Motown

Historically, music and fashion have been inseparable as societal phenomena. Beyond the pressed suits of the Ragtime Era, the distinct style that developed within the Motown institution, in particular, was a manifestation of Gordy's desire to present his artists to the world as distinguished and elegant representatives of the African American community. In keeping with this goal, the fashion trends associated with Motown certainly did morph into their own distinct sub-sect of the greater cultural fashion of the time, but Motown cannot by any means be singled out as being more concerned with style than almost any other genre of music—past, present, or future. Some other genre-based fashion statements that come to mind are: the fringed and intricately embroidered western wear worn by southern folk entertainers in the 1950s, indicative perhaps of desires similar to Gordy's—to be seen by the public in a dignified and glamorous light; the bright colors, tinted glasses, and bare midriffs associated with the free-spirited rebellion of psychedelic rock; and the skin-tight pants, ripped t-shirts, and outlandish hairstyles representative of the anti-establishment, anti-authority attitudes of punk rock.

As mentioned above, the identity of Motown artists—as marketed by the institution—was one of refinement, class, and sophistication. Gordy was fixated on communicating these qualities as a way of debunking the pre-established, negative notions about the African American community held largely by the white population. However, the funk and soul artists that emerged post-Motown seemed to be inclined in the opposite direction. The desire to appear as similar to their white counterparts as possible was replaced by a desire to get back to the African roots that shaped the very genre, to begin with. Earth, Wind & Fire comes to mind, as they regularly incorporated African instruments into their sound, and much of their stage clothing was inspired by traditional African dress. The other styles made popular by the corresponding genres mentioned above were definitely also developed in order to make specific statements that bolstered the over-arching themes of the music. This tradition is long-standing and continues even today.

Reference

Starr, L., & Waterman, C. A. (2010). American popular music: from minstrelsy to MP3 (3rd ed.).New York: Oxford University Press.