflects the profession and mood, is a symbol
of respectability, demonstrates belonging to a social group)
and symbols (separate items of clothing and the entire set
of used clothes), which is primarily traced in the process of
human interaction. Fashion offers human a set of codes by
which he verifies and represents his identity, creates an
image. The idea of identity as self-realization and represen-
tation is the idea of our times (Koznova, 2013: 42). Today
the identity is still understood as formed by previous cultur-
al experiences and existing social structures (for example,
Bourdieu’s concept of “habitus” and Goffman’s concept of
“framing”). This identity becomes more aestheticized, visu-
al – it is not just situational, it is connected with the lifestyle
(Lipskaia, 2011: 95).
Being an instrument of identification and constructing
narratives, fashion applies visual values. Visual practices
of fashion can be divided into presentation practices,
social visualization practices and reception practices –
the fashion image is created and presented as such,
determining norms, within social practices. This fashiona-
ble image set a particular context in which it will be pre-
sented to the audience – the image becomes public,
finally, this image is perceived by the consumer and re-
produced as a part of his own identity.
The basis of creating a fashionable image is the defi-
nition of visual codes that change from season to season.
Those are proportions, colors and shapes of clothing – all
that respond to changes of fashion trends. The fashion of
the present has been transformed into a fashion market-
ing of the consumer society. Moreover, the fashion form
code is no longer dominant today. Form code is trans-
formed into format code – nowadays format, situational
identification define fashion. Fashion has ceased to be a
dictator, it only sets the choice from a sufficiently large
number of variations of styles, becomes a tool for situa-
tional identification, “formatting”. According to A. Toffler,
the period of scientific and technological revolution is
characterized by a considerable variety of lifestyles (Tof-
fler, 2002: 247). The scientist connects the existence of
different lifestyles in society not with the division of socie-
ty into classes, groups, social strata, but with the division
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of culture into subcultures, so it is difficult for people to
direct their attention in the diversity of subcultures and to
form their own lifestyles. W ith the advent of prestigious
consumption, fashion is considered as a system of signs,
an operation to create a delineated space in which things
are constructed as signs. It unfolds as a kind of rhetoric of
things, a kind of help text that focuses on the organization
of some meanings (Barthes, 2003: 43).
Describing the modern era, G. Lipovetsky (Lipovetsky,
2001: 39) calls it a “society of hyper-consumption”, which
is characterized by the conquest of everyday life by
brands and exchange. He developed the concept of “total
fashion”, which denies the outdated mechanism of imita-
tion. It is a product of the common activity of different
groups of society, in which the mass consumer, his pur-
chasing power is crucial. The fashion industry creates a
model virtually, not as a thing, but as an image. This
situation is similar to that described by J. Baudrillard,
speaking of the priority of models over reality. In the
modern fashion world, the process of distribution of sam-
ples through reference groups is simulated. A special
feature of the development of fashion of this period is its
stylistic plurality and blurriness. The fashion industry does
not produce anything unique, reproducing well-known
samples in new variations and combinations. In a post-
industrial society, fashion becomes a catalyst for con-
sumer behavior. Non-luxury fashionable items become
available to everyone.
In this hypermarket century, the non-consumer who
has become free from the old rules becomes obsessed
with fashion and increasingly unpredictable, flexible and
mobile in his tastes and purchases. A new man is born –
a turbo-consumer who is looking for emotional experienc-
es, desires luxury, but dreams of getting everything for
free, which is why he buys cheaply. There comes the era
of narcissism and hedonism, in which a person feels an
urgent need to fill the spiritual vacuum, seek guidance
and feel a lost sense of stability. G. Lipovetsky likens
fashion to a means of relaxation that, through a sense of
humor, helps gain freedom easily and get free from social
control (Lipovetsky, 2001: 52).
Today, there is no fashion epicenter in consumer so-
ciety, fashion is not the privilege of elites. Modern fashion
is socialization through own choice and image. Symbolic
values are attributed in the process of communication of
material culture, as well as in the process of production.
