Gotta look cool while you're dying.

Fashion.
 - Is not just clothing. Tattoos, jewelry, fashionable attitudes, accessories, your car, cigarettes etc.
 - Expression of aesthetic.
 - Expression of culture. Culture is determined by the "tribes" of artifacts we leave behind. Midwesterners wear Carhartt, etc.
 - Indicator of wealth and wellness. The sick cats and birds are dirty and diseased. The lazy wear dirty clothes.
 - Occupation, such as uniforms.
 - Is important for your outward expression or "persona." First impressions are important, how do you choose to present yourself. "Appearances can be deceiving," but people believe what they see. At the very least, you put in the effort to appear a certain way. The way you present yourself to the world changes how the world reacts to you. It changes what doors are open for you, what friends you make, who you become.
 Who you are -> What you wear -> Who you become.
 Who you choose to be -> What you wear -> Who you become.
 
 Of course, it's not all so superficial. But choices have rippling effects.