we are the mods
contents The Sixties 4 - 5 Culture 6 - 9 Fashion 10 - 13 Music 14 - 15 Society 16 -19 The Revial 20-21 The Twentyfirst Century 22- 33 Credits 34 - 35
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London by David Bailey - 1966
s Britain in the 1960’s was an iconic decade. It was a time for change, a revolution and self expression. An explosion of culture with the youth of that era driving in full force. It was a decade of no limits and the evolution of fashion, music, values and society. In amongst all the changes, a British subculture was born and created a phenomenon which is still talked about till this day.
The Mod’s (modernists) originated in London and the south east. They evolved from growing up in the semi affluent and pivotal period of the postwar in the late fifties. They were in a welfare state generation were their free spirits could be nurtured. Mods were the poster children for fashion in sixities and became cult sophisticates. In a culture obsessed with consumerism the Mods everyday necessities would be put on hold, just so that they could look clean cut. It was significantly a male led movement with the girls adopting a less feminine style in order to look like one of the boys. They rejected the styles and values of their parents and changed a culture they felt was as dull as their black and white TVs.
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why don’t you just The life of a mod in the 1960’s was all about the fashion and hand in hand with the music came the party drugs. Mods preached a hedonistic take on life and were infamously known for consuming amphetamines also known as purple hearts. The mods were the epitmoie of clean cut. Some might have even called them snobs but out of all the styles that have come around the mod culture has thrived through the decades.
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London Mod on a Lambretta - 1965
“Riding a is like having sex.” - Marc Verberso
The Lambretta to the Mod’s was like Jesus to the Christians. It was a clean, slick and curvatious mode of transport.
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Quadrophenia Outakes - 1969
“I’ve got to move with the fashions or be an outcast.”
- The Who
Most iconic of Mod attire was the mohair suit. All suits had to be tailor-made with particular attention to detail and a hand stitched finished which could often take up to a month to make. 11
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Twiggy by Cecile Beaton - 1965
“The woman wears clothes. The clothes don’t wear her.” - Mary Quant
In the male led movement the Mod girls had no trouble fitting in. The female style grew less feminine as they embraced the boyish look.
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The Who - 1965
“It was a gray world, And music somehow was in color.”
- Pete Townsend
Mod’s in the 1960’s were heavily influenced by British bands, SKA, Modern Jazz and reggae music. The infamous bands of that era were, The Who, The Small Faces and The Kinks.
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Brighton Mod and Rocker riots - 18th May 1964
the battle of the beaches “1,000 fighting, drinking, roaring, rampaging teenagers on scooters and motobikes” Whilst Mod’s were part of the 60s fashion evolution, there was another subculture on their heels. The Rockers liking for 50s style music and a rebellious look from a decade ago meant they were outcasts. The tensions between the Mod’s and Rocker’s were at a significant boiling point, in the mid sixties, their different styles, values and taste in culture made them clash. The subcultures were infamously known for having brawls that were dubbed as the
“battle of the beaches”. There were numerous violent encounters in the South coast of England such as Margate, Brighton, Clacton and Bournemouth. There were many British bank holiday traditions and these clashes became one of them. Hundreds of people descended to the beach were people were stabbed, stoned and beaten with deck chairs. Homes and businesses were vandalised by smashed windows and raiding the goods.
It was a chaotic battle between the subcultures to show who reigned supreme The clashes gave the media something to really sink their teeth into, and the reports were often sensationalised. They gained a new name for society to call them and were know as ‘The Wild Ones’. They soon become the forefront of the public’s outrage and now the Mod’s gained the rebellious .
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talking about my The events and the people of the sixites paved the way for a new generation. What was a modest minor cult rapily evolved to a major cult. There clean cut fashion and taste for music was desired for the masses. Paul Weller was seen as the god father of the mod revival in the late 1970’s.
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Paul Weller by Virgina Turbett - August 1982 22
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Lena Lemoka by Glamour - March 2013
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Mods are the only group who are readily embraced by different generations. In the 21st Century, more than at anytime before, the mod movement has become international. with mod societies thriving in places as far afield as Moscow. Designers and musicians still take cues from the 1960’s Mod. They paved the way for bands from Oasis to the Arctic Monkeys. Who modeled themselves after bands like The Who and The Jam,
The cult has also influenced designers from Marc Jacobs to Yves Saint Laurent who have adopted the bold and geometric shaped pattens, sillohoutte hems, perfectly pressed shirts. The parka, the polo and the desert boots have come round season after season. It’s safe to say that out of all the teenage movements the mod cult has thrived through the decades.
“We are the mods we are the mods we are we are we are the mods” 24
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Liam Gallagher by Lawrence Watson - August 2009
“People Tend to hate me, cause I never smile.�
- Liam Galagher -
Liam Galagher is the epitome of a modern day Mod. He owns his own clothing label called Pretty Green that specialised in Mod style clothing.
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The New Faces by Dean Chalkey - March 2010
“Cause we can’t take our off the t-shirt and ties combination...” - The Arctic Monkeys
The sharp suit and tie is still iconic till this day. The new generation is influenced by the old movement butwith a different direction. 28
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Carey Mulligan in Wionderland by Ben Weller - 2010
“mod is more of a than a style�
- Martin Freeman
High fashion magazines from Vogue to Wonderland pride their spreads on the Mod revival The androgynous look for females is still at the forefront of fashion. 30
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Arctic Monkeys, Suckit and See album - 6th June 2011
“it’s the , not what you sing” - Rod Stewart
The Artic Monkeys are a modern day music band, who were influnced by the mod movement.
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a movement a lifestyle a generation the mods 33
The New Faces by David Chalkey - March 2010 34
picture credits The images in this book are reproduced courtesy of the artists. David Bailey: 1,4 Virgina Turbett: 21 Cecile Beaton: 12 Ben Weller: 28 David Chalkey Lawrence Watson: 24 Fashion Model Directory: 22 One Head No Body: 18 FY Arctic Monkeys: 30 Old Archives: 6,7,8,9,16,17 Visit for more images: www.aboutmygeneration.tumblr.com
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