British Subcultures-past and present

Teds

Teddy boys adopted a look inspired by the prominent artists of the 1950s performing the new music sound – rock’n’roll. As a subculture, teddy boys had a reputation for being troublesome and violent, clashing frequently with authority and famously ripping out seats at concerts. Drape jackets, drainpipe trousers, skinny ties and creepers were compulsory attire. Teddy girls are not as well documented but were just as enthusiastic, sporting denim, Edwardian-inspired blazers and pencil skirts, which must have been a nightmare on the back of a greasy motorbike

Mods

The modernist movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s was heavily influenced by Italian fashion. The increase in youth employment saw a rise in juvenile spending. The congregation of the like-minded at cafes and nightclubs fuelled an obsession with clean-cut fashions and black American R&B bands or British bands influenced by them, such as the Small Faces and the Who: the three-button, 14” bottom, mohair suit, fishtail parkas, Fred Perry polos, Hush Puppies, a Vespa with 20 or more mirrors and a girl in a twin set with capri pants and false lashes so long that they blew in the wind

Skinheads

By the mid-1960s, fashion was heavily under the influence of the ska music that filled the airwaves. Skinhead subculture was created from a fascination with the Jamaican rude boy style and evolved to adopt drainpipe denim, checkered shirts, white T-shirts, braces and cherry red DMs as a fashion identity. As a young lad going to watch Blackburn Rovers in the late 60s, I was in awe of these immaculately turned out – and somewhat menacing “skins”. Shame the look was adopted by rightwing racists in the 1970s but now the look has swung the other way as a “uniform” for some members of the gay community

Punk

In the late 1970s, punk changed everything. The expensive creations of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren spawned a DIY revolution that allowed a generation to express themselves through self-cut and dyed hair, artistically ripped T-shirts, jewellery made from safety pins and dog collars and charity shop trousers made into bondage strides. The photocopied, hand-folded record covers, posters produced on an art college Gestetner machine to promote bands made up of creative individuals who often hadn’t picked up an instrument in their lives were testament to an empowered youth

Goths

Although the goth subculture has a diverse following, it is most closely associated with repressed teenage rebellion, outsider culture and a dark, alternative to punk. The two genres came together in the late 1970s with the Damned’s Dave Vanian and Bauhaus bringing sallow cheeks and black cloaks and howling to the stage. Thought of as a two-fingered renunciation to sparkly-eyed, perfect preppy kids, goths favoured eyeliner and a neo-Victorian style – all in black. Goth was never about being at the cutting edge of cool, but will always live on with youth as a way to say: “I don’t conform”