What categories ?

 Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Fashionably Unstable! And today we are gonna talk about categories. Not those categories, Fashion Categories 
Let's start!

1. Athleisure

Athleisure is a fashion category that blends athletic wear with everyday casual clothing, allowing people to move comfortably from workouts to daily activities without changing outfits. It focuses on versatility, comfort, and modern, minimalist style, using stretchy, breathable, and functional fabrics. Athleisure became popular due to shifting lifestyles, wellness culture, and the demand for comfortable yet stylish clothing. Popular athleisure brands include Lululemon, Nike, Adidas, Athleta, and Puma, while more premium or lifestyle-focused brands like Alo Yoga, Gymshark, and Vuori have shaped their fashion-forward identity. The trend also includes sustainable options such as Girlfriend Collective and Outdoor Voices, showing how athleisure has expanded into a global fashion movement that balances performance with everyday style.








2. Loungewear

Loungewear refers to comfortable, relaxed clothing designed for wearing at home or in informal settings. It focuses on softness, ease of movement, and cosiness rather than performance or style trends. Loungewear typically includes items like sweatpants, joggers, hoodies, oversized T-shirts, knitted sets, shorts, and soft robes. Unlike athleisure—which is meant to be worn both outside and for light exercise—loungewear is primarily meant for rest, relaxation, and comfort, such as studying at home, sleeping, or casual indoor activities. Popular loungewear brands include Skims, Uniqlo, H&M, Zara, Aerie, and Cotton On, as well as premium options like Barefoot Dreams and Lunya.





3. Streetwear

Streetwear is a fashion style rooted in youth culture, influenced by skateboarding, hip-hop, and urban communities. It focuses on casual, expressive clothing like oversized hoodies, graphic T-shirts, baggy jeans, sneakers, cargo pants, and caps. Streetwear combines comfort with a bold visual identity, often featuring logos, limited drops, and collaboration culture. The style reflects individuality, rebellion, and trends emerging from the streets rather than high fashion runways. Popular streetwear brands include Supreme, Off-White, Stüssy, A Bathing Ape (BAPE), Fear of God Essentials, and Nike’s streetwear lines.




4. Resort Wear

Resort wear is a clothing category designed for warm-weather vacations, beach destinations, and holiday lifestyles. It features easy, lightweight, breathable pieces that balance comfort with elegance. Resort wear typically includes flowy dresses, kaftans, linen sets, swimwear cover-ups, sandals, straw hats, and vibrant prints inspired by tropical or coastal themes. The emphasis is on relaxed luxury and effortless glamour suitable for resorts, cruises, and beachside events. Well-known resort wear brands include Zimmermann, Tory Burch, Tommy Bahama, Johanna Ortiz, and Melissa Odabash, as well as luxury labels like Chanel and Dior that release annual resort collections.








5. Crafted Wear (Artisanal / Handcrafted Fashion)

Crafted wear refers to clothing created through traditional, handmade, or artisanal techniques, emphasising craftsmanship, heritage, and slow fashion. It often includes hand embroidery, natural dyeing, weaving, block printing, beadwork, knitting, and other culturally rooted textile arts. Crafted wear values uniqueness, sustainability, and the preservation of craft traditions, often supporting local artisans and small workshops. This category celebrates garments with character and human touch rather than mass-produced items. Examples of crafted or artisanal fashion brands include Fabindia, Raw Mango, Injiri, Anavila, Bode, and Ace & Jig, as well as designer labels like Sabyasachi and Anita Dongre, who incorporate handcrafted techniques.





    





6. Innerwear as Outerwear

Innerwear as outerwear is a fashion trend where traditionally hidden garments—like lingerie, corsets, bralettes, slips, and camisoles—are styled as visible clothing. This trend challenges traditional dress norms and emphasises boldness, sensuality, and body confidence. Common pieces include slip dresses worn as evening wear, corsets paired with jeans, lace bralettes under blazers, or sheer tops revealing lingerie elements. High fashion and street style have both embraced this look. Notable brands using this trend include Victoria’s Secret, Skims, Savage X Fenty, Dion Lee, Mugler, and Versace.


7. Club Wear

Club wear refers to bold, statement-making outfits designed for nightlife, parties, and club environments. It focuses on eye-catching silhouettes, glitter, leather, sequins, metallic fabrics, and body-hugging cuts. The goal is to stand out, move comfortably, and suit loud, high-energy spaces. Club wear often includes mini dresses, crop tops, mesh bodysuits, statement boots, sparkly sets, and edgy accessories. Popular club wear brands include Fashion Nova, I.AM.GIA, Oh Polly, PrettyLittleThing, and designer labels like Balmain, Versace, and Mugler are known for their glamorous night-out aesthetics.








8. Western Ethnic Wear

Western ethnic is a fusion style that blends traditional Indian elements with modern Western silhouettes to create fresh, contemporary looks. It pairs ethnic fabrics, embroidery, prints, or drapes with Western cuts like shirts, skirts, denim, blazers, crop tops, and boots. Common combinations include sarees with jackets, kurtas with jeans, lehengas with crop tops, or dhoti pants with structured tops. This style is especially popular among younger audiences for festivals, college events, casual functions, and modern weddings because it feels both culturally rooted and fashion-forward. Western ethnic makes traditional wear more versatile and wearable, allowing people to express their heritage with a modern twist.




