What is Coachella and how is fashion a huge part of it?
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival AKA Coachella is a music festival that was founded in October 1999 by music Promoter Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen who worked for Goldenvoice, a music promotion company.
In the early 2000s, the festival started out with artists being asked to perform their latest hits, similar in nature to a concert. The festival each year was held across a single day.
However, in the 2010’s it became very popular, and the festival grew and ventured out to feature art installations, a very notable Bohemian style dress code, and a hub for celebrities to gather and enjoy music.
With the Coachella boom in the 2010s tickets were high in demand. This caused the festival to take place over 2 separate weekends each year during April in California, Indio.
The fashion attire of Coachella is a big part of the festival. Attendees come dressed in a wide variety of clothes. The most popular and commonly seen are Bohemian outfits, bright neon accessories such as purses, cowboy boots, flower crowns, and an endless stream of body glitter (mainly applied to the face). The festival takes place in early spring in California, so styles are usually made fit for the blazing Cali heat.
Coachella’s fashion style is can be seen as very expressive and fun. However, outfits that are worn in festivals like Coachella or Glastonbury in the Uk come with a price. The price is the environment.
Most of the products/items worn at festivals are Fast fashion.
The majority of fast fashion products are not biodegradable/reusable or recyclable. Especially items that are worn during festivals are mainly only fit for the occasion, so a lot of items tend to be thrown away after a single-use.
The plastics, microfibres, and harmful chemicals in these products were not designed to be absorbed in a healthy way into the environment rather they end up in landfills, oceans, and even our food! That cycle becomes harmful to the environment.
Here are some items and ways that you can be more sustainable for festivals like Coachella or Glastonbury:
Biodegradable glitter: brands such as The Gypsy Shrine and Eco Glitter Fun sell body glitter that is sustainable and plastic-free. They use raw natural materials such as cellulose to produce the glitter.
Biodegradable wipes: these are essential as being on festival grounds can get muddy and messy. A brand that is sustainable in producing wipes is Klorane’s makeup removal wipes.
Beyond retro: this brand is a vintage retailer which has stores in the UK and Sweden. The items they have are all made from a combination of charity donations or recycled material. The style of the brand is rich in bright hues with lots of beautiful designs and retro dresses. It provides elegance but also the chicness for festivals.
Rented clothing: this is a process in which you can rent clothes from companies such as Wear the Walk. This service allows you to rent sustainable items from brands at an affordable price. This will help feed into the circular economy whereby clothes are reused and recycled as much as possible. This will also save you the hassle of paying full price for an outfit that will only be worn once.
Vinted: this is another online company that has 37 million users whereby you can sell, buy or swap second-hand clothes.
Festivals are a fun time with friends to enjoy the beat and flow of music, fashion, and the energetic vibes of people alike. Your fabulous time at a festival and what you wear can be easily enjoyed through sustainable fashion at an affordable cost which will positively impact the environment and oceans!