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GUCCI
GOTH I
guess it had to happen and it could only ever happen in New York City, the
spiritual home of rampant capitalism, mass consumption and shallow
materialism. To what am I alluding? Well, there has been a very unwelcome
development of late on the fringes of the dark alternative scene, a
veritable expanding boil on the buttocks of all things Goth. The epicentre of
this painful affliction is the ‘Big Apple’ and the name of this vile
abomination is, Gucci Goth. This
festering malignancy grew from an unwelcome new trend in Goth, which saw
fresh young blood entering the dark side simply because they liked the
‘fashion’ and style. They have no interest in the roots of the
subculture or even in the musical influences or political philosophy.
Rather, they are simply misguided ‘norms’ trying to appear rebellious
and edgy. It is stated by those with a vested interest in this new phenomenon that it is simply a new way to encourage people into a dark musical scene that was not strictly under the Goth banner. Too right, especially when it contains such music as House, Hip Hop, R&B, and artists such as Rihanna, Lady Ga Ga and Christina Aguilera. These artists are supposedly dressing in a ‘gothic style’. They are? Really?! They may well seem to be from the perspective of a ‘norm’ trying desperately to be a Goth.
As
we delve further into this farcical parody of Goth we begin to see what it
is really all about. It is the major designer brands trying to muscle in
on a long standing scene and appropriate it for the express purpose of
flogging their designer couture, alongside plenty of gold bling which has
so obviously come direct from the Hip Hop, Gangsta and Rap cultures. It
might be black, but it sure as hell isn’t Goth. This is the kind of thing that any real Goth would take a flame thrower to, as real Goths do not partake of fashion parades, cat walk shows or ponce about trying to look cool in a kind of ‘old dudes-suck-I’m-so-edgy’ kind of way. Real Goths have depth of character. Gucci Goth is about making a buck in the most rancid and shallow money-grubbing way possible, as part of the high fashion meat grinder. The mainstream in black clothing Evidently
Gucci Goth is supposed to revive the Goth scene as it adopts the
mainstream and draws it into itself. I see, so it is the mainstream in
black clothing? Gucci Goth even claims that ‘Fake Goth is the real
Goth’, how would Gucci Goths know what real Goth is as they have never
experienced it? Gucci Goth is the kind of virulent infection that can kill
the real thing from the inside out as it works its way into the scene via its
deluded teenage vectors. It is nothing short of a subculture cluster bomb. Gucci
Goth even claims to be ‘keeping it real’! I really am about to die of
laughter now. Gucci
Goth even appears to have generated its own style of music - I guess it had to
come - known as Witch House and Gravewave. This music has a very 1980’s
Siouxsie and the Banshee’s feel with artists such as Zola Jesus, or a
heavy doom-laden vibe such as that of S4LEM. It is of course no surprise
that Gucci Goth music has been used for the runways at top fashion shows,
such as that of Givenchy’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection. I
am all for evolution on the Goth scene as stagnation is never good for any
subculture, but to remain Goth it has to retain some basic core values.
Like Steampunk, which began as a literary movement back in the 1980’s
and gradually acquired traction across the world, along with a distinct
type of music that was later added on, Gucci Goth had no musical
evolution. It began simply as a fashion trend, where designer clothing in
black was supposed to be edgy. More honestly, it was just teenagers
looking for a credible dark edge to their awful R&B music. As with Steampunk, it then attempted to acquire
musical credibility which
only goes to prove that Gucci Goth has no soul, no depth and no substance,
and will hopefully have no lasting appeal or do any long term damage to
the dark side. As
a Goth who arrived on the scene via the social explosion of Punk Rock, and
who considers such matters as politics and music to be equally important
alongside the Gothic style of dress, I find the whole concept of Gucci
Goth an affront to the very ideals of the subculture. Never forget that
Goth grew out of the reaction to society that was Punk Rock back in the
mid 1970’s. Punk had a real message as did the original Goth scene.
Gucci Goth simply has a price tag and a brand logo with a bit of moody
music thrown in. The sooner this boil is lanced and disappears up its own
backside the better. Real Goth has been diversifying, evolving and
‘keeping it real’ since the early 1980’s, free from the pollution and
taint of the superficial and materialistic mainstream. ©Copyright - James of Glencarr |
