Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, Lady Gaga burst into prominence in 2008 when she released her debut album ‘The Fame’. She has astonished many people with her music and fashion choices. She has built her music career within very little time and has millions of followers around the world having sold over 23 million copies of her albums. This makes her one of the most selling and popular artist in the world. More often than not, the worlds of music and fashion merge. Fashion is a multi-billion dollar industry whereas music is also a major financial sector. Music has become very dependent on fashion; artists will associate with certain fashions to attract more fans. Fashion on artists is always under scrutiny by the media and their fans. Many artists have developed their own fashion companies with the aim of selling the fashion that they associate with. Even though the artists do not do the design of the fashion themselves, they will influence their fans to buy and wear their clothes.
One of the unique features about Lady Gaga has been her fashion. She has pushed boundaries in the fashion industry. Her fashion statements have redefined the fashion industry and forced fashion executives to rethink their products and brands. Lady Gaga once confessed that while she is writing her music, she is thinking about what she will be wearing while performing the song. She has also confessed that fashion is just as important to her as is her music. Within the short period she has been a performing artist, she has performed in a myriad of outfits, some of which cannot be considered clothing. She has performed in a meat dress, in a bubble outfit made of plastic, as a chess piece and in other controversial outfits. Many critics see her fashion as appalling, controversial and inspiring. She uses her fashion to pass a visual image of her music. There is a considerable resemblance between Lady Gaga’s music and the designs she wears.
Fashion is influenced onto people and that’s one of the reasons why fashion companies hire celebrities to publicize their fashion lines. Consumers follow what their role models wear and talk about. It is appropriate to say that fashion is dependent on music as music is on fashion. Lady Gaga has millions of followers and her fashion statements are admired by most of her fans, no matter how crazy they seem. Is Lady Gaga a fashion trend setter or does she just influence fashion onto her fans through mass media? Are both of these things the same? Trends in fashion are frequently changing. Marketing is a great part of this characteristic. At the forefront of these marketing campaigns are recording artists with a substantial following such as Lady Gaga.
Clothes that Lady Gaga wears often show up on fashion runways around the world. It has been observed that many fashion houses are seeking inspiration from Lady Gaga. She spends a lot of time and money to make her famous outfits, some of which cost up to $200,000. It can also be argued that the reason why designers are very keen on the ‘Gaga look’ is her massive following. In targeting her audience, the fashion companies take up her designs to boost business. In this regard it seems that Lady Gaga is both an influencer of mass media and a fashion trend setter. It is expected that her designs and inspiration will continue to redefine the fashion industry over a long period of time.
