Does it all come down to fashion? Breaking down the tight relationship between our social culture and fashion trends
If fashion is actually interconnected with our social background, how should we interpret the comeback of the boho-chic style? Looking at this year new collections, starting for Zimmerman’s “spring 2025 ready to wear” the return of ruffles and fringes could not be ignored. Even Chanel, with its characteristic elegance opted for a dominant presence of sheer, evident in its resort 2026 collection. Despite what seems to be a return towards conservatism, these houses were not the only ones hinting at the long lasting bohemian fashion-to quote other names Chloe 2025 spring ready-to-wear and Isabel marant 2025 spring ready-to-wear. Why now? How is this style going to influence our cultural situation again?
Its roots: the Bohemian movement
Boho in fashion is a term that originates from “bohemian” a style which has caught on in France, shortly after the Revolution died down. Bohemians were associated with a more carefree way of living, often described as unorthodox or eccentric. At that time the bohemians were mostly the artists, although the style they adopted was inspired by the Romani and the Gypsies cultures.
Their aim was to reflect their lifestyle while rejecting the Aristocracy’s old habits in favour of the new Enlightenment ideals. Comfort was preferred over polished. Excess was substituted by practicality, carelessness and individuality. Due to their allowance artists dressed with natural materials-mostly cotton and wool-and earth tones, occasionally replaced by whites or faded colours.
Therefore its first appearance was caused by a new way of thinking and the need of intellectuals to reflect it in their clothing.
Hippy movement: melting politics and style
Perhaps the rejection of social norms in the sixties was fertile ground for a reinterpreted return of the Bohemian style, which became the one we now attribute to Hippies. When it came to fashion the object was to shift from main stream clothing to thrifted items and an anticonsumerist mindset. Hippies embraced gender fluidity, natural materials-like the Bohemian they used cotton and hemp-and assigned a new found meaning in the element of flowers.
Flowers became a symbol of peace and remained engraved in history as such especially after the 1967 Anti War demonstration when around 100 000 people marched toward the Pentagon to protest against the Vietnam War. This episode was notable because it blended political activism and theatrical counterculture, specifically when demonstrators placed flowers in the soldiers’ gun barrels, act remembered as one of the most enduring images of anti war movement.
Through fashion and lifestyle Hippies took action against militarism and the fast paced growth of consumerism all while referring to tendencies already used in the past.
From flower power to mainstream: how this style came back in the early 2000s
Fashion in the early 2000s was characterised by chaos, it girls and music. For the latter its popularity increase was also helped by the inauguration of Coachella, an annual music and art festival which massively influenced people’s style.
Its key role in the further re interpretation of the bohemian style was enabled by celebrities such as Sierra Miller and Kate Moss which effortlessly mixed vintage, designer and thrifted when attending to the event. The later added adjective “chic” find its cause in the still trending fashion of the 90s, usually described as minimalist and elegant.
After 9/11 and the dot com bubble burst of 2000 the seek for peace and a sense of familiarity grew alongside the desire to live in a more carefree way. While it kept the look of rebellion, the bohemian style was largely utilised for commercial purposes rather than philosophical shifting its production to main stream sources.
Where does it leaves us now?
The question remains: after seeing all the way it has interacted with politics, why is it coming back now? One of the answers could be given by the twenty years theory, which is more of a descriptive model rather than a scientific law. Per se it has little to do with politics as it suggests that fashion trends tend to resurface or be revived almost every two decades. And since the math agrees, the boho chic style may have been brought back by the nostalgia of the new generation and by media’s influence which refuses to let go of past imagery.
On the other hand considering the cultural situation we are living now, it’s not hard to believe that people are seeking for a new found sense of freedom. Due to the ongoing global issues, which comprise the powerlessness faced when facing the worsening of the climate and the escalation of wars, people, especially younger generation, may be searching for an escape. Apparently granted by their fashion choices. At the same time the media culture made rediscovering old tendencies so easy and accessible and, alongside the fast paced production of fast fashion brands, could this style in particular have become just a style?
Personally I don’t think there is such thing as dressing casually, in some ways more than others we always want to send a message with the clothes we wear. It may be as small as sharing that we like a specific colour the best but, as seen, it can reach the high of stating your political position- a recent example is what Conner Ives did with the “protect the dolls” campaign. Therefore even though we may ignore its social roots, the feelings we are chasing when it comes to the “bohemian”, “hippy” or “boho-chic” style remain related to the need of feeling careless in a world that does not always give us the chance to live as such.
