The rave scene grew to dominate the 1990s and continues to evolve even today as ravers from around the world continue to party. Just like clubbers and the club scene, when older ravers move on, younger generations quickly move in to fill the void. Rave DJs such as DJ Diamond, DJ Shortee and Miss Behavin’ continue do teach and create new sounds and rhythms while ravers dance to the beats. Aside from rave music, there is one distinct and noticeable aspect to ravers: rave clothes. Strangely enough, there is a general shortage of rave clothing stores online as ravers hunt for rave gear, rave pants, and general rave fashion.
Rave Fashion
To really be a part of rave culture, you’ve gotta be hip with rave clothes. Ravers wear clothing that is flexible, worn in, and comfortable. Since raves involve hours of dancing, rave wear such as rave pants is lightweight and loose-fitting.
Rave gear includes clothing that makes it easy to dress in layers which allows ravers to peel off their outer wear as they heat up from all the dancing. It’s not uncommon to see ravers wear baggy and wide-legged pants and then strip down to loose shorts.
Ravers wear airy clothing such as t-shirts, tank tops, tube tops, bikini tops, and open-back halter tops. These types of upper body clothes help partiers stay cool during long, intensive, after hours dance marathons.
Ravers tend to take ecstasy pills which provide the energy to dance all night (and sometimes all day) long. The truth is that the drug itself raises body temperature and so between the dancing and the drugs, ravers are frequently virtually clothing free by the end of the night.
Rave Clothes and Themes
Rave culture has grown beyond simple raves. There are now raves with themes to them and the girls at these gigs tend to take advantage of the occasion by dressing up. It’s like Halloween for a night in a month other than October. On a related note, goths who hang out at raves are called gravers. In any case, during themed rave events, ravers wear costumes such as dressing up cartoon characters, princesses, and other fantasy figures that go with the rave’s theme. Rave themes often include some sort of futuristic, space, or mystical theme.
Brand Name and Underground Rave Clothing
It’s kind of an oxymoron to say that raver clothing stores carry rave clothes that are popular brand names and underground at the same time. The truth is that stores are selling large quantities of rave clothes such as Triple Five Soul, Akademiks, Zoo York, Quiksilver, Rusty, Spiewak, Kitchen Orange, Billabong, HIC and Redsand.
It’s true that purists in the rave gear scene prefer to wear rave clothing that is from more underground type companies and stores but in fact, major labels and brand names in popular culture can be quite convenient when partying at a rave. Rave wear can be Adidas track pants, Nike running shoes, or a Reebok shirt. If you’re preparing for your first visit to a rave, don’t worry about shopping at rave clothing stores. Just wear what you have, as long as it’s comfortable.
Not everyone thinks raves are for them and after one visit, they have had enough of the rave scene. On the other hand, if you do plan on partying at a lot of raves, you might want to consider “popular” rave clothes.
Rave Clothing Store Accessories and Ecstasy
Aside from general rave clothing, there are always the accessories to consider! Alcohol is rarely served at raves. Instead, rave promoters sell smart drinks which are essentially energy drinks or fruit juice with extra caffeine. If you were every wondering how to make an energy drink, that’s all there is to it!
In any case, raves and illegal drugs go hand-in-hand and rave clothing stores sell accessories that can enhance the raver’s drug-induced sensations. Raver accessories include bright paraphernalia such as bracelets, necklaces, and earrings which typically have flashing lights built into them. Ravers trying to sneak their personal stash of ecstasy into a rave frequently place their pills into plastic beads, bring pill-shaped candies which look like store-bought sugar candies, or mix their drugs into a box of candies.
One of the most ubiquitous rave clothes accessories is the ever-present baby pacifiers which are typically worn around ravers’ necks and lollipops. While these are seemingly harmless, they are actually there to counterbalance the effects of ecstasy which can force involuntary teeth grinding. This is actually quite popular in regular clubs as well, not just rave culture.
Perhaps the most creative integration of rave accessories is the invention of baby pacifiers that actually have flashing lights built into them and have candy-beaded necklaces for ravers to wear around their necks.
The hallucinogenic properties of ecstasy has certainly had a large influence on rave culture including the clothes and accessories that ravers include in their party gear. Ecstasy can cause visual distortions which is why ravers walk around with glow sticks, flashing bracelets and necklaces which are waved around. Similarly, raver girls frequently wear pins with blinking lights as belly-button rings, earrings, and regualr clothing pins, frequently in the shape of stars and hearts.
Finally, ravers chew strong mint gum and rub strong smelling menthol lotion onto their bodies to try and max out the effects of the drugs. Sadly, many ravers don’t realize that rubbing items such as Vicks VapoRub all over their body and continually inhaling the menthol fumes, they are enhancing they may be adding to their risk of hyperthermia (getting dangerously overheated) because the fumes cause the raver’s eyes and nasal passages to dry out. Gross but true and you don’t need to buy this type of “party item” at rave clothing stores because the local pharmacy probably carries these products.
The Future of Rave Clothing and Accessories
As long as there are raves, rave culture will include rave clothing and accessories to get the “full effect” of the music and drugs. If you plan on attending a rave and you’re a newbie, this article should be enough to get your groove started. Party smart.
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