In contemporary fashion, images in the media that attrib-
ute symbolic values to clothing styles have become as
important as the clothes themselves. Through advertise-
ments for their products, clothing brands transmit sets of
values that imply an ideology and specific life styles.
Editorial pages in fashion magazines, advertisements,
catalogues, and programs on television and cable dis-
seminate images of clothing more widely than the prod-
ucts they depict. The communication process in fashion
magazines and fashion advertisements relies on specific
and sophisticated techniques to redefine the symbolic
values attached to styles of clothing (Crane, Bovone,
2006: 322)
Fashion as a social institute actively uses clothing as
its material mediator. E. Uilson argues that clothing not
only unites the body with the social world, but also sepa-
rates them. Clothes are a kind of border between "I" and
"not-I" (Uilson, 2012: 19). So, through clothes, fashion
performs its most important function of broadcasting
beauty to all of humanity.It is entrusted with an essential
function of transmitting beauty to all humanity. The lan-
guage of clothes is a semiotic structure, a set of signs
that denote a certain reality. Considering fashion and
clothes in terms of modern theology, A. Ambrosio em-
phasizes that there is also a connection between God
and beauty (Ambrosio, 2019: 5-9). Clothing is understood
as the second skin of a man, and fashion – as part of the
created order, the highest harmony. In his work, the re-
searcher cites philosophical, anthropological and theolog-
ical reflections on clothing as a symbol of the modern
Western world. Fashion is a major marker of modernity,
by which it is possible to define the external forms of its
culture – from lifestyle to basic artistic ideals. All seg-
ments of modern society are consciously or unconscious-
ly included in this area of activity, and that is why the
problem of ethics of responsibility of modern fashion
needs special attention.
Clothing is the area in which a person supports and
demonstrates a hierarchical system, its regulation, a
degree of social mobility. It serves as an external sign
that simultaneously demonstrates and protects social
differences. Even where a climate permits to be without
clothing, people still wear it or decorate themselves with
ritual images, tattoos that directly symbolize power, influ-
ence or submission. As a result of the long domination of
this tradition, ancient African body paintings were trans-
ferred to the fabric and became the national clothing of
the entire nation.
Considering fashion in a semiotic aspect, one can
come to the conclusion of the importance of fashion fea-
tures as its ability to serve as a criterion of psychological
impact. A society that is unable to accept new fashionable
meanings is often perceived by others as inert and not
dynamically thinking (Petrenko, 2016: 67). In this context,
the semantic content of the definition of "podium thinking"
becomes clear - thinking capable of accepting changes,
simulative, but dynamic and capable of quickly respond-
ing to various changes.
The main difficulty in understanding fashion and its
obvious superfluities is an insufficient knowledge of the
unperceived symbolism of forms, colors, materials, poses
and other elements that a particular culture expresses
(Sapir, 1999: 1053). This complexity is strengthened by
the fact that some expressive elements generally have
different symbolic references in different contexts. It is
interesting to note that modern fashion research contra-
dicts this logic.
H. Preiholt placed the symbolic meaning of fashion,
placed within the framework of symbolic interactionism, at
the center of his research. This scientist identified four
important aspects emerging from a movement from col-
lective selection to individual style in fashion:
1) When the same garment can have different mean-
ings, it can contribute to individuality depending on time,
place and the role of the designer;
2) When the same garment has the same meaning,
as in the case of uniforms, it can be used as a symbol of
power. In certain circumstances, these garments can
change from being a symbol of power to a symbol of
fashion, reflecting changes in the society as a whole;
3) When different garments have different meanings,
the price practice becomes a tool for communicating with
consumers. This situation sometimes generates hyper-
personalized fashion;
4) When different garments have the same meanings
to consumers, the store plays a significant role in the
marketing communication of fashion (Preiholt, 2012: 9).
