Flower Power style at a gathering in San Francisco in 1967. Photo credit: Pictorial Press

A woman wearing heart-shaped sunglasses, with a flower-printed shawl wrapped around her. She sits on a car bonnet that is spray painted with psychedelic patterns.

A woman with long dark wavy hair smiles up and away from the camera. She wears a bright pink jumper and red lipstick, and is photographed against a pink background.

I'm Nina Manandhar , author and senior lecturer in Fashion Communication

2 Oct, 2025

2 mins read time

Fashion power: 12 moments where clothes sparked change

I'm Nina Manandhar , author and senior lecturer in Fashion Communication

2 Oct, 2025

2 mins read time

Fashion is more than fabric – it's a force. From suffragette sashes to second hand revolutions, style has long been a tool for visibility, resistance, and transformation. Here are 12 key moments where fashion was a powerful agent of change.

12 change-making fashion moments

1. 1908: Suffragette white and sashes

Colour-coded outfits – purple for loyalty, white for purity, green for hope – became symbols of unity and resistance in the fight for women’s suffrage.

Vera Wentworth, a suffragette, publicising a protest march to Parliament in 1908. Photo credit: Pictorial Press

A black-and-white photo of Vera Wentworth, a suffragette. She wears a hat, a long dress, and a long apron emblazoned with text that publicises a protest march.

Vera Wentworth walking along The Strand, London wearing an apron advertising a march.

2. 1964: Rising hemlines

Mary Quant’s mini skirts, worn by icons like Twiggy, symbolised women’s liberation and a break from traditional gender roles.

Twiggy outside her North London home, 1966. Photo credit: Courtesy Everett

A black-and-white photo of model Twiggy, standing on steps that have a geometric pattern. She has cropped hair and wears a short dress and Mary Jane shoes.

"I wore them very short and the customers would say, ‘shorter, shorter.’" - Mary Quant, British fashion designer

3. 1965: Flower power

Crochet, beads, and repurposed military gear became anti-war symbols during the Vietnam era, turning fashion into peaceful protest.

4. 1969: Black Panther uniforms

Berets, leather jackets, and afros projected pride, unity, and resistance to systemic racism.

Photo credit: David Fenton

We were a ragtag bunch at the beginning so I put them in a uniform to give them a sense of pride.”

Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party

5. 1970: First Gay Liberation Day

Flamboyant styles and rainbow motifs marked the emergence of LGBTQIA+ visibility, with Marsha P. Johnson leading the way.

6. 1974: Punk bricolage

Vivienne Westwood’s boutique SEX birthed punk fashion – DIY, provocative, and politically charged.

7. 1981: Anti-nuclear knits

Greenham Common protesters used craft – knitted jumpers, costumes, songs – as warm, imaginative resistance.

8. 1984: Statement tees

Katharine Hamnett’s slogan T-shirts, including “58% DON’T WANT PERSHING,” turned fashion into direct political confrontation.

9. 1992: Grunge as un-fashion

Thrifted, mismatched clothes rejected consumerism. Kurt Cobain’s casual style became iconic, reflecting Gen X cynicism.

10. 1996: Girl power

Spice Girls and their bold, playful looks embodied third-wave feminism, blending empowerment with pop culture.

The Spice Girls perform on stage at the Brit Awards ceremony in London, 1997. Photo credit: Fiona Hanson

Girl power is about being whoever you want to be. Wearing your short skirts, your Wonderbra, and your make-up, but having something to say as well.”

Emma Bunton (aka Baby Spice)

11. 2023: Bimini at Glastonbury

Bimini’s trans-flag Union Jack dress and protest placard at Glastonbury spotlighted trans rights and cultural resistance.

12. 2025: Second Hand September

Oxfam’s campaign pushed pre-loved fashion into the spotlight, challenging fast fashion and promoting circular futures.

Photo credit: Oxfam

Sabrina Grant wearing a colourful cape on the catwalk at the Oxfam x Vinted Style for Change fashion show. The cape is emblazoned with the slogan: 'What you wear has power'.

How fashion can power the future

Fashion is a cultural feedback loop – icons reflect public sentiment, and style becomes a shared language of resistance. From mobs and insurrections to joy and performance, fashion has held crowds together.

Today, as climate anxiety grows, activism asks: can fashion itself be transformed? Second-hand shopping, once fringe, now leads the charge –symbolising subculture, sustainability, and rebellion. It’s not just what we wear, but how we wear it that shapes the future.

Photo credit: Fiona Finchett / Oxfam

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