tattoo history and sub-cultural fashion
Tattoo History
The art of tattooing and body adornment has a rich cultural history in the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and other regions, such as Africa and Central America but less is known about tattooing amongst the British aristocracy. The Aristocracy and even the Royals are said to have been amongst the very first in western society to embrace the art of tattooing (Currie-McGhee 2006, p6).
By the middle of the 20th century, tattooing was far from a positive fashion statement and was rather a symbol of rebellion, often taken up by groups such as bikers, gang members and criminals. These minority subcultures became the public face of the tattooing movement (Currie-McGhee 2006, p8). The negative discourses surrounding these groups as social deviants became associated with the art that adorned their skin. Until the 1960s, states Currie-McGhee (2006, pp8-9), when the hippie movement and culture altered the perception of tattooing, it remained a deviant activity. Although popularity and perception of tattoos (and in conjunction, piercings) slowly began to be adapted by the mainstream- including celebrities. The advent of tattooing culture amongst celebrities coincides with tattoos crossing over to mainstream culture, (Levy 2009, p30) 1960s musician, Janis Joplin was one of the first celebrities publicly display tattoos.
(Alicia Norton, 2017)
The word 'tattoo' comes from the Tahitian "tatu" which means "to mark something." It is claimed that tattooing has been around since 12,000 years BC. Tattoos around the wrist and fingers were believed to ward away illness. Throughout history tattoos have signified membership in a clan or society (Powerverbs.com, 2017). Biker gangs like Hells Angels tattoo their group symbol on each member to show that they are a part of that group. Also it is believed in many cultures that the wearer of a particular image calls the spirit of that image. The strength and aggression of a lion would belong to the person who has it tattooed. This tradition is shown in today's society by the popularity of tattoos of lions, tigers, snakes, bears and birds of prey (A brief history of Tattoos).
Today the streets are littered with people who have tattoos but it's only as recent as 1997 that tattooing actually became legal again. Throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s and majority of the 90s, and until the year 2000 in Massachusetts case, tattooing was actually banned in many places; New York being one of the biggest. This lead to artists opening underground tattoo parlours therefore, keeping the art and tradition alive (Devlin 2013).
Fashion
Fashion - 'A popular or the latest style of clothing, hair, decoration, or behaviour'. Fashion has had a huge influence on the world and has always been an important part of how people define themselves and can be a powerful tool of influence. Studies show we are more likely to trust and even obey orders from people dressed in suits or uniforms.
Fashion - 'A popular or the latest style of clothing, hair, decoration, or behaviour'. Fashion has had a huge influence on the world and has always been an important part of how people define themselves and can be a powerful tool of influence. Studies show we are more likely to trust and even obey orders from people dressed in suits or uniforms.
The UK’s Fashion industry is worth £26 billion & 800,000 jobs to the economy
Clothing has always been big business for the UK. The wool trade once accounted for 80% of exports from the British Isles. Now the UK’s Fashion industry is worth £26 billion & 800,000 jobs to the economy, making it the UK’s largest creative industry. Textile and fashion exports alone are estimated to be worth over £6.5 billion (UKFT Manifesto, UKFT 2012), and the majority of British fashion businesses export to other countries (The Value of Fashion, BFC, 2012). Foreign investment has been rising with multinational conglomerates investing heavily in young fashion businesses such as Christopher Kane and JW Anderson (The Great British Fashion Invasion, Guardian 2014).
But British fashion has soft power benefits as well as economic ones. The UK is the world leader in fashion education, with six of the world’s 20 leading fashion universities (Fashionista survey, 2014). Like much of the Higher Education sector the student body is highly international, with an estimated 1,500 international students enrolling in British fashion courses every year, including hundreds from China and East Asia. This international character is reflected in the wider industry, with many of catwalk designers at London Fashion Week originating from outside the UK.
