The Inflation of Fashion (Literally!)

Padded, puffed up items are popping up everywhere, in the form of inflated shoes, coats, handbags, even sunglasses. Some brands, like Prada and Coach, are creating updated versions of classic products, while others are creating entirely new commercial products. Yet other brands, like Moschino, have created something much more bizarre and avant garde. So, how did this trend come to be, and why ‘puffification’? 

Photo: Prada

Jeremy Scott, the creative director of Moschino, leaned into the theme of inflation for the brand’s spring 2023 collection because of, well, inflation. It is a huge conversation right now. The cost of everything is going up, so Scott decided to incorporate inflation into his collection on a much more literal level. This example emphasizes that fashion trends are almost always a reflection of cultural and economic events.

Photo: Isodore Montag via Vogue

While Moschino’s collection was creative, a little on the nose, it was not necessarily suited for everyday wear. As with most things in the fashion world, this trend has evolved into more commercial iterations, like puffy shoes, coats, handbags, and accessories.

Photo: Coach

The second and much more direct answer as to why inflated items are all over is that they will sell. By creating a novel version of a classic item, brands like Prada are tapping into a new client base with different tastes while still keeping mostly the same design as the original product. It’s a simple and effective strategy that is certainly not being seen for the first time; puffy items are just the most recent iteration. 

Photo: @kendalljenner on Instagram via W Mag

It’s also important to mention that puffy items look great in photos. Pure and simple, the photogenicity of inflated items makes certain that these products stand out. This is important because most people will see these products on social media. If it stands out in photos, it will sell. 

Photo: MSCHF via High Snobiety

There is a dissonance between the two answers to this question that is troubling. Inflated clothing comes from a place of economic distress, expressed through the artistic medium of fashion. Yet it is then commodified, turned into a luxury good that will only be purchased by those who are unaffected by the realities imposed by extreme inflation. In the end, these products are seemingly completely removed from their original critique, becoming instead an ironic symbol of the grotesque chasm between the affluent and the poor. 

This trend is not unique in this regard, nor does it mean that the trend does not have any merit. It is cute, novel, and interesting; if you like it, you have a right to enjoy it. We simply cannot help the fact that we live in a world where art is constantly commodified.