FASHION IS A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Fashion is a communication system. But what is communication? It refers to the set of linguistic and paralinguistic signs used to send information to other individuals, making them experience emotions and feelings.

Communicating is a process that allows a number of people to share certain knowledge.

To achieve this goal, communication uses a series of conventionally-accepted signs; it uses codes in order to faithfully transmit messages; broadly speaking, communication is a game with a number of players and rules to follow.

To communicate (from the Latin cum = with, and munire = to bind, build and communico = to pool, to share) however, is not synonymous with to inform, but rather to relate with other subjects.

Information is, in fact, simply an objective and neutral transmission of data, with no subjective or emotional implication or connotation.

In other words, it is non-human.

Pure “information” is viable only between machines, for instance, computers sending themselves data.

Impossible for human beings.

Biologically speaking, objectivity is alien to human beings.

It would be an aberration of our human nature. Even with the best of intentions, or with the most impartial of minds, a human being would inevitably be influenced in the transmission of a message by his own approach to the world, a “modus” not necessarily driven by partisanship, but merely (and subconsciously) by cultural background, personal attitude, upbringing, schooling, religion, environment, companionships, experiences and so forth.

Hence, human beings cannot but communicate in order to relate with others, or transmit information “dressed up” with emotions, feelings, beliefs, and by ingrained and subconscious cultural patterns.

Communication is a bridge connecting human beings to each other.

There are various categories of people who specialize in the use of this particular aspect by learning the techniques for using communication effectively in order to obtain certain results from their kind.

These results must generate particular moods, instigating the receivers to perform certain actions or to take certain decisions.