EMERGENCE OF FASHION AS SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PHENOMENON
One of the problems of modern culture and fashion theory is the question of the time when fashion appeared in social and cultural space. Currently, there is no common, unambiguous view on this point. At the same time, a response to this question is a key to approach the definition of the term "fashion". In accordance with one perspective, fashion, being synonymous with clothing, accompanies the development of mankind throughout its existence, and fashion in the modern sense of the word can be talked about since the era of ancient Greece and Rome. According to other researchers, including the author of this article, fashion as a social and cultural phenomenon formed quite late - only in the initial period of capitalism and the development of large cities, which corresponds to the late Middle Ages. The purpose of this article is to justify this point of view. The author reveals the factors contributing to the emergence and development of fashion, and attempts to prove that fashion as a mass culture phenomenon could not emerge in earlier periods.