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With the help of clothing of a certain style, a person
declares a real or desirable affiliation with a social group
or subculture, which allows the person to be accepted, to
adapt and to feel social recognition. For example,
Eugène, wife of Napoleon III, in honor of the opening of
the Suez Canal on November 17, 1869, made 250 dress-
es, which became a symbol of belonging to the greatness
of the imperial stratum. So the question is the following:
what is first, an internal identity that selects an image, or
a set of means of presentation that shapes manner, style
and identity? It is impossible to give the lead to either the
internal or the external side of identity, because they are
closely interrelated. Fashion codes are recorded by
mechanisms of social memory, social and individual im-
aginary. They are stored as images, and these images
have stylistic typological features. They can be studied by
drawing on prototype images (virgin, mother, prostitute,
business lady, bohemia). These codes can be described
as frames – complex structures that are used in the pro-
cess of integral understanding and perception of a situa-
tion (Svendsen, 2007: 149).
The semantic space of double encoding of its values
was created because of the division into the “high"” and
“low” fashion. Due to such simulation, fashion went into
another plane and began to impress not so much with
silhouettes and artistic images as with symbols. Symboli-
zation has led to the complication of fashion codes, re-
quiring artifacts, not just material things. In this light, the
artifact of fashion should be considered not as a unique,
symbolic and visual works of art, but as an allegorical and
open text, created by manipulation of signs. It is the prod-
uct of not only the designer, but also the producers, pho-
tographers, stylists, visagists, models, journalists, even
the public. All of them greatly influence the processes of
perception and spreading of new fashion, the symbol of
fashion. This makes it possible to create the simulative
value of fashion products by using only the symbolic
author’s signature – the logo, as well as to transform the
creator into a brand that attracts consumers and produce
a profit (Hurova, 2009: 284).
Having a set of constant characteristics of the object,
brands complement fashion objects with symbolic mean-
ings, identify with one or another community of people
and organize the context of perception. Thus, today an
ownership of certain fashion objects among the first is
becoming more prestigious for people all over the mass
society. The same tendency, but to a lesser extent, is
observed within the social group. This demonstrates that,
in the context of globalization, there is a process of de-
preciation of the cultural and aesthetic role of fashion as
the main means of influencing the formation of the stand-
ard of lifestyle and good taste in general. It is gradually
losing its function to dictate certain norms and rules of
social life. Fashion is turning into an object of rapid mass
consumption, is becoming a service that helps people
impress others.
Today, in order to get approval in a certain social
group, it is no longer enough to have a new fashionable
dress, it must be a fashionable dress of a certain brand.
Sociologists, historians and art experts argue that the
political system, ideology and economy of the country are
clearly reflected in the mass fashion. Dictatorial regimes,
for example, use fashion as an important means of prop-
aganda and shaping citizens’ good taste. Changes in
fashion (costume), “any fashion manifestations are often
a reflection of the deep economic, socio-psychological
and political changes that are happening in society”
(Vynychenko, 2011: 168).
The spread of democracy in the age of globalization
contributes to the rapid emergence of new world fashion
trends that interact with the dominant traditional style of
each nation, which, in turn, seeks to preserve its own
identity. In fact, as Lars Svendsen rightly points out, the
pursuit of identity leads, according to the law of dialectics,
to its opposite - the complete dissolution of identity
(Svendsen, 2007). The world is probably moving in this
direction, but has not yet reached the level of such disso-
lution.
Indeed, from time to time those states and peoples
enter the world arena that arouse a unique global interest
in solving their economic and political problems. This
attention, which accompanies the "novelty effect", auto-
matically promotes increased interest in the history and
national style of this state, is reflected in the populariza-
tion of its folk style in clothing, mixing styles, the emer-
gence of new brands, pluralism and free clothing. As a
result, the national style of a particular state becomes part
of the global fashion industry, which all other nations seek
to join.
Rejection of the old and the pursuit of the new have
always been characteristic features of fashion in any era,
but in the era of globalization, fashion includes such an
additional compensatory mechanism as a return to the
past (aged like good wine), but in a modern context. The
vintage style, which emerges within the framework of
mass culture (as a postmodernist quotation of the past),
gives a person absolute freedom of expression and op-
poses uniformity, unification.
