1990s Fashion And Music

History – 1990s Fashion and Music

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The 1990s was a decade that saw change sweep across all aspects of Australian lifestyle. A light was shone on Indigenous rights with the Torres Strait Islander flag designed, the Native Title Act and the Reconciliation policy introduced, and the first indigenous model, judge and Olympic medalists (Korff, Creative Spirits, n.d.). In contrast, Pauline Hanson became the first Independent female to win a seat in the House of Representatives. The effects of decades of heavy industry finally began to show on the Australian environment, encouraging environmental groups to gain strength. Australia’s economy began to recover after the 1987 stock market crash, and Australian teams dominated international

Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock, as well as a culture that emerged during the mid-1980s in the U.S. State of Washington, particularly in cities like Seattle (New World Encyclopedia, 2014). Grunge music hit mainstream in the early 1990s, with American bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Sound Garden being signed for massive record labels. In Australia, alternative music became increasingly popular, and bands such as Silverchair, The Whitlams, Powderfinger and Killing Heidi made it big.

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Silverchair was an Australian grunge, alternative rock band, which formed in Newcastle in 1992. One of the most acclaimed and successful Australian bands of all time, they won 21 ARIA Awards – more than any other artist in history (Chairpage, 2007). All five of their studio albums have made it to number one in Australia, and they sold over six million albums around the world. The band toured with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, a global funk rock band from Los Angeles, before becoming more popular and headlining throughout America and Europe several times.

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Although Silverchair’s songs aren’t obviously political, they do discuss controversial issues, which is common in grunge music lyrics. For example, Silverchair’s biggest hit, Tomorrow, discusses the ongoing issue of capitalism, something that the youth of the 90s could relate

For example, the lyrics from Silverchair’s Ana’s song, are directly focused on the lead singer, Daniel Johns', eating disorder. The song became a hit all over the world, opening up discussion of mental illness and eating disorders in young men. Although the 1990s saw enormous change in the mental health care system in the Australia (The New England Journal of Medicine, 2009), little was known about mental illness and it wasn’t commonly spoken about. By releasing songs discussing these issues, Silverchair and other grunge bands encouraged conversations around issues affecting young people.

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Grunge’s impact was not limited to music, it also heavily influenced fashion, encouraging the rejection of consumerism with subdued and minimalist styles becoming popular. Fashion during this time reflects the minimalist political, social and cultural views shared by Australian youth.

Grunge and retro fashion allowed the wearer to express their individuality by choosing from a mix of styles. Grunge combined the masculine with feminine and hippie with punk, while retro mixed new, modern clothes with items from previous decades. The rise of alternative 'grunge' fashion in the early 1990s was one of the most significant trends of the decade (Coddington – Vogue, 1992).

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