The VICE Fashion Trend Report 2012 – Real People

AUSTRIA

Girls here spend their whole day at the mall, stuffed into clothes that are intentionally at least a size too small for them. That would be fine if they were out at a club, or whatever, but being visually assaulted by some chick’s prominent cuca under the mall’s harsh strip lighting is a bit much for any pre-lunch hour. Guys go for pure comfort during the day too, usually rocking a simple sweatsuit outfit with no real added flair except for the compulsory layers of fake tan. Everything changes at night, though, with both sexes dressing up in enough leather, diamante, and waxed denim to kit out an Oligarch’s yacht for the next decade.

BRAZIL

Favela kids were exclusively doing the hip hop thing until a few years ago, but since our economy blew up, there are enough cheaper options available to them that they can escape the “poor kid into rap” look and try out some others. So, you’ll see a guy with metal-inspired stretched piercings, an oversized T-shirt from a skateboarding brand and a backwards New Era, topped off with sleeve tattoos and Adidas sneakers. Or you’ll see a girl in shiny, silver brogues with a huge, frizzy top knot wearing a little black dress that could have been designed by Diane Orving but probably cost her $10 in a budget department store. Yay for rapidly developing economies.    

BULGARIA

The Bulgarian working class, AKA gypsies, work according to the “Better Cash, Better Clothes” manifesto. This guy’s job involves clearing out people’s attics and transporting everything away with a horse and carriage, so the majority of his clothes are leftovers given to him by clients, or stuff he’s found that’s been thrown out by people with a penchant for wasting heavy coats and thick hiking boots. If he had enough cash to buy whatever he wanted, he’d head straight down to the jewellers to pick up his body weight in gold chains and rings, and would love a flashy pair of trainers and a nice, shiny black puffa jacket. The thing is, people don’t really throw that sort of shit out, so him and his mates are stuck with whatever the warmest thing is that they can find.

CANADA

The lo-life, vintage Polo trend is gradually starting to creep up from New York to Montreal. Guys are mixing Ralph Lauren Polo jackets and shirts with typical hood staples like New Era caps and gold jewellery, with the more adventurous fellas taking that 90s look all the way and getting Kid ‘N’ Play-style flat top haircuts. Girls are still stuck on fake Uggs or Jordan high-tops, bombers with fur lining and eyebrows so skinny they barely exist, although the few fashion-conscious ones amongst them are starting to venture out into a half-hearted rockabilly look, complete with bright red lipstick, extravagant eyeliner patterns and bows in their short, curly hair.

FRANCE

Accessories are a definite no-no with Parisian banlieue kids. Anyone seen sporting one of those huge gold or platinum chains is labelled “American,” which roughly translates to “sucker.” The same goes for any watch, bracelet, or ring deemed too blingy. Besides that one piece of frugality, these girls and boys seem pretty intent on flaunting whatever shit they have. For boys, that means excessive North Face, fake Gucci sneakers, and doing stuff like shaving the sides of their head and leaving a big, frizzy mohawk to flop around like a dick in the wind. For girls, it means wearing ass-hugging, bright pink velour trousers, dyed platinum blond hair with an undercut and more fake Gucci, in the form of sneakers, handbags, and jackets.    

GERMANY

Even though it’s been ridiculed ever since its inception, guys have inexplicably adopted the Guido look – shaving the sides of their hair and spiking the middle up with wet-look gel, wearing bum-bags, waxing off all their body hair, and listening to awful Turkish rap while wearing tracksuits shiny enough to see yourself in. Girls are a confusing mix of full-on beauty treated and Muslim parent-motivated modesty, with a subtle blend of the most insanely slutty eyebrows you’ll ever see, and those little belt skirts that are supposed to cover up their ass and hips, but are basically invisible amongst all the black, gold-weaved fabric they insist on wearing.

ITALY

Moncler brought their super shiny puffa jackets back two years ago and there are now enough cheap Italian brands doing replica coats for these kids to basically revive the 80s Paninari look, updated with the obligatory Nike sneakers that usually match a detail on the jacket. These boys and girls wrap themselves in scarves, beanies, and puffa jackets, even if it’s face-meltingly hot outside, and make sure that the branding is always as visible as possible. So, becoming a warm, reflective advertisement is obviously just about the height of fashion for these kids.

MEXICO

Guys from Mexico City’s colonias are usually referred to as Jordis, because they’re constantly wearing Jordans and gold Nike jumpman earrings. The only thing more important to these kids than their kicks is reggaeton, but having the right sneakers to dance in and be seen in is basically just as significant. In non-shoe related news, bootcut jeans or Goga & Co. white pants covered in patches are the Jordi standard, and bootleg Ed Hardy or Christian Audigier rhinestone-covered T-shirts are orthodox for these guys. Keeping it Catholic, San Judas Tadeo has been adopted as the patron saint of the colonias, so guys will get Saint Jude tattoos or have him embellished in sparkly stuff on a T-shirt or hoody to replace suits as their “Sunday best.”

ROMANIA

If clothes could talk, most Romanian kids would buy the ones that came accompanied by a megaphone. Both sexes go for the loudest yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks they can, with boys always opting for sportswear and girls choosing shiny trousers, vinyl coats, and anything fluffy and furry. In fact, the fluffiness extends to earrings, bags, and cases for their phones. And to live out their childhood princess dreams even more, most wear sparkly makeup, liberally applied on the face and cleavage. Boys get tribal tattoos and shave patterns into their beards, which is always funny.

RUSSIA

The boys, or Gopniks as they’re known here, are pretty much defined by their look. Oh, and by the amount of beer and vodka they drink. But the look is the biggie. That look entails fake leather jackets (usually with some sort of ruffled effect down the front) or sports jackets, off-brand Porsche sneakers or pointy leather shoes, nylon tracksuit trousers, fleecy sweaters, and leather caps. Hair is either shaved off completely or kept short and gelled down on to the forehead in thick strands. These boys’ girlfriends used to be all rhinestone jackets, acid wash jeans and the highest stilettos they could get and, to an extent, they still are, but girls in Moscow and St. Petersburg have learned how to tone it down to something slightly more chic.

SOUTH AFRICA

Township kids are prime examples of that whole African thing of making sure you look supremely dope, even if you’re living in absolute squalor. The fact that the Nike store in Johannesburg was held up last year and all of their unreleased stock sold on the street for dirt cheap probably helped a bit, but these kids would be stylish-as-hell without any help from international brands. Both boys and girls wear striped T-shirts in dark maroons and mustards, slim-fit cords or jeans worn high on the waist, Superga sneakers and beanies or floppy-brimmed hats, named “sporties,” that they kick up from the floor on to their heads while dancing to kwaito, the South African genre that blends hip-hop, UK funky and house music.

SWEDEN

Working class kids had a sudden streetwear boom recently and they’re now probably more clued up on the state of international fashion than the Swedish fashion kids are. You can tell that the Scandinavian pride is still going strong, what with the number of Helly Hansen coats and Fjällräven bags you see everywhere, but American workwear brands are muscling their way in because, while they’re still basically outerwear companies, rappers wear them, so they’re cooler. That means Timberland boots, North Face jackets and Nike tees are all a necessity if you want to look like someone who’s into hip hop and not like someone who goes on hikes and collects moss samples as a hobby.