Do you Look Good on the Dance Floor? Indie-rock Musicians Initiate a Revolution in Men's Fashion

The clothes worn by musicians have always sentToday, a variety of modern musicians have helped
shockwaves through the fashion industry, helping toengender new trends in men's fashion. Modern rockers
stimulate trends that have gone down in history.Kasabian for example, are featured in the 150th
Today, things are no different. It's no secret that guitaranniversary ad campaign for British fashion label,
music has leapt into the charts of late, and that overBurberry. Moreover, Pete Doherty's relationship with
the last few years, indie-rock groups have become aBritish supermodel Kate Moss has made him a staple
mainstay in the local media. In fact, music magazinesfigure not just in the mainstream press but in the
like the NME have been flying off the shelves with thefashion world as well. Indie rave and electro acts, such
newfound popularity of these bands. However, just asas The Klaxons and Brazilian scenesters CSS, have
their music has become increasingly ingrained in thealso had a significant impact on musical fashion, with
mainstream, so too have their fashion trends. FromThe Klaxon's bright neon t-shirts and jeans
Alex Kapranos, Franz Ferdinand's front man, to Peteengendering a new generation of cool.
Doherty, indie music has hit the fashion industry hard inMusic and fashion have become so intertwined that
recent years - and to good effect.the NME's annual music awards have even
The idea of popular music artists starting fashionincorporated the category of 'Best Dressed Artist' in
trends is not an alien one; indeed, it is a phenomenontheir annual NME Awards Show, this year held on
that has gripped our society for decades. During theMarch 1st at Hammersmith Palais. The category is
1960s in the heyday of The Beatles, many men wouldsponsored by Topman, a popular fashion retailer who
wear their hair long, inspired by the style of thecontinue to lead the way in men's clothes and men's
Liverpudlian songsters. Similarly, in the 1980s, Michaelfashion. Last year's nominees included Pete Doherty,
Jackson's legendary red zipper jacket - made famousAlex Kapranos, The Killers' Brandon Flowers, Liam
in music videos for Beat It and Thriller - was all theGallagher and the eventual winner, Ricky Wilson from
rage, with both men and women donning the fashionthe Kaiser Chiefs. The proliferation of indie-rock figures
item. These clothes helped spark the fashion sense ofhere clearly indicates the influence of such artists in the
many generations, as people took inspiration from theirmen's fashion industry today - a trend which is sure to
favourite musicians in order to create their own lookcontinue into the future.
and define the fashion atmosphere of an era.