Cyberpunk is a modern aesthetic that draws from video games and has an underlying punk or emo theme with the use of all black outfits, capes and face coverings.
Like many periods of history, cyberpunk is influenced by deeper themes of science and technology evolving to a point where it effects basically every part of our lives. The genre is also known for opening up the philosophical question of man versus machine or the concept of identity and social anarchy as this relates to the over-extended entanglement of technology with human beings.
Fashion has always been an indicator of social expectations and ideals throughout history. For example, during the French revolution it became undesirable to wear the same clothes as the wealthy. Another example would be the Hippie movement of the 1960s often seen as a rejection of any established cultural norms, liberation was a core theme during this time the attire reflected many of the contemporary movements surrounding freedom of drug use, openness about sex, and anti-war.
In the same way, cyberpunk's fashion is also an indicator of societal expectations and ideals. When Cyberpunk first became popular, it was a reaction to fear of mass surveillance nd control by monopolistic power and advanced technology. Thus cyberpunk fashion expresses dehumanization by hi-tech, using elements like designs that depict or use electronic elements.
More recently, future or more present-day concerns like ecological disaster caused by pollution, resource depletion and nuclear catastrophe, led to fashion influenced by ecology. Such as designs printed with messages on environmental issues, designs that express environmental devastation and protective designs that use hi-tech fabrics or mechanical devices. Other social ills such as climate change, advertisements, widening wealth gap, increase in corporate power, high consumerism, the increase in digital relationships (like OnlyFans) and the increased power of AI, have all become influences in cyberpunk motifs, and have been brought to the attention of the broader public.
For the Cyberpunk aesthetic comfort and convenience and individuality is a top priority. This echoes the needs and wants of the Cyberpunk characters and also portrays the fears regarding aspects such as the overextending influence technology has in our lives. Whist wearing functional/technical clothing and the desire to dress in a dystopian aesthetic which is what defines cyberpunk fashion, movies and novels. The sub-genre also gives consumers and designers a glimpse into what the future may hold and how we should be dressing.
In Conclusion, the cyberpunk genre has influenced fashion like many other periods of time. However is more influenced by deeper themes of science and technology evolving to a point where it basically effects every part of our lives.
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