RETURN OF THE RUDEBOY British heritage wear has emerged as the latest trend this season. Skinheads and hooliganism, however, do not bode well for british history, but their origins started off as a mere celebration of two different cultures. What went wrong? As ‘British Heritage' wear reaches a new peak, with the likes of Fred Perry shirts, cardigans, football scarves and namely Union Jack print - extending to a more fluid audience recently - it is important to note the history of the movement and where the style evolved from. Trend cycles have rotated and one of the more prominent, but arguably still quite niche, trends is perhaps what you’d expect to see in the archives from back in the day. However, tailored wear, polo shirts and flat caps — ‘football hooligan’ style if you will – while of course evolving from menswear has filtered through to women’s and everything beyond, creating a new ‘British Heritage’ movement through garments worn. This in turn has created controversy, with individuals who express this particular style online being told they ‘dress like a racist’, which is ironic once the history of the ‘British Heritage’ style is explored. This new approach to fashion is predominantly a
14
SOCIAL JUSTICE
direct reference to Jamaican ‘Rudeboy’ style and finds its roots in the 60s. This style originated in Kingston Jamaica, when the youths rebelled by ‘Americanising’ their approaches to fashion and music; listening to jazz and R&B and wearing mohair suits, shiny shoes and thin ties. This was a way of portraying the hope and challenges about to be faced in a newly independent post-colonial state. In the 70s there was a revival of this look with the introduction of ska. Caribbean migrants who lived in the UK amongst white working class locals, who resided in communities plagued by poverty and social unrest, shared the same love for music and fashion. The socio-political climate is essentially what inspired punk at the time - skinheads, distressed clothes - and Union Jack flags, a print reclaimed by black punks after its colonial connotations. This led to the fusing of reggae and punk together in a way that influenced British subculture, fashion and music - street style was therefore synonymous with the world around them,
