Flannel shirts were originally intended as heavy winter clothing for those that populate mountain areas or work as lumberjacks. However, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, flannel shirts could be seen on those who identified with the “grunge” movement originating in the Pacific Northwest. Kurt Cobain and his band Nirvana, along with others such as Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains reappropriated this style to shed their middle class white roots and identify with a blue-collar mentality. This is an example of bricolage, the term derived from the French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss.
The term bricolage has been used to refer to other counter-culture movements, such as the punks in 1980s England. Grunge represented not only a particular sub-genre of rock music, but a resistance to mainstream culture and a backlash towards the synthesized sounds of the late 1980s. The flannel shirt in particular was a reaction to the flash and glam of the previous decade. It signified practicality over glittery presentation, an aim also seen in the live performances of grunge bands.
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