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| Dermut O Grady Walse |
The simplest joke is easiest remembered and much the same can be said of fashion. From the
original DIY creations that many of us wore to show our revulsion and difference to the
establishment. To the much touted and expensive creations of Zandra Rhodes, Vivienne
Westwood and Malcolm McLaren.
It has to be remembered that England in the mid seventies was in political turmoil. It was a
period of social upheaval with strikes and demonstrations against every social program the then
Tory government introduced and the youth of the nation was never considered within any
framework. In 1976 the country was divided by class, and deeply wounded by unemployment.
If you were not born into money, you might as well have kissed your arse goodbye! The music
industry was almost comatose with the effect of super groups producing self-indulgent
'progressive rock’. Consequently the stage was set for creative individuals and the dispossessed
to create chaos and mayhem among the established order of the couture and music business.
Thus producing some of the most colorful and ingenious designs that paid tribute to the music of
the day. In delving further in to its history I feel compelled to associate the origins of Punk
Fashion with one particular band. The Sex Pist0Ls.Musically they were much better than people
understood. They were very different from the other bands at the time, so it was hard for
people to appreciate just how good the Pist0Ls were. Fantastic guitar playing, really loud,
exciting, and at the same time there was that lyrical content that added another dimension of
intelligence. The lyrics were meaningful, they were short, delivered quick and very relevant.
In fact they’re relevant to teenagers at any time. The band evolved around the Kings Road shop
of Messers McLaren & Westwood as guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook were
regularly 'pilfering from the shop. Original bassist Glen Matlock worked there for beer money
on a Saturday, so the nucleus of the band set out looking for a front man and found him in the
guise of a green haired, hunched backed, half Irish wit and called him Johnny Rotten. He was
brought back to the shop after a meeting in the local pub,’ The Roebuck’, and asked to mime to
the jukebox. It must have seemed an odd scenario to be in but he landed the gig as he had
character in abundance. The music business would never recover from the onslaught of the Sex
Pist0Ls and street fashion was in the shop windows. I’ve heard it said that the SexPist0Ls were
nothing more than clothes horses for McLaren and Westwood’s shop but the fact of the matter is
that before the band were wearing their clothing, Johnny Rotten was adorning his own rags with
safety pins, or daubing’ I HATE' on a Pink Floyd T-shirts .Though that was out of necessity
rather than style. Most of the fans couldn’t afford a 30 pound T-shirt.Quite literally the Worlds
end area of Kings Road was spawning new boutiques on a daily basis as entrepreneurs were
cashing in on what they considered 'the new fad’. Only a handful survived, Liberated Lady,
Smutz and Boy being the more prominent ones but throughout Britain Markets, stalls were
regularly being set up to sell the latest line in one offs being designed by boys and girls with no
previous experience. Thrift shops were being ransacked for old fashioned clothes which were
being re- altered and given a second life. Competition was never a factor in the early days, just
originality and that was there in abundance. Dayglo colors, fluorescent socks, multicolored
hairdos, to the average Joe on the street it must have looked futuristic but to myself and my
friends it was a war. We were a direct threat to the Teddy boys who wore Edwardian Drape
coats and Brothel creeper shoes. We imitated their style by desecrating their regalia and
wearing their footwear but we didn’t copy them, we just used what we had at our disposal.
Design was in its infancy. It was back to basics and there was no room for the tired old jaded
hippy look. Imaginative flair and innovative creations were the new order of the day. It came
from the kids.
original DIY creations that many of us wore to show our revulsion and difference to the
establishment. To the much touted and expensive creations of Zandra Rhodes, Vivienne
Westwood and Malcolm McLaren.
It has to be remembered that England in the mid seventies was in political turmoil. It was a
period of social upheaval with strikes and demonstrations against every social program the then
Tory government introduced and the youth of the nation was never considered within any
framework. In 1976 the country was divided by class, and deeply wounded by unemployment.
If you were not born into money, you might as well have kissed your arse goodbye! The music
industry was almost comatose with the effect of super groups producing self-indulgent
'progressive rock’. Consequently the stage was set for creative individuals and the dispossessed
to create chaos and mayhem among the established order of the couture and music business.
Thus producing some of the most colorful and ingenious designs that paid tribute to the music of
the day. In delving further in to its history I feel compelled to associate the origins of Punk
Fashion with one particular band. The Sex Pist0Ls.Musically they were much better than people
understood. They were very different from the other bands at the time, so it was hard for
people to appreciate just how good the Pist0Ls were. Fantastic guitar playing, really loud,
exciting, and at the same time there was that lyrical content that added another dimension of
intelligence. The lyrics were meaningful, they were short, delivered quick and very relevant.
In fact they’re relevant to teenagers at any time. The band evolved around the Kings Road shop
of Messers McLaren & Westwood as guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook were
regularly 'pilfering from the shop. Original bassist Glen Matlock worked there for beer money
on a Saturday, so the nucleus of the band set out looking for a front man and found him in the
guise of a green haired, hunched backed, half Irish wit and called him Johnny Rotten. He was
brought back to the shop after a meeting in the local pub,’ The Roebuck’, and asked to mime to
the jukebox. It must have seemed an odd scenario to be in but he landed the gig as he had
character in abundance. The music business would never recover from the onslaught of the Sex
Pist0Ls and street fashion was in the shop windows. I’ve heard it said that the SexPist0Ls were
nothing more than clothes horses for McLaren and Westwood’s shop but the fact of the matter is
that before the band were wearing their clothing, Johnny Rotten was adorning his own rags with
safety pins, or daubing’ I HATE' on a Pink Floyd T-shirts .Though that was out of necessity
rather than style. Most of the fans couldn’t afford a 30 pound T-shirt.Quite literally the Worlds
end area of Kings Road was spawning new boutiques on a daily basis as entrepreneurs were
cashing in on what they considered 'the new fad’. Only a handful survived, Liberated Lady,
Smutz and Boy being the more prominent ones but throughout Britain Markets, stalls were
regularly being set up to sell the latest line in one offs being designed by boys and girls with no
previous experience. Thrift shops were being ransacked for old fashioned clothes which were
being re- altered and given a second life. Competition was never a factor in the early days, just
originality and that was there in abundance. Dayglo colors, fluorescent socks, multicolored
hairdos, to the average Joe on the street it must have looked futuristic but to myself and my
friends it was a war. We were a direct threat to the Teddy boys who wore Edwardian Drape
coats and Brothel creeper shoes. We imitated their style by desecrating their regalia and
wearing their footwear but we didn’t copy them, we just used what we had at our disposal.
Design was in its infancy. It was back to basics and there was no room for the tired old jaded
hippy look. Imaginative flair and innovative creations were the new order of the day. It came
from the kids.
Fashion Clothing wholesalers .com is a independent wholesaler distributor and manufacturer specializing in bulk order fashion wear for the younger woman. Since 2006 FcW has offered support to small, medium & large retailers from our regularly updated range of fashions. Based in Bangkok Thailand, Fashion Clothing wholesalers is is now an established clothing exporter to many parts of the world. OUR STOCK INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING
| one-sizes wholesale blanks tops punk t-shirts t- shirts made to order cocktail dresses handmade feather cocktail evening purses beaded evening bags wholesale formal wear skirts & dresses |