The entertainment industry and the world of fashion have been interconnected for hundreds, if not thousands of years. However, what likely began as dressing for the theater has evolved into intertwined fortunes in which entertainment drives fashion and fashion drives entertainment. Television shows, movies and music are no longer just outlets for creativity, they have become outlets for fashion to such an extent that fashion, in some cases, has become the engine of the “creativity” of the entertainment.
Obviously, one of the great stepping stones in the evolution of this semi-symbiotic relationship was the advent of the star. Hitting the red carpet at award ceremonies, theater opening nights, and movie premieres in the latest couture gowns and custom-made designer suits meant stars from all areas of the entertainment industry. they became conduits for the delivery of the latest fashions to the media. .
It would be a major oversight to assume that this implies that the stars and their last days less than the saints, the celebrities, are simply mannequins and models for the design house with the highest bid, although this is partly the case. The reality is that the relationship is much more complex than this, depending on the relative value of the star or celebrity. Top-notch stars and free-spirited celebrities may be in a position to choose their own fashions, directly influencing what is popular in high street stores and catwalks.
Now, more than ever, entertainment stars and celebrities are even coming to design their own clothing ranges, having an even more direct influence on fashion. Singers and actresses alike have their own clothing ranges, but less obvious areas like rap and rock have also succumbed to the temptation of fashion design. Both 50 Cent and Liam Gallagher have clothing collections for sale right now and while they aren’t necessarily that great, they obviously have some influence on consumers’ clothing choices.
However, fashion and entertainment have moved beyond the interconnection of talents, increasingly moving towards content interaction. America’s Next Top Model, for example, is practically a direct collaboration between the world of television and fashion to deliver content based on entertainment. The show makes star and celebrity fashion models and the process of modeling in entertainment.
Another type of example of content interaction can be seen in Sex and the City, in which the love, devotion and work of the characters for the fashion industry is one of the main focuses of the plot of the series and films. The stars of entertainment and now movies have become synonymous with the world of fashion, promoting their own particular fashion tastes and acting as endorsements of interest in the world of fashion in general. Many other shows and movies have followed suit with this interconnection, including Ugly Betty and The Devil Wears Prada, which was originally a book.
Even the lives of famous people in the fashion industry are used as inspiration for creative content such as movies, books, and television shows. Coco Chanel’s life, for example, has now morphed into a number of major films, including two starring Amélie’s Audrey Tautou.
While the world of entertainment and the fashion industry remain two separate entities unto themselves, with many disciplines expanding, they have definitely become increasingly aligned, interconnected, and interdependent. It is difficult to know how this relationship will evolve over time with such a great relationship that already exists, but one thing is for sure, they are forever linked to each other through bonds of fortune, mutual respect and shared interests.