The class and mass fashion of past historical periods
in the age of globalization also is being replaced by the
phenomenon of “fast fashion”. This phenomenon is based
on the rapid copying and sharp fashionability of things
coming to the market, and the term of relevance of the
purchased item of clothing is being sharply reduced, and
the speed of spread of innovations is increasing. One of
the trends of modern fashion is the lifestyle of outskirts. It
is becoming so fashionable to look and behave marginally
that things that has traditionally been opposed to each
other are combined in the lifestyle of our contemporaries:
elitism and cheapness, mass character and arthouse,
stylishness and simplicity bordering on poverty. Lifestyle
based on “new asceticism and minimalism”, the essence
of which lies in the refusal of excesses in consumption, is
also becoming more popular.
Thus, fashion emerges not only in a society with so-
cial inequality, but also in a society open to cultural com-
petitiveness: everyone here has the right to imitate the
elite in clothing, lifestyles etc. It all depends on whether
you have enough money for it. For consumer society,
consumption for show is becoming typical, which is grad-
ually becoming the norm of culture, which dictates inher-
ently irrational behavior to people. In such a culture, it
becomes unacceptable to be modest, to heed only natu-
ral needs. Those who are not in this race risk being iso-
lated. It is clear that people involved in prestigious con-
sumption do not open up to themselves or even to
strangers.
The sociology of fashion as an area of research is in-
terested in the production and distribution by the fan-
industry of sign and symbolic forms in the process of
social stratification and social interactions. Many theorists
base their work on empirical experience. For example, P.
Bourdieu examined the results of surveys conducted in
Social philosophy 41
ISSN 1728-9343 (Print) SKHID Vol. 1 (1) January-February 2021
ISSN 2411-3093 (Online)
Paris in 1963 and 1967/68. A detailed analysis of the
statistics is presented in works of J. Baudrillard. However,
the results of the analysis of the recorded facts from the
past are not sufficient for the study of the dynamics of
fashion, especially cases of a changing social environ-
ment. In Ukraine, sociological researches use focus
groups, non-standardized and individual interviews, data
from statistical publications, analogy, modeling and sim-
ple extrapolation methods, metaphorization, scenario
method, group expert evaluation method, expertise, etc.
to study fashion as a social phenomenon.
Contemporary empirical researches confirm the idea
of convergence of the “fashion consumer” and emphasize
the need to identify and study new fashion consumption
patterns that affect a life of an urban dweller and, finally,
determine the urban social structure and social environ-
ment. Most Ukrainian cities surveyed said that fashion is
a temporal-aesthetic characteristic for them, an impulse
toward their own imagination, a way of expression and
demonstration. This confirms G. Simmel’s theoretical
thesis about fashion as a means of manifestation of a
unique identity. At the same time, a third of the respond-
ents said that fashion is not the main thing and their own
style is the most important. 23% still try to follow the fash-
ion, although it is not always practically possible. This
opinion of the respondents does not correspond to the
theoretical judgments about fashion as a traditional, pat-
tern, stereotyped reality. After conducting factor analysis
of the characteristics of fashionable and unfashionable
things, the most influential factor “fashion as novelty and
stylishness” (variation 19.9%), “unfashionable as unique-
ness” (variation 20.1%) with the characteristic “unique”
should be noted. Also, for many respondents, fashionable
/ unfashionable things are still correlated with its high /
low price and, in a broad sense, with prestige and low
status (Kryvosheia, 2015: 47).
British sociologist Hilary Pilkington, studying the youth
of the post-Soviet space, including Ukraine, and influence
of the glocalization of the fashion-space on it, writes
about two groups that differ in lifestyles – the “average”
and the “Westernized” youth. According to H. Pilkington’s
observations, “average” youth does not try to stand out
with the help of clothes, does not try separate themselves
from the mass and wears jeans or regular pants, leather
jackets, leather shoes, like adults. “Westernized”, by
contrast, is focused on expressing individuality, copying
Western styles, treats domestic clothing with disdain and
has a reflection on its appearance. Modern “advanced”
youth differs from “normal” by brand enthusiasm (Pilking-
ton, 2004: 190).
