I'm going to put here that this has all been from my perspective and what I've seen over the years as I've been around for the entire cyberpunk movement (though a little too young in the very beginning to understand it. By the mid 80's though, I was able to really appreciate it) and it's influence from a fashion standpoint.
At some point cyber goth and cyberpunk started blending together. Cyber goth started it's rise in the late part of the 90's and of all the influences it draws from, I think cyberpunk is the most important.
Cyberpunk really can cross between cyber goth and even a bit industrial as industrial took some significant changes in the late 90's through the first part of the 2000's too.
Since technology has exploded, and things we didn't think we'd see for many, many more years (at least a century on some of it) it really redefines cyberpunk.
When the cyberpunk books were written in the 80's, and the original cyberpunk role playing games in the 90's, we've actually reached part of their future. Some of the fantastic technology is here, some... not so much. But we don't have the world we thought we would have (a lot thought we'd have a one world government, some utopian, some distopian, we might be working towards the distopian). However, I have a tablet computer... and that is SO Star Trek, so...
Our world is smaller, our cultures are more in contact with each other, and a bit more understanding is happening ( a bit too slowly actually. But it does have a bit of a William Gibson feel to it. We are still divided in culture, but closer now than ever before). But what is the modern cyberpunk style?
I'm trying to figure that out. Cyberpunk has had 30 years to collect influence and exert influence. And you can see that simply by Googleing cyberpunk clothing. I think this picture said a little bit about the confusion.
This corset came up in a search for cyberpunk clothing. It's also tagged emo by the way.
I wouldn't even call that cyber goth. It's goth. It screams goth (and it's beautiful. But really, cyberpunk?). And lolita, but we're not even going to go there.
But it speaks to the sort of searching we're doing for the style of cyberpunk now. Online retailers will purposefully muddle the fashion. Why? Because we can. I personally try to stay away from such things and tag correctly.
Some online sellers have no clue when they use the keyword cyberpunk. Either misinformed or just no real education in the style. Some do it just to get views and hope some uninformed wannabe buys it.
I'm wondering where we are heading though. Are we remaining with the more minimalist style that evolved from the original and the millennium or going back to the more post apocalyptic style from the 90's? Actually, I think it's more going minimalist.
This corset has the feel that I think is far more cyberpunk. It captures the minimalist feel, and the strappy feel... and frankly corsets are fussy, this one isn't fussy.
But there's a lack of cyberpunk style movies lately. It's been a long time since I've seen anything with a cyberpunk feel. So really, what modern cyberpunk is going to look like can change.
As much as we don't want to admit it, movies set the trend for fashion, in even the alternative world.
Right now it's kind of safe to say cyberpunk and cyber goth are both heading the same direction. Cyberpunk keeping a bit of a dark, minimalist feel (slightly goth), cyber goth the same thing. The big difference is cyber goth is more music driven, cyberpunk is more lifestyle driven. Not that cyber goth isn't a life style
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