New Wave is the new wave

It's been around a while, but fashion's New Wave movement is not as fleeting as some would have hoped. Bright colours are here to stay and for Spring, get ready for in-your-face acid-like tones, in its brightest, disco-esque, early nineties sort of way. Old Rave is the New Wave and bring on the glowsticks.

London's East-End has been partial to all that is New Wave with artists and designers such as Stuart Semple and Gareth Pugh capturing the zeitgeist and speaking for a generation that wants more than just fancy clothes and beautiful things. If anything, there is a backlash reaction to the luxury goods industry and paying absurd prices for designer labels seems less exciting than finding that one-off pair of sequined platforms in a vintage boutique. These days it's all about dressing up, crazy style; cavorting to old-rave dance music and going out.

New club nights such as Anti-Social and BoomBox see a generation of kids valuing new rules for what is considered fashionably cool. Gold lame leggings, all-in-one neon bodysuits and skinnier than skinny jeans worn with chunky patent shoes are the new uniform. And that is just for the boys. Experimental make-up, miniskirts and tongue-in-cheek punk hairstyling differentiates the girls from the guys. Though more often than not, it's only up close you can tell the difference.

And what unites this new breed of fashionistas? Is it 'nu rave' culture? Fluoro-coloured lipstick and smiley faces? More than anything, it's a reaction to our popular culture. Look at Stuart Semple's paintings, where underlying messages of our overexposed contemporary society are seemingly glamorized, like luxury goods advertising. There is a hollowness and playfulness that is very Wahol-esque in its imaging. No wonder his work is being sought after by the likes of Valentino and Debbie Harry.

The new magazine Super Super, a trip in itself to read, features crazy club kids in neon leotards, plastic sunglasses and some of the most outlandish outfits imaginable. Still, the magazine speaks for a generation parallel to what happened in New York's East Village in the 80s. It's an amalgamation of young art, music, fashion and clubs coming together and bringing something new. One can't help but notice, however, that the more absurd the outfit, the more kudos the person. Everybody seems to want to outdo the other. From discoball-wearing i-D stylist Molaroid, to Gareth Pugh, designing controversial glow-in-the-dark rubber-ball outfits. To discuss the merits of wearability is to miss the point. The weirdest of creations are getting the biggest reactions and the most media attention. But to focus on this is again to miss the point. The new wave is about a generation enjoying a crazy, fashionable moment in time. It is like the early MTV generation, the antithesis of prepackaged, clubs, labels, brands and music. In fact, its spontaneous and earnest. So, grab your glowsticks before the neon lights have dimmed.