Psychedelic Fashion: Where did it come from?

Article By Oliver Boseley Design by Luci Tilbury and illustration by April Morton WARNING This article contains sensitive content regarding drugs and their effects. I am not promoting drugs in any way but merely exploring the way they have affected fashion over the years!

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We remember the Psychedelic 60s and 70s for its wild patterns, and statement disco fashion! But many people wonder what the influences behind the glamour truly were. We certainly know that hallucinogenic drugs burst into the scene during this era of fashion. ‘Shrooms and Acid are just two examples of psychedelic drugs that impacted the fashion industry hugely in the 70s. The movement started in the 1960s, an era of the reorganisation of social stratification and various new political ideologies. Peace, and goodwill! Brightly coloured jumpsuits with patterned headbands flooded the fashion world. People really and truly expressed their inner desires through these bold aesthetics. As the decade neared its end, fashion began to evolve into something even more expressive, and by the time the 70s rolled around, expressionism had reached an all time high. The 70’s is often remembered for the ‘hippie’ movement, with it’s flared trousers, floral designs and many, many beads! However, what people do tend to forget about, is the effect that drugs had on this fashion. For a long time, fashion, just like society, was restricted to the social ‘norms’. Women typically wore long skirts and dresses due to the patriarchy’s tight grip on the world. But as political and social viewpoints shifted, so too did the fashion world. Clothes became not only something to wear to ‘cover up’ or blend seamlessly into society, but a way of really expressing yourself, and standing out from the crowd! Especially where the music and fashion industries met, psychedelic drugs gave people a strong sense of euphoria and altered their sense of thought and feeling giving them a fragmented state of reality. This can really be highlighted in many clothing choices used. The bright colours highlighted the feeling of awe experienced when ‘tripping’. The progression with feeling free in your body and owning your skin can be seen through the relaxed fit in shorts, skirts and tops which show off more flesh than had ever been seen before.

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Makeup was also hugely impacted, swirling patterns and shapes emerged on people faces and soon the face become not just part of your body, but a canvas to express freedom and this heightened sense of euphoria that society had created such a buzz around. These drugs clearly helped the progression in fashion and gave more freedom with clothing choices. However evidently, these drugs were very illegal and led to President Nixon in America creating the DEA, a special police force created to combat the use of high intensity drugs. This angered people and many riots were occurring all around the globe, calling at the need for a change in freedom and promoting the attitude of love not war. Perhaps this is a value consensus that we need to see more of today. Perhaps, as a society strained by a deadly pandemic, we need to see this attitude reintegrated into society. The realisation that love and freedom should be prioritised over hate and anger to others needs to be focused on, to pull us through and allow us to be able to truly express who we want to be and regain our sense of freedom.