Research area 2: How music, drugs and youth culture has affected Fashion.
My interest in street style and fashion was augmented further, after watching an 8 part documentary put together by I-D magazine, entitled ‘A history of British Style Tribes’. Each episode focused on a different era in British street style culture and music, within these times periods opposing or co-existing style tribes emerged.
From researching from more sources I am building up a good understanding of British Street Sound and style. Style is a combination of obsession over street life and sound within underground youth Britain, that reflects on what is offered to them to form new styles out of rebellion and energy. Over each generation it changes and transforms into something that will always be of spontaneity, led by pioneering figures who paved the way for the masses, appropriating new items of clothing or style combinations to appeal to others creating the scene or style period reflected within history. New styles emerge from an amalgamation of many factors that shape youth’s attitude and decisions. Politics, drugs, the economy, music, globalisation, media and celebrities all form the basis for style shifts, hence creating new communities for people to associate with.
Grime and Emo are two very different scenes that existed side by side, after the millenium. Both extremely different in origin, musically and aesthetically, therefore captivating two very different demographics circa 2001 to 201o. Emo along with the earlier Goth Movement, helped appropriate skinny jeans to the masses, which were then seen as a feminine item of clothing, now men across the nation can be seen wearing them. Grime as a style and sound emerged from London’s working class, mostly black community across east London. The style was based on being inconspicuous and unfriendly. Fusing U.S hip hop looks with popular sports brands and designer labels, a new scene had emerged with an equally as aggressive soundtrack. Without the instability, crime, poverty and conflict in these hackney London boroughs, this vibrant and energetic scene would of never been born.
UK rave culture forms an interesting predisessing era to Grime and Emo. I have carried out research into the timeline of UK rave music which fuelled both my knowledge and enthusiasm for the eclectic range of genres birthed from this scene. UK rave stemmed from Chicago House music pioneered by artists such as Frankie Knuckles and Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley, who’s first House number 1 was “Jack your Body’ from early 1987. Dance music’s popularity spurted partly from Ecstasy’s integration into the mainstream market. This saw a social shift in many of Britain’s youth, at the end of the summer of ’87 nicknamed the ‘Summer of Love’, many brits had revolted against the conflict, violence and aggression of times before, uniting for music, unity, dancing and love. A more peaceful horizon emerged as rave and drugs brought together people from all walks of life, ‘all under one roof raving’- adequately named by Jamie XX in his new single.
Within Fashion and UK rave music I am focusing my research on 90’s jungle ravers. The aesthetic of this scene had shifted from earlier forms of UK rave, where acid house’s bright fluorescent coloured clothing pasted with smiley faces diminished in late 1988 due to police crackdowns and bad publicity from the BBC. 1991–1993 saw early forms of breakbeat hardcore emerging in clubs and raves across the nation, later ‘ragga’ influences created 1 of 2 stemmed genres from this short lived period, this being Jungle. The other side of hardcore became a faster paced more kick drum orientated sound,
becoming euro hardcore and happy hardcore. 94' onwards saw Jungle come to the forefront of UK rave, the likes of Slipmatt and lime and record label Moving Shadow contributed greatly to this sound. The clothes seen at these raves had upped in price tag and became more high end, versace, moschino, gucci, Iceberg and stone island were just some of the labels being flaunted at these drug orientated events. Bright and flashy full piece suits with all over prints epitomized this style. This look carried through into the later 90’s rave scene, garage. In fact in today’s London rave scene many of these looks still run just as prominent and timeless. There was a noticeable shift in atmosphere from the earlier loved up acid rave movement which had dissolved into the mid 90’s Jungle/hardcore rave scene. Drug dealers tightened their grip on these underground raves, weapons and gangsters started attending, creating a more threatening atmosphere.
In my next entry on Fashion and Style I hope to focus my interest and growing knowledge of the subject into finding practisioners that interest me.
Bibliography
[1] i-D (2015) A history of British style tribes — episode 2 jungle & Cybergoth | street, sound & style. YouTube. 7 July. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2kNg5f46Ak [Accessed 26 April 2016].
[2] Slee, N. and Dazed (2014) What we wore: UK garage. Fashion. 2 April. Available from: http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/19438/1/what-we-wore-uk-garage [Accessed 26 April 2016].
[3] Ted Polhemus (1994) Street Style. Book. Accessed from UWE library on 26th April 2016.
