5 minute read
Punk is a Fashion Statement
Fashion Punk is a
By: Alfred Yeh
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Statement
Punk. A complex cultural zeitgeist of the 70s and onward that birthed the philosophy and look we know today. A way to “stick it to the man” in all aspects of its meaning. To challenge the norm in everything you do. Its seditious sentiment was a personification of angst and volume. Influencing music, lifestyles and fashion, punkis stamped as the culture that shocked the world. Clothing is a form of expression and perhaps punk’s most recognizable. The roots of punk fashion can be traced back to one of the greatest designers of all time, Vivienne Westwood. Ever since its conception, punk fashion and designer fashion have often playfully intermingled and swayed one another. The music and philosophies of punk is often seen in avant-garde and contemporary designer fashion. Designers often credit punk from aesthetic inspiration to direct callouts to its rich history. Many household names reference their use of punk in their collections such as Ann Demeulemeester, Jun Takahashi, Yohji Yamamoto, Raf Simons and many more. Some of these designers have notable connections to punk from their early life which
strongly influences later work. I believe that punk not only was a musical revolution, but a cultural revolution that evolved even the most elite designers at the fore front of fashion.
The beginnings of punk aren’t tied up in a neat little box. There are a lot of debates as to how punk started, but there is one place that is undisputedly recognized in the history of punk. Country, Bluegrass & Blues (CBGB), a dive bar in the heart of New York City, is seen as the monolith and birthplace of punk. In its infancy, the most
prominent artists in the genre played at this dingy and soiled bar. The bathrooms were disgusting, the stage was small, and the music was loud. Patti Smith, Television, Ramones, Misfits, were all among the greats that graced the dilapidated stage in CBGB. Eventually, these performances led to the paroxysm of popularity that spawned a global revolution. The apathetic clothing styles of the artists led fans to flair similar styles.
It wasn’t until the renowned punk manager Malcolm McLaren visited the United States from London that we see the intersection of punk and designer fashion. McLaren caught wind of the deconstructed and raw aesthetic of punk fashion in America. Coming back home, he worked with girlfriend and designer, Vivienne Westwood to create the prototypical punk look with a British spin. He then recruited his new clients, The Sex Pistols, to promote this new look in England. Becoming meteorically popular, The Sex Pistols completely altered the streets of London to create the look that would be seen in Westwood’s boutique SEX and her future work on the runway. At the same time, we see a young sixteenyear-old, Ann Demeulemeester, pick up Patti Smith’s Horses in a small record shop in Belgium. In Tokyo, a fledgling designer named Jun Takahashi joins a Japanese punk cover band called the Tokyo Sex Pistols.
It’s evident that this era of music and mentality had influenced thesegenerations of designers. Raf Simons’ coveted Riot Riot Riot collection uses design references and collaborations with Joy Division and Sonic Youth, both exemplary punk rock bands. The whole collection was based around the sentiment of authenticity, the colors were bleak, and the clothes torn and distressed. Layers upon layers of leather coats, Cobain inspired turtlenecks, bandana facemasks. A clear disruption in the bourgeoise runway culture with season after season of tailored suits, Simons creates a feeling of insurrection. It’s not only evident in the archive collections of Raf Simons, but he continually draws on the punk aesthetic for inspiration in current collections. Simons said in a recent interview with GQ, “I’m thinking a lot again about that period when there was a political climate that caused punk. My thing is not gonna be punk, but you know, what it meant, and why it came at that point. . .”
Jun Takahashi, the wonder boy of Undercover, invoked the androgynous style of Patti Smith in his F/W 2004 collection. The show was dimly lit and had a snaking thick dinner coats, dropped shoulders, almost zoomorphic footwear, and lengthy skirts. Takahashi is and always was the epitome of punk expression. When he broke out his first collection, it was during a time and place where artiswans, fashion designers or not, were praised for their minute design and utmost devotion to their craft. Takahashi consistently challenged his Japanese heritage with his eccentric design practices, sometimes editing his looks on the day of the shows with a pair of scissors. His attitude and designs were always singular, matchless and mold breaking. Yoshio Wakatsuki, a fashion show producer, has known Takahashi since his third Undercover collection. He reminisces his impressions about Takahashi in an interview with The New York Times. “What’s at the heart of him is still a punk
white line cutting through the runway, almost coaxing its viewers into a hypnotic trance. From the first couple of looks we see an almost identical guise directly inspired from Smith’s closet. The striped vests, grunge button-ups and loose trousers are what Smith has become an icon for. The show surveyed the effect of time on a piece of clothing and how it can evolve such a recognizable look into something more. As the show progressed it became more than an homage to a punk icon, the outfits got more eccentric and more worn down, eventually finding new purpose in its diminished glory.
Patti Smith was merely the starting point. By the end of the show the looks had warped her layered new wave style into something with life of its own, utilizing long and attitude. Anti-establishment sentiment — that’s what he wants to show. But he’s more dreamy, more playful, softer. Love.”
There are many more designers that reference punk in their collections and shows. Ann Demeulemeester is heavily inspired by the queen of punk, Patti Smith. They are even best friends now with Smith wearing Demeulemeester’s designs every show. The world was shaken with the anti-establishment sentiment that punk bred in future generations. Much like when the era of rock and roll shattered the tastes of the norm, punk was there to offend. Punk is freedom of expression and that is what you see in artists. That is who these designers are, they’re artists to their core.
