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The word "plastic fashion" shows recent modes. The recent modes have been promoted mainly on Instagram, where brand logos and iconic graphics that are eye-catching on screens tend to be used, and consumers prefer those things too. In other words, consumption of such items is consumption of the symbolic aspect of mode. The essence of a mode lies on the actual materialistic value beyond the screens such as well-tailored and high quality material. Symbols themselves have no value, and a symbol of brand, in essence, resides on its substantial value. However, seeing the status quo, symbolic consumption with no regard to this essence is accelerating on digital space, such as websites and Instagram. Incidentally, plastic was put in practical use answering the demand of mass consumption societies after WWⅡ; and yet plastic itself has no value. Nowadays, almost everything around us is covered with plastic, while displaying things as something valuable by attaching symbolic values with the use of vivid coloring, brand logos, catchphrases and advertising, to differentiate themselves from other products. In such a manner, recent mode and plastic have something in common, in a way that they have characteristics of displaying and symbolizing things of no value as things of value.

Regarding fashion styles, having defined plastic fashion, I do not think plastic fashion as mentioned above is cool or elegant. That is because the evaluation criteria of people choosing plastic fashion is "other-oriented”, such as desire to be fashionable and trendy, to follow a mode, to be an icon, or to be popular. Such a fashion style has an identically distant relationship with its wearers, meaning it does not represent their original style. Then, what is a fashion style that represents who the wearers are? I believe it is the one that is “self-oriented.” Take ASICS's running shoes as an example. The fashion style is “other-oriented” when you choose ASICS based on its symbol; shoes the company provides are ‘cool’ because it is, say, running a collaboration campaign with a recent mode or street brand. On the other hand, it is “self-oriented” when you choose ASICS because you simply want to go for a jog in the early morning. Awareness of mode and trend is, after all, based on the existence of others who evaluate it, and it can be said that the selection criteria for fashion belong to others. The latter example shows a fashion style chosen simply to meet the desire to run, and the selection criteria are based on a self. With the accumulation of choices of such “self-oriented" fashion styles, I think the fashion will be linked with one's personality, hobbies and lifestyle and the style will become more attractive.

Then, when I thought about who embodies "self-oriented" fashion, I decided to use an age as one of the criteria. From teens to 30s, there tend to be many fashion styles that are "other-oriented conscious”, such as desire to attract opposite sex and their own appeal, and even in 40s and 50s, this tendency can be commonly seen. On the other hand, as people become older, after their 60s, such consciousness becomes weaker, and people tend to become more and more “self-oriented”. That is because these people tend to prefer clothes that are easier to put on or that match with their hobbies, rather than being concerned about the eyes of others and the opposite sex. Their style is more personal than youth fashion, and I think it is more of an original fashion unbound by any mode symbols.