Boss Techie

Because of TikTok, it’s prevalence in our lives, and people’s unending desire to go viral, shame is dead. That’s not a bad thing — sure, people breaking into elaborate dances in public places when you’re just trying to get on with your day can be grating. And disturbing the people around you by being obnoxious is never a good thing. But the confidence it takes to express yourself in a public place in a very public way is … often… ~ admirable ~.

That’s why the internet is obsessed with TikTok’s most recent phenomenon, Tube Girl. Tube Girl, aka Sabrina Bahsoon, rose to TikTok fame after a self-filmed video of her exuding confidence using the 0.5 lens on her phone while riding London’s Underground (hence the name — “tube”) went viral, inadvertently sparking a movement that champions self-confidence.

In the original video, which has garnered over 724k likes, nearly 2000 comments, and 30k shares, Bahsoon is seen hyping herself up in the middle of the train to Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida’s “Where Dem Girls At.” Over the caption “Being the friend who lives on the other side of the city so you gotta hype yourself up during the commute.”

A vast majority of the responses are positive, “Social anxiety is afraid of u girl” says one commenter, “EXCUSE ME??? THE CAMERAWORK AND FACE?!?!?!? simply giving,” says another, even Wendy’s UK account chimed in “Iconic Behavior only.”

Even the more self-conscious comments can’t stand up to Bahsoon’s vibe, “Imagine standing up to do this then silently sitting back down,” says one, to which Bahsoon replied, “I just kept jamming to my tunes.”

Word. We all need to embrace our inner Tube Girl. And this is exactly what people are doing — Bahsoon has sparked a movement known as the #tubegirleffect which has millions of TikTok users embracing self-confidence on subways, trains, and buses. And a lot of them are genuine — sure, there are also some parodies out there, but even the parodies are good-natured and positive.

Here are some of our favorite takes below.

Bahsoon’s TikTok virality has led to some real-life success as well. Not only has she garnered quite a large following but she also made a runway debut at MAC Cosmetics’ London fashion show. Reminding us that as good as the imitators are, no one does it quite like Tube Girl.

11 fashion museums worth visiting around the world

Fashion is not mere clothing, but a social, cultural, and political phenomenon which reflects the society’s values and beliefs in each time period, promoting significant changes.

And it was precisely to move away from the antiquated power structures prior to the first world war that in the 1920s men’s clothing underwent a simplification or that in 1946 bikinis – just like the miniskirt in the 1960s – become the symbol of a freer attitude towards women’s bodies, or even like in the 1990s grunge apparel became the voice of the rebellion of young people against the materialism of the previous decade.

We’ll have to wait until the end of the 1980s for fashion to become the subject of sociological, anthropological, semiotic, and psychological studies, diverging from the frivolousness and inconsistency that for centuries – and wrongly so – defined it. To aid this popular recognition was not only the growing number of texts published on the matter, but also the institution of museums that, from that moment onward, started to spread around the world and devote major retrospectives to it. “Many art, design, and history museums started to collect fashion pieces, in part as a source of inspiration for future designers and students, in part as a way to educate the general public on how fashion history is part and parcel of cultural history. Just like paintings, it had become clear how fashion could represent and haul past into the present, becoming a source of inspiration for future generations,” explains Valerie Steele, researcher and director of The Museum at FIT in New York.

This guide will lead you to the discovery of various museums that give space to fashion, safeguarding and spreading its narratives through an intimate and faithful dialogue with architecture. Historical places full of anecdotes, fundamental stages of a journey inside and outside Europe, in order to remember – paraphrasing strategic consultant and fashion writer Andrea Batilla – that “there is, indeed, a need for change in fashion, but change always starts from knowledge.”

1. Victoria and Albert Museum, Londra, UK

London Fashion Week throws spotlight on young designers

A retrospective into the life and work of ‘Coco’ Chanel is on at the V&A museum at the same time. — © AFP

Caroline TAÏX

After New York, the fashion world descends on London from Friday, showcasing big names such as Burberry but also the work of young designers who could become household names of the future.

Last year’s event, billed as a comeback after disruption due to the Covid pandemic, was overshadowed by the death of Queen Elizabeth II and 10 days of national mourning.

This year, more than 80 designers are set to present their spring/summer 2024 collections, with around 50 catwalk shows and other presentations.

“It’s going to be five really exciting days full of creativity,” said Caroline Rush, chief executive of organisers the British Fashion Council (BFC).

Fashion bible Vogue rolled out the red carpet on Thursday night for a gala launch event.

London Fashion Week takes place against a depressed economic backdrop – Copyright AFP JUSTIN TALLIS

But in the world of fashion, London is enduring a post-Covid slump, with inflation — the highest in the G7 at 6.8 percent in July — and Brexit combining to create a depressed economic backdrop.

That has left the British capital trailing Paris, Milan and New York in the fashion week stakes.

In a sign of its loss of influence, even British former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham has crossed the Channel to present her designs in Paris since last year.

– Fresh UK funding –

On Wednesday, the UK government announced £2 million ($2.5 million) to support young designers, which will go to the BFC’s existing NewGen programme.

The scheme, which over the last 30 years has supported the best young fashion designers, aims to launch the high-end global brands of tomorrow.