"It may be a style, but it's not a fad"

On the 28^th October 2013 Boy George opened his Twitter to a 45-minuet question and answer session, ‪#AskBoyGeorge. I decided to ask the question “What would you say was your favourite outfit you wore from the 1980s?” and to my disbelief he replied, “the dreadlocked hair piece, I still have it at home J” prompting me to consider the intertextuality of the dreadlock.      

Perhaps the first thing that springs to mind is Rastafari worship, with the image of Bob Marley signing ‘no woman no cry’ in the front of my mind. However Rastafarians consider the dreadlock to be spiritual not a fashion statement. This is supported in the Bible, “They shall not make baldness upon their head” Leviticus 21:5.  

The Blitz Club!

The Blitz Club is arguably one of the most famous 'fashion' clubs of the 80's... if not THE most famous. The Blitz soon created a sub culture in which the regulars were known as the 'Blitz Kids'. It pains me to this day I can't call myself a 'Blitz Kid' and that I was not alive to visit the club where celebrity didn't matter and fashion was ruler, only gaining entry if you were dressed 'acceptably'. The following the club created was full of 'like minded', creative individuals where sex, drugs and rock and roll were the rules to live by. 80's London 'it' girl, and regular 'Blitz Kid' Scarlett Cannon said that they would sleep with their friends simply for something to do.





'Seventh Son: Wake up' live inside the Blitz Club

From Club to Catwalk, an introduction

When thinking of 80's fashion what immediately springs to mind are images of 'power dressing' (Margaret Thatcher, Madonna, Grace Jones etc) and large shoulder pads, but there was much more to it than that...
What I associate with 80's fashion is a combination of experimental fashion, fun and drama. London's thriving club and music scene intertwined with London's creativity as a fashion capital, sparking young design talent who since have gone on to become some of the biggest names in the industry; John Galliano and Dame Vivienne Westwood to name a few. Galliano famously described Central St Martins as being deserted on a Thursday and Friday because everyone was making their outfits for the weekend.

The 'fashion' clubs of London had a huge influence on the style of the time, and at the same time completely dividing London 'club scene' fashion from the stereotypical notions of 80's fashion. With the new spark of experimental fashion came a change in London Fashion Week, taking it from a jagged affair to a showcase of talent, where designers showed together forming a united front. Margaret Thatcher's government even started to take the industry seriously as a valuable generator of revenue.

One designer summed up London's ability as a spark for young talent at the time as:

"The club scene meant that people used to dress up. It was that whole London scene that was so vibrant; that's what really started young designers going. The art college students used to go to these clubs straight from college - you worked hard but you played hard too. London's rebellious atmosphere: I think that's what pushed us forward." 

Through this blog I will explore and evaluate the creative trinity of music, fashion and design of the 80's London club scene; looking at the ideas of the 'independent creator' and the influence of post-modern culture on the fashion designers of the time.