THE NEWSPAPER PRINT TREND AND THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS

words by ANOUK WOUDT

Ever since Carrie Bradshaw strutted down the streets of Manhattan in that classic Dior by John Galliano newspaper dress, the iconic motif has lived in the back of our minds – until now, as it suddenly pops up everywhere again. From Emily’s Fall/Winter 2000 Galliano shirt in The Devil Wears Prada 2 to the recent Chanel Cruise 2027 collection, newsprint has reawakened after years of lying dormant since its 2000s heyday. Now, teased for a return at tonight’s Dior Cruise show under Jonathan Anderson, its reappearance is almost excessive — leaving us to wonder why this is the moment it has chosen to make its comeback.

images via PINTEREST

Although so extremely 21st-century coded, the origins of newsprint go all the way back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The spark that ignited the newsprint trend came from early suffragettes who used text-based accessories and print as a form of branding their cause in protest. Their slogan sashes and printed ribbons opened the gateway to graphic prints in fashion, which has, at this point, exploded into a full-blown addiction, especially since the early 2000s’ obsession with slogan tees. 

The newsprint style eventually entered couture territory. But long before the iconic John Galliano print had even hit the runway, in 1935, Elsa Schiaparelli crafted newspaper textiles, using clippings about her own work, creating a sneaky homage to herself and the fashion house she had built. Inspiration struck her where you’d least expect it: at a fish market in Copenhagen, where she took note of how local fishwives wore twisted newspapers fashioned into eccentric headpieces.

image via PINTEREST

Eventually, the line of inspiration marches forward, landing us at its most famous iteration – of course, Galliano’s Dior. The now iconic ‘Christian Dior Daily’ print first made its appearance on the infamous ‘Hobo Chic’ Dior FW 2000 show, which was indeed inspired by the homeless people Galliano had spotted on drunken late nights out in Paris. Though the show originally faced a lot of criticism, everything changed when Sarah Jessica Parker wore the newsprint dress in season 3 of Sex and the City, one of the most memorable Carrie looks to come out of the show. Everyone watching was, and still is, obsessed, but in true trend-cycle fashion, the print has since been endlessly dragged through the fast-fashion machine, making it hard to ever top the original.

images via PINTEREST

Now, both Chanel and Dior are bringing back the infamous print at the same time, each for their respective Cruise lines. Dior revisiting it under Jonathan Anderson makes sense, serving as a reference to the house’s history and archive. But Chanel? Introducing this print, Blazy certainly raised a lot of eyebrows – and what now feels like an invitation for a showdown. Of course, the textile has lived many lives before, from Jean Paul Gaultier to Per Spook, yet those reinterpretations still carried its own identity. Here, though, the Chanel version feels so drenched in Dior-coded imagery that it’s all we see, paving the way for an exciting face-off.

images via @chanel and @jonathan.anderson

Fashion rivalry aside, the most intriguing aspect of this revival is its sudden prevalence. Two of the biggest fashion houses in the world bringing back the same print (at the exact same time) simply cannot be a coincidence, but looking at our cultural and political landscape, it starts to make sense. With injustice running high as we come off the tails of a second Civil Rights Movement, there is an overwhelming beckoning for change. The era of the suffragettes suddenly doesn’t feel as distant as we once imagined; women’s rights still seem to fight for the bare minimum of dignity and respect. We may have gained the right to vote, but the conversation around bodily autonomy and power imbalance continues to feel painfully cyclical — and fashion, as always, serves as a reflection of this culture. 

In this context, the newspaper print – even if brought back subconsciously –  serves as a reminder that the fight for equality still lingers in our cultural hivemind, whether we like to hear it or not.