November 8, 2021
There was more to punk then just the music, fashion was a huge part of it too. Due to many bands increasing in the 70’s and 80’s, punk came onto the scene as an expression of rebellion. Young punks wore plenty of recycled clothing, usually from thrift and charity shops, garments were destroyed, torn, and defaced in a style more anti fashion than regular fashion, as a statement against the classy clothing favored by the older generation. Ripped t-shirts, Doc Martens, fishnets, extreme hairdos, piercings, and heavy makeup etc. all challenged the boundaries of social acceptance.
As soon as the punk style rises in popularity around the world, designers Vivienne Westwood and Malcom Mclaren started making punk inspired clothes for their shop in London. Once their store became popular, it gave rise to the formalizing of sub culture fashion statements. She mastered tailoring techniques combined with poise, giddiness, and sexuality with a long stream of firsts behind her, she is one of the most innovative designers of the 20th century. In 1992 Vivienne was nicknamed “queen of punk”
Whether the punk style has been hijacked by the mainstream, its influence on art, fashion and culture are undeniable. The subculture and art movements including glam rock, greasers, mods, skinheads, and rude boys have influenced punk fashion. With the style being very gender neutral, bands such as “My Chemical Romance” “Green Day” and “Nirvana” made certain pieces of clothing popular as their music started to become mainstream.
The rise of punk fashion was a huge moment in the fashion world at the time. Everything they did was seen as unusual to people but the idea was to stand against capitalism, conformity and “the establishment.” And a cultural expression of angst and emotion. It grabbed society by the head and shook it into taking notice. The pioneers of punk changed the world because not only did they introduce a brand-new subculture and musical scene, they had an impact on fashion, politics and performing arts too.
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