Alternative fashion is an umbrella term encompassing a plethora of styles that have one major thing in common - they, at least at one time, stood apart from mainstream commercial fashion. The term has long been associated with the fashions of specific subcultures (e.g.: emo, scene, Goth subculture, Hip hop, industrial, Cyberpunk, etc.), however it is not limited to this application. In general alternative, or 'alt,' fashion does not conform to style trends of the times that have widespread popularity. It may exhibit itself as a fringe style - extremely attention grabbing and more artistic than practical - but it can also develop from anti-fashion sentiments that focus on simplistic utilitarian drives (e.g.: grunge fashion, which was largely based around comfort and availability).

Contents

• 1 Historical and Sociological Perspectives
• 2 Common Influences
• 3 Changes in Availability
• 4 Appropriation and Evolution
• 5 Mainstream attention
• 6 Alternative Fashion's Influence on Mainstream Fashion
• 7 Related Concept Material
• 8 Alternative Fashion Examples
• 9 References