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. 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

and like punks, impossible to separate from politics.

This was a widespread movement that led to artists like Bob Marley recognising the coexistence of ideologies in the UK. Bob Marley went on to record his album, Exodus, in West London, where he would spend his time with local black punks like Don Letts who worked with The Clash. Pioneers of the punk movement were noticeably inspired musically by Caribbean culture, and through their fashion, which is what the trend we see today is a visual representation of.

This is where the grey area was established, and the subculture became synonymous with controversy and a less colourful picture of the individuals who indulge in this look. As the inclusive youth group grew, the right wing racists of the time decided to appropriate the style originally invented by young English and Caribbean working-class people. The skinheads turned into a Neo-Nazi group and became overbearing leading to the deception we see today when it comes to this culture. It was clear how easily racism can affect workingclass politics; what started off as an alliance between white and black people of the time ended up being reconstructed by hate groups, which oitlived the original sunculture. It is now associated with ‘football hooligans’ and racists was first worn by those who celebrated Caribbean culture. This is why we now, even if it be subconsciously, have the wrong affiliation to what the style means and the types of people wearing it.

Rather than remembering the group that redefined the style, it is important to commemorate the original rudeboys, punks and skinheads who essentially founded the style in the innocent merging of their two cultures, which will hopefully be celebrated through this new wave of British Heritage wear. Words and design by Jordan Ricketts