Conclusions
In conclusion, it should be noted that, in the context of
globalization, fashion performs specific functions of pro-
duction and maintenance of the symbolic order related to
the requirements of modern mass production and its
network structure. It actively defines and structures the
process of modern consumption and performs unifying
function. Cultural unification is related to the processes of
spread of modern knowledge, educational standards,
forms of cultural consumption etc. All these moments of
cultural unification are focused on the unification of the
symbolic sphere of the modern world. In this process,
fashion occupies an important place, since it is a means
of broadcasting the symbolic conditional content of mod-
ern culture. On the one hand, the globalizational, identity
leveling and cultural individuality leveling pressure of
fashionable behavior samples constantly influences the
mass consumer; a standardization of different aspects of
life and appearance occurs. On the other hand, globaliza-
tion is accompanied by a surge of local ethnic conscious-
ness, the positioning of individualism, a philosophy of
greening production and consumption. Mentioned trends
are, after all, reworked and adapted by the consumer
society, the globalization economy and the standardized
supply and demand system. National (ethnic) symbols,
subcultural sign codes, vintage “memories” become ele-
ments of free communication of people on a transnational
level. With the erasure of class polarization and the rise of
democracy, fashion creates an illusion of social equality.
However, it still remains a means of emphasizing social
differences, but not so much “higher” and “lower” as simp-
ly different social groups. To make fashion more effective
as a social institute, social co-operation and the various
types of group activity that are used to form the symbolic
elements of this institute and affect its nature and content
are required.
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Людмила Овсянкіна,
Київський університет імені Бориса Грінченка
e-mail: l.ovsiankina@kubg.edu.ua, ORCID 0000-0002-6003-6289
Тетяна Купрій,
Київський університет імені Бориса Грінченка
e-mail: t.kuprii@kubg.edu.ua, ORCID 0000-0002-7305-5411
МОДА ЯК ЗНАКОВО-СИМВОЛІЧНА КОНДИЦІОНАЛЬНІСТЬ:
ФІЛОСОФСЬКО-СОЦІОЛОГІЧНИЙ АСПЕКТ
Стаття присвячена виявленню специфічних особливостей моди як системи культурних та естетичних
цінностей, а також суперечливого соціального феномена, що відіграє важливу роль символічного регу-
лятора масового суспільства. Метою даного дослідження є вивчення механізму створення знаково-
символічного світу моди, нових моделей та зразків поведінки, явних та прихованих функцій моди в епо-
ху глобалізації. Увага акцентується на тому, що мода як один з центральних феноменів сучасного світу
стала індустрією, заснованою за принципом раціональності, для виробництва оригінальних трендів, що
відповідають тенденціям і викликам сучасності. Вона відображає соціальну реальність, а люди, які акти-
вно сприяють зміні її патернів, приводять у рух моделі соціальної реальності. Саме соціологічне дослі-
дження моди може сприяти найбільш адекватному її опису та поясненню. Це пов’язано із тим, що для
процесу розповсюдження та зміни будь-якого патерну (і патерну моди в тому числі) є характерним цінні-
сне ставлення людей як до речей, та і до інших людей. Результатом такого ставлення є соціальний роз-
поділ людей на групи. Модна річ, яка є бажаною для людини, одночасно стає для неї бажаним образом
соціального статусу та міжособистісних відносин, до яких вона прагне. У статті сучасна мода аналізуєть-
ся в аспекті знакової кондиціональності та символічної реальності, якій властиві ознаки соціальності,
темпоральності, амбівалентності та видовищності. Основна увага авторів дослідження присвячена ана-
лізу специфіки поведінки людини-споживача, для якої знаково-символічниий світ моди – не тільки засіб
самовираження, але й можливість заповнити духовний вакуум та відчути втрачене почуття стабільності.
Увага також зосереджена на важливості вирішення проблеми етики відповідальності сучасної моди, яка
є детермінантою усіх відносин у сфері сучасного суспільства споживання.
Ключові слова: мода; суспільство споживання; соціальне явище; знак; символічна система; ідентичність;
стандартизована масова поведінка.
© Liudmyla Ovsiankina, Tetiana Kuprii
Надійшла до редакції: 12.12.2020
Прийнята до друку: 02.02.2021
