Learn punk before you 'dress punk'
Don't appropriate, appreciate
SEX, Scab, Riot, Riot, Riot!
Undoubtedly, these are the most thrown-around buzzwords nowadays regarding punk fashion. I mean, Vivienne Westwood is widely regarded as, no matter how wrong that is, the ‘mother of punk’; Jun Takahashi’s ‘Scab’ showcases one of the most iconic spin on punk’s aesthetic’; lastly, Raf’s Riot Bomber is just on everyone’s grail list.
That’s what most people talk about anyway in the fashion circle when it comes to punk fashion.
It is great to see runway interpretations of punk, they are certainly more artistically thoughtful and elaborate than punk’s traditional attire. However, they aren’t always the most accurate representation of what punk stands for and, in this case, what punk fashion is. How many fashion lovers actually took the time to understand the history behind this style? It just sounds wrong to me that most associate punk with a brand instead of their subcultural background.
In my opinion, the current political state worldwide indeed calls for a reminder of what this anarchic aesthetic represents.
Being punk is a mindset
Being punk is a mindset, the fashion reflects the mindset. Makes sense?
Like many subcultures, punk is an ideology; the fashion is subordinate. Dressing like a punk doesn’t mean you are one and vice versa; you are not required to dress punk if you’re a punk, but most do. Traditionally, it is to dress ‘hard’, dress the exact opposite of what the society expects. Almost like you’re untouchable (this is also one of many origins for the usage of studs), fashionably embodying the rebellion you reasonably believe in. The general idea is to hyper-personalise it.
This is the rule.
Early 1970s, The US saw Richard Hell, Death, The Ramones, etc., rocking leather jackets, thrashed tees, and tight ripped jeans, which displayed the first fashion iteration of punk music’s aggressive sound. Malcolm McLaren, then manager of New York Dolls, was inspired by this and created the polarizing The Sex Pistols (from The Strand), further commercializing the already-existing ‘hard style’ with Vivienne Westwood. Even inadvertently and ironically giving birth to the term ‘postcard punk’.
I am not here to argue who started punk fashion. I am trying to highlight that punks’ focus is to dress true to self instead of fitting into a genre/aesthetic; this is something many people miss nowadays. Those who are unaware worry too much about ‘looking punk’ and completely twisted the idea of what the fashion means.
As mentioned, it is nice to see punk’s ideology translated into various design types. Love it or hate it, this is a sign of punk’s immortality. However, we cannot forget that this unique style wouldn’t exist without the mindset. In other words, dressing punk is meaningless if you don’t even know what it stands for.