The Evolution of Festival Fashion: From Individualism to Commercialism

The 2025 summer festival season has seen the revival of cowboy boots instead of wellies, sheer fabrics, nineties jorts and layering statement bohemian pieces. Although the ‘festival fashion’ industry only really emerged in the mid-2000s, fashion has been at the centre of music culture for decades, from the ‘flower power’ Hippy movement in the 1960s to the UK Punk movement in the 70s. The intertwining of music and fashion is a tale as old as time, both art forms acting as forms of powerful self-expression where individuals can carefully convey their core identity, personal beliefs and moral values. Festivals allow the individual to find a sense of community as whilst they are chaotic, they are also creative and, above all, inclusive, acting as the perfect setting to experiment and escape from the confines of everyday life. 

Author Julie Morère said, in 2014, that: "The oppositions and ambiguities that characterise British fashion and the garments worn by festival-goers are part of the Festival's unique national spirit, from punk to pageantry, anarchy versus monarchy, or when displaying or parodying Cool Britannia's ostentatious signs of Britishness and the Britpop culture." Festival fashion is therefore meant to challenge the existing establishment, creating an alternative atmosphere which often celebrates a range of identities and characters often excluded from the mainstream.

Notably, festival fashion has historically celebrated the diversity of UK culture. Stormzy’s Union jack stab-proof vest at Glastonbury in 2019 is one of the most iconic festival fashion moments in the recent decade. The symbol of the first black British solo artist headliner wearing a vest which challenged racial inequality in the UK and commented on the ever-so-present knife crime crisis is one that won’t be forgotten. Moreover, festival fashion has always been undeniably political, most recently with Palestinian keffiyehs worn by artists and fans alike at multiple festivals across the UK, but most notably with the Punk movement. 

However, the rise of social media, fast fashion and the overarching celebrity culture has meant that the concrete idea of fashion as a form of self-expression has in some ways been lost. Kate Moss’ multiple appearances at Glastonbury in the 2000s was the catalyst for modern festival dressing, what we now know as the commercialisation of ‘festival fashion’. The rise of social media influencers and the increased scrutiny of celebrity fashion has enabled this marketing phenomenon to take place within the May-August festival season.  The tag #festivalfashion has 167.8K posts on TikTok, many of which are titled ‘cool girl festival outfits’ or ‘brat inspired festival outfits’. As such, the idea of fashion as a form of individualism has become less relevant, and festivals have seen this recent wave of pseudo-identities and microtrends shaping personal style, where everyone must fit into a prescribed aesthetic, instead of appealing to their own authenticity. 

Across the pond, Coachella is often dubbed as the festival which “killed fashion”, and whilst that is probably an over-exaggeration, it is clear that festivals like Coachella, which prioritise influencers and celebrity guests, have actively contributed to the commercialisation of festival-wear. Influencers in particular are given tickets and accommodation to Coachella with the expectation that they will create content for the brand as well as wear their clothing, promoting a culture of excess and consumerism. 

Festival-wear is now highly curated as if it is merely a performance for social media. Commercialism has come at the price of individualism, and festival fashion is now dictated by these high-street stores and celebrity influencers instead of reflecting the authentic music subcultures that once dominated the festival scene. The thread connecting fashion and music has been slowly deteriorating, and now we are left with microtrends which counter any semblance of individuality and personal style.