Grunge Is Back … Or Is It?
A history on grunge and how to take the subculture and style into your life.
With Balenciaga City Bags, Isabel Marant Bekett Sneakers, and mixed metal layered jewellery, grunge seems to be trickling back into fashion. Even the resale market has seen the effect. Two years ago after finding a City Bag under my sister's bed from the early 2000s Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen craze I went on eBay to find another and bought a perfect condition black City Bag for under $200. But now their prices have surged to $800 and above. It's clear to see that the modern fashion market is accepting the accessory, once a staple in the grunge-inspired scene, with open arms. But just because Olivia Rodrigo is wearing fishnets and DrMartens on stage does that mean grunge is back?
The Origins of “Grunge”
The term "grunge" emerged in Seattle in the mid 1980s as a subgenre of alternative rock music - think Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Grunge music, much like its fashion, was characterized by its gritty, unpolished sound and often introspective or anti-consumerist lyrics. It was a stark opposition to the overproduced and polished glam rock that dominated the scene at the time. Through the influence of these musicians, the grunge subculture expanded outside of music to fashion. People left and right began emulating Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, with their tussled hair, ripped clothes and smudged eyeliner.
It was a style less shocking than other alternative styles like the Punk fashion of the 1970s and thus caught on fast especially as people became tired of the ever commercialising world. But it is important to note that in grunge fashion and even music were secondary, the intent was first; introspection and an anti-consumerist mindset were paramount to being grunge.
American Rock, smudged eyeliner and matted hair were in and by the 1990s, the “grunge” look had infiltrated the wardrobes of teenagers across the globe. Eventually, in an unusual sequence, it trickled up to celebrities and the red carpet. Although the late ‘80s and early ‘90s saw a huge host of grunge-inspired celebrity looks from the likes of Winona Ryder, Drew Barrymore, Kate Moss and Angelina Jolie; it was the groundbreaking Perry Ellis Spring 1993 collection by Marc Jacobs that got the style into the high fashion space. This collection, even though it was unaccepted at the time and even got Jacobs fired, started mainstream grunge fashion. That December, Steven Meisel photographed Naomi Campbell and Kristen McMenamy in the infamous “Grunge & Glory” Vogue spread. The style was everywhere you looked; grunge seemed to have taken over.
Grunge Today
Much like the ‘80s when it all started people nowadays are sick of the overconsumption and overproduction of everything in modern life. Last summer was dominated by “core” after “core” and grunge seems to be a refreshing point of exit. But people are not just going full throttle into the style, instead, Gen-Z especially, have been taking elements from the subculture and modernising it into their current wardrobe. Even celebrities and fashion houses are once again taking inspiration from the style. In subtle ways like Olivia Rodrigo and Lily-Rose Depp who take more polished approaches to the style. Or head-on interpretations from stars like Taylor Momsen who, starting from her Gossip Girl days, is known as the grunge fashion inspiration from the early 2010s till now. Although aspects of the subculture are back, the essence of grunge as we knew it in the 80s and 90s has not yet fully risen.
Incorporating Grunge In Your Life
The key element to the grunge style was and will always be thrifting - let us not forget that the subculture originated in an anti-consumerist mindset - and it is the perfect place to start looking for “grunge-inspired pieces for yourself.
The key elements to a traditional “grunge” look is some sort of flannel or striped pattern, combat boots, distressed anything (and I mean anything - jeans, knitwear, tights - if it looks disheveled you know you have hit gold), and effortless pullover items like silky dresses or big jackets. Although these are the staples, the style is all about individuality and not taking things too seriously so no one item is necessary to be certifiably grunge.
But as I said before grunge is not all about fashion or even music, but about the message. In today's world where consumerism is becoming more and more normalized and unavoidable the re-used clothing, purposeful imperfection, and anti-consumer elements of grunge are more prevalent and needed than ever.
Featured Image Courtesy of Hollywood Box, Melinda Jeanne Pehanick, Vorondoloknitting, and Vogue Magazine.