Music and fashion have long been closely linked. Artistic movements in music have often been associated with distinct fashions. Both industries have also had considerable influence on each other. Many famous musicians have also had notable styles and influenced fashion.

The Boston Globe described singers Cher and David Bowie as pioneers of shape-shifting in pop music. Cher emerged as a fashion trendsetter in the 1960s, popularizing "hippie fashion with bell-bottoms, bandanas and Cherokee-inspired tunics". She has repeatedly reinvented herself by adopting a series of visual personas, for which Richard Aquila called her "the ultimate pop chameleon". Billboard observed Cher's role in redefining visual possibilities for pop stars, allowing them to adopt multiple personas on and off stage. The Independent's Alexander Fury traced Cher's fashion influence among female music artists such as Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, stating, "They all graduated from the Cher school of never sharing the stage, with anyone or anything."

New York magazine acknowledged Barbra Streisand fashion sense saying "she embarked on a surreal, chameleonic, personal fashion quest" that single-handedly began the retro revolution in the 1960s. American singer Michael Jackson inspired global fashion trends during the 1980s. British Vogue called him "a fashion pioneer [who] initiated the trophy jacket trend in the Eighties". His style included sequined gloves, a fedora, red leather jackets, sequined jackets, aviator sunglasses, black high-waisted pants, white socks and leather penny loafers. American singer Madonna is known for having adopted multiple visual styles throughout her career. Author James Robert Parish wrote that her fashion during the 1980s helped create a new version of the blonde bombshell image. Scholar Camille Paglia wrote, "[Madonna] has become a fashion icon more than a music pioneer". Madonna's prominence enabled her to bring subcultural styles into the mainstream. Various publications have credited Madonna with starting the underwear as outerwear trend.

Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewellery, and body modifications of the punk counterculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like the Exploited to the dressed-down look of North American hardcore. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including glam rock, skinheads, greasers, and mods have influenced punk fashion. Punk fashion has likewise influenced the styles of these groups, as well as those of popular culture. Many punks use clothing as a way of making a statement.

The early, pre-fame work of designer Vivienne Westwood helped pioneer the look of early British punk with her scene-establishing clothing shops Sex and Seditionaries in the mid-1970s, co-run with Malcolm McLaren who managed the Sex Pistols. Westwood was asked by then-partner McLaren to outfit the Sex Pistols, and Westwood's designs found a canvas on Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious. Her early work with Sex and the Sex Pistols helped to establish her as one of the most influential British designers of the 20th century.