Trend

One strand of research activity involves the tracking of rural fashion trends in contemporary designer collections and on the British high street. Of late, fashion designers have raided the country wardrobe for inspiration, so that quilted tweeds, brogues and Barbours have become de rigueur, signposting a rural lifestyle that can be 'bought off the peg'. These items of country clothing are adapted to the needs of today’s fashion consumers but, so too, have a long history, rich in symbolic meaning.


Archetypes (Rural Grafter)


The rural grafter forms part of the titled project A RURAL CLICHÉ, on which i explore two varying rural archetypes under the menswear bracket. Through analysing
communicative material and other promotional menswear ephemera as well as contemplations these popular clichés by reflecting on historical developments, a detailed analyses and understanding of these clichés was revealed.  A distinct weight of the research looked at how the rural had been commodified form such clichés as a means of profiteering.
The rural grafter is one of many clichés that has recently been referenced and adopted by the launch of many ‘new’ yet ‘authentic’ brands. This manufactured  identify or provenance of heritage and the rural appears frequently within these brands strategy and image. My research has led me to identify and analyse such brands that a tempt to recreate or adopt his cliché for the urban landscape and consumer.



From surveying up to 150 people, 40% associated rural expedition
explorers to be honest whilst interestingly  20% associated them as being upper class.

This specific reference to the rural has played an historical part of urban dress within British
menswear, and urban street culture. The urban seek to adapt certain modes of rural dress that would suit the contemporary male, in particular looking for those ‘authentic’ codes of rural working dress that emphasise ‘manliness’ . This reference and context of the rural as being a more honest and in some cases rebellious
representation has become vastly adopted by the urban, more so than the foppish country gentleman cliché.