The New Affluence

1960’s Britain became a nation of consumers, from pre-war Britain, post-war Britain was a free nation celebrating their new found freedom and youth culture was the main attraction. Britain was all about self-indulgence and the pleasures of spending were paramount. Britain was the no1 importer for champagne and the advertising industry was growing… so was the fashion industry.

The British economy hadn’t grown as much compared to Germany or Japan however with almost full time employment, the increasing availability of consumer goods and the division of the rich and poor was slowly being diminished.  There was a transition between an industrial and post-industrial economy as the youthful pleasures such as music and fashion were the centre of the nation and would soon form a new national identity.

Shopping became more popular and a main aspect of British culture, the classic British high street was changed significantly by new self-service supermarkets, often out of town and offering greater choice independence grocers.  

The complexities of social class became apparent in the media and through the labelling of pop stars, models, fashion designers and photographers who were known as being the ‘new aristocracy’ even footballers were involved in this cultural shift.

I think this was the shift between famous and un-famous and really made celebrities who we see today, George Best opened his own clothing boutique in 1966, much like many footballers who have taken business ventures into the fashion world including Cristiano Ronaldo with his CR7 brand. The cultural change from post-war Britain and music influences changed fashion and how people consumed goods.

Because there was a main focus on the younger generation, magazines such as Vogue and Queen who tried to address a younger audience, Vogue had ‘About Twenties’ pages which focused on a younger readers and magazine sales soared. Magazines became more fashion literate and the magazine Honey launched in 1960 which had a circulation of 200,000 by 1966. The magazine focused on fashion but also offered its young readers relationship and sex advice.

 I think this is what influenced magazines such as Teen Vogue and Nylon or younger magazines who focus on teenagers fashion rather than haute couture like Vogue and Harpers Baazar. Magazines today don’t just offer fashion they show a certain ‘lifestyle’ which is something that publications in 1960’s were looking to do, during this time British teenagers had spent £850 million on fashion and entertainment.

I think this era was the beginning of a consumer society and was a time of expression through fashion and music, being limited to resources from the war, people had little things to do.  Since the war the 1960’s was the time to experiment and express yourself, with wages rises and fashion being more dominant, teenagers were seeing the need to spend their money on looking good and showing others what they had. 

Refence from book: Swinging Britain - fashion in the 1960's by Mark Armstrong