ABSTRACT
This chapter empirically examines the trickle-down of fashion from high-status to lower-status actors. Accepted as common wisdom by many scholars and the fashion industry, the notion of trickle-down has rarely been tested systematically. We analyse national and transnational trickle-down in European fashion magazines between 1982 and 2011. We ask how aesthetic elements trickle-down nationally within the French, Dutch, and Turkish fashion fields, as well as transnationally from fashion capitals to peripheral countries. While finding some evidence of status-based imitation, our analysis demonstrates that trickle-down cannot sufficiently explain fashion's diffusion. We show that two processes interact with status-based diffusion. First, immediate attunement: the sharing of information and resources that creates similarity without much time-lag. Second, identity: the persistence of distinct styles of countries, institutions, and social groups. Thus, we argue that fashion innovation does not necessarily stem from high-status locations or explicit high-status consecration. As fragmented networks of influencers and platforms challenge the power of fashion magazines, trickle-down will likely become less important as a driver of change.