So, for another group project, we took crafted workwear (men's) as our topic, so let's talk about it in depth and actually understand what this is 

Crafted Workwear 

Crafted workwear refers to clothing that blends traditional craftsmanship with functional workwear silhouettes. It brings together the durability and practicality of workwear (like jackets, shirts, trousers meant for labour) with handmade, artisanal, or heritage textile techniques. This category celebrates skill, slow production, authenticity, and the human touch in fashion.


Crafted workwear is part of the larger slow fashion movement, focusing on:

  • longevity

  • handcrafted detailing

  • natural materials

  • heritage craftsmanship

  • cultural storytelling

It connects modern wardrobes with craft traditions that artisans have preserved for generations.


Key Characteristics of Crafted Workwear

1. Handcrafted Techniques

Crafted workwear often features artisanal practices such as:

  • hand embroidery

  • block printing

  • weaving (handloom, ikat, jacquard)

  • dyeing (natural dyes, tie-dye, shibori)

  • patchwork

  • quilting

  • appliqué

These techniques elevate simple workwear silhouettes into artistic pieces.


2. Functional, Timeless Silhouettes

Workwear silhouettes are practical and structured, including:

  • utility jackets

  • chore coats

  • shirt-jackets (shackets)

  • cargo trousers

  • structured kurta tops

  • denim or canvas-based pieces

  • work shirts

These designs were originally meant for manual labour, farming, carpentry, and other trades.

Crafted workwear keeps the utility aesthetic but adds creativity and cultural depth.


3. Natural, Durable Materials

Crafted workwear uses long-lasting, breathable fabrics such as:

  • handwoven cotton

  • khadi

  • linen

  • raw silk

  • organic denim

  • canvas

  • wool

  • natural-dyed textiles


These materials age beautifully and support artisan supply chains.

4. Cultural and Heritage Value

Crafted workwear highlights textile traditions from different regions.
Examples:

  • India: khadi, handloom cottons, kantha stitching, ajrakh, bagru printing

  • Japan: sashiko repair, boro patchwork, indigo dyeing

  • Peru: alpaca wool weaving

  • West Africa: mud cloth and kente weaving


This clothing carries stories of craft communities, keeping traditions alive.

5. Sustainability and Slow Production

Crafted workwear supports:

  • small-scale artisans

  • ethical wages

  • low-waste production

  • natural dyes

  • handwoven fabrics

  • circularity (repair, reuse, upcycling)



It stands against mass-produced fast fashion.

Why Crafted Workwear Matters Today

Crafted workwear is popular because consumers want:

  • meaningful clothing

  • ethically made designs

  • pieces that last

  • cultural or handmade uniqueness

  • aesthetic authenticity


It merges heritage craftsmanship with modern minimalism, appealing to fashion-conscious but eco-aware audiences.

Examples of Crafted Workwear Brands

International

  • Bode – antique textiles, hand embroidery, patchwork,k men’s workwear

  • Visvim – Japanese craftsmanship, natural dyes, artisanal construction

  • Kojima Genes – Japanese denim workwear, indigo dyeing

  • Story Mfg. – natural dyes, hand-embroidery, slow craft


Indian (Strong Examples)

  • Raw Mango – handwoven textiles, modern silhouettes

  • Anavila – handloom linens, artisanal techniques

  • Injiri – handcrafted heirloom fabrics, loose workwear-inspired cuts

  • Nicobar – Indian-inspired everyday wear with craft detailing

  • Fabindia – mass but still craft-led, uses handloom and regional crafts

  • Suta – handmade fabrics, light artisanal textures


 Summary

Crafted workwear combines the functional silhouettes of classic workwear with traditional handmade techniques such as embroidery, weaving, printing, and natural dyeing. It celebrates heritage craft, sustainability, and slow fashion by using natural materials and supporting artisan communities. Brands like Bode, Visvim, Raw Mango, Injiri, and Story Mfg exemplify crafted workwear by merging cultural craftsmanship with modern design.

 

So for the next activity, we need to figure out a movie or series, one Hollywood and one Bollywood, where crafted workwear can be seen

Here are some examples :

Series / Shows With Crafted Workwear Styling

1. The Hunger Games series

  • District residents wear hand-woven-looking fabrics, patched denim, work boots, and utilitarian jackets.

  • Their outfits embody a rustic, handmade workwear aesthetic.



2. Dynasty 

  • Focuses on luxury fashion.

  • Uses couture gowns, sequins, feathers, and high-end designer pieces.

  • Emphasises wealth, power dressing, and glamour.

  • Craftsmanship appears in tailoring and embellishment, and in hand-mending and artisanal textiles.


3. Stranger Things (Netflix)

  • Uses 80s workwear silhouettes, vintage denim, utility jackets, and hand-knit sweaters.

  • Hopper often wears heavy-duty, crafted workwear-inspired pieces.


Indian Series/Films Featuring Crafted Workwear Energy

1. Made in Heaven

  • Not workwear, but strong use of handloom, artisanal embroidery, craft-heavy fabrics, especially in quieter everyday looks.

 

2. Sui Dhaaga

  • Directly about artisans; heavy emphasis on handcrafted textiles, tailoring, stitching, and authentic work clothes.


We ended up working with Made in Heaven and Dynasty. So the next part of the assignment was to take out looks from magazines and these shows, and where u can find the fashion category you are working with, and then dissect each element of the looks.
Now, let's look at part of each garment. 


TYPES OF NECKLINES 










 

TYPES OF CUFFS 

This Flipbook is the final compilation of our work on this assignment 

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