Tattoos in Fashion

Tattoos are a way of self-expression and physically take place on the person's body, yet we see no representation on the runway. Tattoos are fashionable, but the fashion industry seems to have a love-hate relationship with these markings. Why is there a disconnect in seeing tattoos on models?

Tattoos have been in our human experience dating back to 5000 BC with Japanese figurines having markings resembling tattoos in the clay figures. Before the massive globalization movement in our society, there seemed to be a universal shared concept with ancient civilizations. For example, in ancient Egypt, tattoos were found on mummified bodies, then traveling to a different civilization of Ancient European Sailors, historians have found out that in their culture sailors would document their travels on their bodies with tattoos. Tattoos have been telling stories without words and have many different connotations depending on the culture.

Lady of Cao’s arm covered in tattoos as shown on her mummified body.

Brown University

In Japan, before the Edo period, tattoos had different connotations connoting status and different roles in society. The evolution of this connotation changed in the Edo era when criminals would get tattooed on their body parts with different shapes as a punishment. For example, thieves would get tattooed on their arms, thus contributing to the stigma that only criminals get tattoos. Then there was a rise of discontent with the Yakuza members tattooing their whole bodies, thus leading people to associate tattoos with the Yakuza. This association is still prevalent today, and certain hotels and public bathing houses won't allow people with tattoos into their establishments. But with the younger generation and the globalization of technology, people’s mindsets expanded, and seeing tourists having lots of tattoos is starting to change the connotations associated with tattoos. The once-stigmatized tattoos are now starting to become normalized.

In this new wave of reclaiming tattoos, they are now starting to be seen as symbols of creative freedom rather than criminalization. The fashion designer Issey Miyake paid respects to irezumi culture and made a dress and bodysuit with these tattoos. The body suit he wore had idols like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin as the faces for this rebranding because he found that these faces inspired resistance in the younger generation.

A lady surrounded by men with full-bodied tattoos and a woman wearing one from his Tattoo Collection, one of his dresses. Photographed by Kishin Shinoyama.

Miyake isn’t the only designer to make a tattoo collection. In 1994, Jean Paul Gaultier had a collection called “Les Tatouages” (meaning the tattoos in french) where models could show off their hidden tattoos and other piercings usually banned from the runway as the dominant features. This uplifting of rules humanizes the models and bridges the gap between everyday life and models.

A model with tattoos wearing a two-piece set with tribal print and a large tattoo across her stomach at Les Tatouages Collection.

Picture credit by Vouge Runway 1994. 

Another example is when Ed Hardy, a tattoo artist in the 2000s, gained massive popularity with his designs and made them into clothing. This mass commodification raises the issue that people can have positive associations with tattoos and make it a trend. But on the other hand, people with permeate tattoos aren’t able to throw away their tattoos. Everyday person and model who has tattoos that aren’t covered up still get stigmatized in a negative light, and this carries over into limiting people from other job opportunities. People take on different identities with this clothing, yet when it comes to permanent tattoos, people get demonized for having tattoos for not fitting the aesthetic of a clean slate. 

Not only is Ed Hardy's clothing popular and plays on edgy fashion, but so is new-age streetwear. Streetwear bridges the gap between high-end made for the everyday consumer. With more people receiving tattoos, there is more of a chance that people buying these clothes would have tattoos. So why don’t we get realistic models for high-end streetwear with tattoos? With the connotation of tattoos evolving continuously in a more positive light: Why do models have to choose which aesthetic they want to have? Can’t we all just express ourselves the way that we want? And if the designer needs to have a model for a project that doesn’t have tattoos have them painted over. Models and anyone else shouldn’t have to be scared of not being accepted if they get one, as well as, people with tattoos shouldn’t have to carry the stigma of being criminals. Aren’t tattoos just simply body art at the end of the day?