There are competing views on whether fashion is an integral part of our society or a time-consuming and useless activity. While many people see only the downsides of it, I would argue that fashion can be useful in some ways, such as representing a culture in the international arena and creating job opportunities.
On the one hand, for many, fashion is often viewed as a meaningless and superficial activity, consuming valuable time and resources. The main reason is the lack of creativity of those people who think that way, as they rely on reality and ignore the power of imagination most of the time. As a result of this mind-set, they might prefer dealing with more social and scientific problems relating to the real world, such as innovating a product or preventing climate change, which can be more useful according to them. Moreover, they claim that the constant pursuit of new trends often leads to overconsumption and environmental degradation, using a lot of resources and emitting a huge amount of carbon emissions. Nevertheless, I do not think that interesting in fashion is a completely waste of time, when considering its importance and the measurements that can be taken for problems mentioned above.
Conversely, engaging with fashion can be seen as a form of self-expression and creativity, which holds a crucial role in society for many people. Firstly, fashion could be seen as a national representative in the international arena for a culture, since fashion allows individuals to communicate their identities and beliefs without using words, reflecting societal values, cultural heritage, and traditions. In addition, the importance and effects of the fashion industry are undeniable, considering its contributions to economies and providing jobs in various sectors from manufacturing to retail. I agree with this argument as I think fashion has a huge important in a country’s cultural heritage and especially considering the people benefitting from its industrial power.
All in all, although there are some critics of fashion, I still believe that its importance cannot be exceeded, considering the benefits that can be obtained from it.