Yé-Yé

French name for the youth movement and its fashions in the 1960s. The Beatles, the undisputed leaders in the field of music, dominated the youth culture of that decade, with their haircuts and dress being widely imitated. In France, their chorus “Yeah Yeah Yeah” was abbreviated to yé-yé, and chosen to sum up the dress styles of that period. During the 1960s, the mass media had a fundamental role in the explosion of mass consumption, and to that end, used fashion as a marketing tool to continually direct and modify public taste, so as to always create new demands. Televisions and cars became more common. Clothing stores aimed at young people had great success, as they offered the young the opportunity to dress themselves. Chains with low and medium cost goods also become more widespread. Fashion saw the triumph of brightly colored Optical Art prints, the miniskirt created by Mary Quant and the soft-colored creations of Barbara Hulanicki, known as Biba. The names André Courrèges and Paco Rabanne appeared. The world of haute couture went into decline and ready-to-wear gained a stronger hold. Even men’s clothing was invested with color. In 1969 the designer Rudy Geinrich stated: “Haute couture no longer holds the same meaning because money, status, and power no longer hold the same meaning. Now fashion starts in the street. I look at what the kids are wearing. I give shape to their style, I interpret it and add something of my own, and so it becomes fashion.”