Right Wing Fashion: The Mainstream Takeover

Pretty Little Thing has been marketing itself as a party company for its whole existence. With their tiny dresses, copious amounts of glitter, and infamous little pink cars, they are known for being fun. That was until now. The company has done a full rebrand. They seem to be going for a more “elevated” look, but the outcome is facing serious backlash.

While there have been many issues raised with this rebrand, including the continued disregard for quality, the continued use of sweatshops despite the raise in prices, and the loss of one of the few brands that stuck with their look. The primary issue is how this rebrand reflects our current cultural standing.

This switch to more modest, clean girl styles reflects the wider descent into right-wing ideologies. I've written about how some beauty trends reflect right-wing ideologies before so I won't rehash all of that (if you're interested I'll link it here). But this is more than just trends individuals are following, this is a large company doing a full overhaul.

We've always known that large companies lean right. They have to if they want to grow as big as they have. But until recently, a lot of fashion brands have kept a liberal outward facing personality. With their primary customer base being young women, who have traditionally voted liberally, they need to be brands that reflect these women's beliefs.

But with the rise of right-wing ideologies in many women, these brands can drop the act. With dropping the act they can also start producing for their new audience. Selling low quality, unethically made products for higher prices than most are willing to pay.