Punk Fashion History

70s Punk Fashion
1970's punk was seen largely as a backlash against glam rock and the socio-political climate in the UK. Punk clothing style was influenced by skinheads, Teddy boys and greasers and was often confrontational, D-I-Y, and anti-establishment. Designers Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren were pioneers of 70's alternative fashion. McLaren was influenced by bands such as The New York Dolls, and Vivienne Westwood's fashion designs drew inspiration from fetishism and BDSM clothing. Their clothes shop, SEX, was a hub of punk subculture, with regular visits from the Bromley Contingent and Adam Ant. McLaren and Westwood's shop was also where the Sex Pistols auditioned Johnny Rotten. The punk rocker fashion at that time consisted mainly of military or motorbike boots, leopard print, bondage trousers, safety pins, and customised blazers. Controversial T-shirts featured Cambridge Rapist and Tom of Finland designs.

80s Punk Fashion
Hardcore became the mainstay of early 1980's punk fashion, with bands such as The Exploited and Subhumans providing role models. The hardcore punk clothing style was predominately that of dirty, bleached and torn jeans, studded belts, DM boots and tartan kilts. More extreme hairstyles grew, as did the prevalence of body piercings, and tattoos became more extensive. Anarcho-punk was an off-shoot of traditional punk subculture and featured black military style clothes. Leather was typically avoided for ethical reasons, and hairstyles were limited by those products that weren't tested on animals. Since then, many factions, evolutions and fusions of subcultures have emerged. Alternative fashions borne out of them include cyberpunk clothes and gothic clothing.

Milenium Punk Fashion
With it's do-it-yourself ethic and it's anti-corporate message, anarcho-punk was something Jed Phoenix related to. She was veering more towards straight-edge and had a liking for black military style clothes. Her politics were also those of non-violence, anti-heterosexism and environmentalism, and her spirituality leaned towards Buddhism. Jed's T-shirt business, Obscure Labels, provided an opportunity to end a period of unemployment without compromising her unconventional lifestyle and alternative clothing style. Jed had a stall in The Electric Ballroom, Camden from 1999 where she sold her designs. In 2000, Brighton Museum approached Jed to submit an alternative outfit to their Renegades exhibition. She provided a pair of combat boots, a "devilish technohead" T-shirt with rubber applique and additional bullet spikes, and the second pair of pinstripe strap trousers she made on her grandmother's old domestic Singer sewing machine. All this under the title of "Queer Fetish Techno Punk". Jed's alternative clothing brand has grown into a full-time business since then, with collections such as "City Punk - Military style clothing with a kinky twist" and the "Self Tailoring range - taking the punk-rock look and alternative gothic style to a new level".