The two top popular ways of art and body aesthetic expressions, the fashion and the tattoo industry, have prevailed and expanded into multibillion-dollar global enterprises. As modern society has steadily accepted the concept of body art and tattoos and continues to leverage the ever-changing trends of the fashion society. There’s one question that looms large in our minds — will the tattoo industry overtake the big sister – the fashion industry?
The following statistics and the audience established with the fashion industry is massive. However, the tattoo industry is all set to take off with a slight pinch of technology, much-stronger-than-before social acceptance, and even better, gender neutrality. These few yet powerful pointers will contribute enormously to the tattoo industry’s race against the fashion industry.
A slight pinch of technology
The tattooing methods no longer include puncturing the skin using piercing implements but have upgraded monstrously. Tattoo artists are practicing popular photo-sharing applications as a platform to illustrate the design they create.
In the future, to gamify the experience, even more, augmented reality will be a real game-changer. It will allow artists to understand how the tattoos will hold its look and feel at any part of their body before even a drop of ink touches the body – handy, right?
Furthermore, tattoo shop software will ease up operations for tattoo studio owners. From online reputation management to appointment management to measuring one’s marketing efforts — this newly-introduced software will be a one-stop solution for tattoo studio owners.
Tattoo services intertwined with technology will amplify the studio owner’s efforts and customer experience, and most importantly, assist tattoo owners, and artists reach their utmost potential seamlessly.
Much-stronger-than-before social acceptance
I’m sure, as we advance, there will be zillion more additions to the technical aspect, but nothing matters unless there’s social acceptance. A social stigma hindering the growth of the industry has flatlined. Once tagged as an art form supported only by troublemakers and rebels, it is now widely accepted worldwide.
This social stigma is slowly dissolving even among the least developed states and countries, ushering growth and expansion to its existence. A bright green flag is signaling true acceptance for art lovers and artists.
Tattoo Industry or Fashion IndustryGender neutrality
Among many things that have changed over the past few decades is that the tattoo industry is no longer just another male-dominated area. Women are actively engaged as tattoo artists and tattoo receivers more than ever before, and their roles are more fluid.
For example, they are not just confined to the wall of ink work. They are expanding into tattoo magazines, co-curating Instagram design handles and designing phenomenal out-of-the-box tattoos.
Tattoos are an expression of individuality
Tattoos have been around since the prehistoric ages, much before fashion made an appearance. In certain cultures around the world, tattoos are a symbol of rite of passage. In modern times, globally tattoos are seen as an expression of the self. It is the story of every individual- their struggles, fear, a loss of a loved one, and success, that is often not spoken but expressed through vivid and intrinsic imagery and symbolism.
Tattoos often associated with a rebel was frowned upon during job interviews and that is where fashion- the mightier cousin was winning! Potential candidates were often discriminated against and asked to cover-up, what was essentially a part of their identity. But now things are changing gradually.
Today, tattoos are part of mainstream society and from celebrities to rock stars to sports icons everyone is flaunting the ink on their skin. It is part of their style, one that doesn’t change with every season. The less adventurous ones are opting for temporary tattoos.
Tattoos help you understand a person and form connections, tattoos help unite individuals, whereas fashion has often been seen as divisive, because of its affordability but today even that divide is slowly fading, with luxury brands coming up with budget collections.
Who is Winning this centuries-old war, Tattoo Industry or Fashion Industry?
Well, we have to wait and watch!
So, it’s there. The tattoo industry is sure as hell giving the fashion industry a tough competition. However, we still have a long way to go till we overtake the big sister, but for what I can notice, tattoos and fashion will go hand-in-hand. The last few decades have observed, and the upcoming ones will experience tattoos making their way into the fashion industry.
One of the finest reasons it will work so well is because they share the same goal — self-expression. For the longest time, fashion assists self-expression through accessories and clothing, but there’s no better way than continuously expressing oneself with a tattoo, right?
Nowadays, we have collections from well-established brands being drawn from body art trends. For instance, designers at Don Ed Hardy, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Versace have worked either inspired by the tattoo culture or have made use of the designs in their collections. Simply put, whether or not you have got inked, there’s a high probability you have bought a fashion item that was designed keeping the ink and tattoo culture as an inspiration.
So, even if the tattoo industry will fall short compared with the fashion industry, both the enterprises will have a hushed intimacy for the ages to come. As tattoos garner more acceptance, the fashion industry appears to be strengthening a strong relationship with the formerly unpopular culture.
This relationship will assist plenty of fashion and art lovers to share creative slices with others harmoniously. You can share an unspoken message out to the world with tattoos, whereas fashions give you a gateway to express your creativity through style.
In 2020, tattoos are no longer subjective to society standards. They leverage technology for an insane experience for both the artists and the art lovers and send good vibes with gender equality. Tattoos vary enormously across various cultures, regions, races, and classes. Despite the diversity, tattoos have now become constant. They will represent a community much more than the usual anchors and roses tattoo owners!
Also Read; 7 Expectations From The Indian Fashion Industry
