Early raves came to be a part of the party world in the late 80s in England, and rave fashion had been a mad roller coaster ever since. In these four decades, we have seen multiple major shifts in the fundamental rave trends - from worn-out denim overalls and black Doc Martens through Rastafarian vibes to psychedelic details and way too many in-betweens.
We are about to take you touring through the evolution of rave wear women have loved through the years - from the very emergence of rave culture to the contemporary fashion trends in the EDM world.
Rave Girls’ Fashion Trends in the Early ’90s
As electronic music became widespread around the globe, party fashion also took a rather industrial turn. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, ravers were to be seen wearing mainly boiler suits, phat pants, and spacious overalls, all of which were usually severely oversized.
During this early period, the primary objective of an EDM outfit was perfect functionality and absolute freedom of movement. As a result, women’s apparel had a spacious design, multiple deep pockets for personal belongings, and a multi-purpose layout for both indoor and outdoor events.
Early rave girls used bright and kaleidoscopic accents to spice up their style. The most prevalent among them were spectrum-colored bracelets and beads, smiley face t-shirts, and neon accessories, the least of which remain still trendy today.
Neon Green Long Sleeve Bodysuit
Rave Fashion From the Late ’90s to the Early ’00s
Two fundamental culture shifts formed the rave fashion of the mid-late 90s and the early 00s. More dissimilar than comparable, they both presupposed different fashion elements in the rave wear for women in that period.
First of all, as the computers, the internet, and gaming joined the show, rave outfits took their turn into more cyber-oriented motifs. Second, the popular L.A. hip-hop wave brought along mainstream sports gear such as Adidas shoes, sneakers, and Vans.
The result was rather striking and unexpected - freestyle and futuristic, marked with basic blacks, neon UVs, and bright-colored hairs with gels and urban bandanas on. This was the time when cropped baby doll shirts took the spotlight for the first time, and fluffy accessories accompanied them more often than not.
Visors, glowsticks, and streetwear formed a one-of-a-kind rave pack just as raves were to be outlawed in most places around the world.
@triciaxpain wearing Matrix Set
Mid to Late 00’s Rave Fashion Trends
Millennial rave fashion was marked by underlined commercialization, as underground and street raves became annual events on the calendar and regulated parties in a controlled environment. However, bright neon colors remained a thing - this time with added customization, opportunities for buying multiple-piece pre-made sets, and a well-thought-out assemblage of distinctive party emblems.
As time went by, rave wear for women included bolder and bolder cuts as a rule. Then, boldness gradually substituted functionality, and more skin began popping out, including trendy bra tops, tight bodysuits, and sexy cutout booty bottoms.
In the ’00s, we witnessed the emergence of halter necks, one-pieces, adult onesies, micro skirts, and numerous other courageous garments that brought freedom to a whole new level of self-expression. In addition, animation and anime themes started to kick in, along with some mechanical and futuristic elements, still trendy as of today.
Women Rave Wear from the 2010s to the 2020s
The entire next decade brought along what we consider today as high-end rave wear for women. The finer fabrics, the more precise sewing techniques, and the luxurious printing opportunities created a world of possibilities for designing rave apparel like no other before.
Functional materials like spandex and durable 3D printing produced the trend of printed rave fashion - a mighty game-changer in the EDM podium. From then on, sci-fi, anime, mythological, and kawaii outfits gained some bonus life points with vividness, flexibility, lightweight structure, and truly striking looks. Mermaids, droids, demons, and angels bombarded the spotlight, and realm travelers, wildlings, aliens, and witches quickly followed.
As designs are concerned, diversity has become a specialty of utmost importance. Nowadays, rave wear can be found in the form of oversized long dresses, high-hip thong bodysuits, and virtually everything in between. In addition, multi-purpose accessories like elastic neck gaiters tend to blend all purposes into one. At the same time, glowsticks and UV-reactive clothes remain echoing from the very first decades of rave fashion.
Costumes are the new black indeed, as slick and streamlined one-pieces are currently the most preferred rave wear among party girls. Plus, they happen to be perfectly suitable for multiple other purposes, such as Halloween parties, cosplay events, and roleplay fun.
@fire_fox_jes wearing Space Girl Sci-Fi Costume
Four Different Decades; A Single Fundamental Concept Between Them
And while EDM and rave style tendencies shifted madly through the decades, their essential intention never actually moved by the inch. From their origination to their total modernization, rave parties became a leading symbol of freedom, expression, good times rolling, and shared values of peace, love, and mutual respect.
Through all the shifting fashions, ravers underneath the garments are still the same - free-minded, free-spirited, free-dreaming, and free-moving. Today, you can easily see it in their outfits, as you’ve always could! As for the team of Devil Walking - we are proud to ever lead the rave parade!