THAT ’S
CAMP BY AMANDA FLYNN
Fifty-eight years ago, writer, Susan Sontag, defined a term that still has influence to this day – camp. In terms of fashion, you may either love it or hate it. It is a type of fashion that has you turning your head back and forth asking, “Does this even make sense?” Nonetheless, camp has certainly made waves in the fashion industry, granting room for play and imagination in the wardrobe. It is an aesthetic that can be contributed for breaking down stereotypes, exploring gender identity and personal expression. At its fundamental roots, it involves experimenting with clothes, without any constricting rules. In recent years of pop culture, you may remember camp being the driving force of the 2019 Met Gala. Fans of fashion saw attendees walk up the infamous stairs, decked out in show-stopping garments, in celebration of the night being centered around Sontag’s essay. But what is camp? In her essay, “Notes on Camp,” Sontag defines this taste as, “A certain mode of aestheticism. It is one way of seeing the world as an aesthetic phenomenon. That way, the way of Camp, is not in terms of beauty, but in terms of the degree of artifice, of stylization.” With the 21st century of fashion in full swing, the unconventional, eclectic styles that have sprouted from this aesthetic have been seen in major fashion houses such as Moschino, Viktor and Rolf and Diesel. In the recent Moschino fall 2022 show in Milan, creative director Jeremy Scott brought furniture to the runway — models were seen wearing garments that replicated grandfather clocks, chandeliers and dressers. A collection like this, can be considered the epitome of camp. However, you do not need to go far and wide or scour down pieces from high-end brands to find this aesthetic — camp is everywhere around us, and most importantly, it is about having fun.