London Fashion Week is itself influential, widely recognised as one of the ‘big four’ international fashion festivals and a vital showcase for the UK’s industry and talent. As such it is an important plank of the British Fashion Council’s decision to position London as a hotbed of new, young, and multicultural talent, as opposed to the focus on more traditional and established brands often seen in New York, Paris, and Milan.
22% of young people in countries that are strategically important to the UK cited fashion as being something that made the UK attractive to them
Fashions may change, but fashion has always and will always be with us. As long as people wear clothes and accessories, they will consciously or unconsciously influence each other by the way they dress. The connection between fashion and soft power will therefore remain intrinsic and enduring. And fashion will continue to project UK influence as well as benefiting its economy.
(Britishcouncil.org, 2017)
(Britishcouncil.org, 2017)
“Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.”
(Uid.edu.in, 2017)
Menswear and womenswear has long made icons out of outsiders. From beatniks to goths, it’s subcultures – those underground coteries outside the confines of everything mainstream – that have given so many current wardrobe staples their style cachet.
Music, language and rituals all help define a subculture but it’s a groups visual signifiers that give it away – the tipped shirt collar or bowl haircut, the studded leather biker jacket or the black nail polish, those style cues that instantly lay bare interests and affiliations.
Not only that, but subcultures have often looked to their appearance as one of their main means of rebellion – which is perhaps why subcultures are such ripe sources of inspiration for mens and womenswear designers, even long after the underground pioneers have reached for the slippers and elastic waistbands.
Here are the ones that made their stamp on todays modern styles:
Punk
Dead set on stripping away the musical (and other) excesses of 1960s and 1970s rock, punk was about making music as raw and unvarnished as possible. Which goes some way in explaining why punks dressed the way they did.
Piercings, Tattoos, Safety-pinned badges, Studded leather biker jackets, Ripped jeans, As boldly anti-authoritarian as ‘1970s-era punks’ key pieces were, most of them (thanks to fashion’s ravenous appetite for appropriation) still sit perfectly well in your modern-day casual wardrobe. Today, you’re just as likely to see a pair of distressed jeans in high street shop windows as on someone with a Mohican moshing at a Ramones tribute gig.
Below are modern styles heavily influenced by the punk rock sub-culture:
Grunge
Not everyone got on board with grunge’s call to come as you were in the early 1990s. “Grunge is anathema to fashion,” said esteemed fashion journalist Cathy Horyn at the time in her review of Marc Jacobs’ spring/summer 1993 collection for Perry Ellis (the collection that got Jacobs fired). But the seed was planted. Jacobs won a CFDA award in 1992. And last year, over a decade since grunge’s initial riotous explosion onto the scene, Horyn retracted her statement.
Since its first outing, grunge’s west coast thrift shop vibes have come to serve as the inspiration for some of menswear’s most game-changing designers – from Raf Simons’ SS13 prints inspired by Kurt Cobain’s floral smocks to Hedi Slimane’s SS16 homage to the Nirvana frontman for Saint Laurent – elevating slouch-around pieces like flannel shirts, oversized sweatshirts and beat-up baggy jeans to surprisingly fashionable status.
Below are modern styles heavily influenced by the grunge sub-culture:
Greasers
It’s difficult to imagine a time when men’s wardrobes weren’t built on basics like tees and jeans. But, until the emergence of the greasers in 1950s America, these casual cornerstones weren’t seen as remotely stylish: T-shirts were technically underwear, and jeans were actual, literal workwear.
Recognisable by their leather or denim jackets, white tees (often with rolled-up sleeves ‘ and a pack of smokes nestled snugly underneath), blue jeans (cuffed by a couple of inches) and thickly greased pompadour hairstyles, greasers were the slickly outfitted rebels post-war American style needed.
The proof? Two style icons constantly name-checked today – Marlon Brando and James Dean – played greasers, and they were the roles (in The Wild One and Rebel Without a Cause, respectively) that made them enduringly famous, at least for their style.
Below are modern styles heavily influenced by the greaser sub-culture:
(Maddison, 2017)
Subcultures of the UK originated as early as the fifties, and have well and truly left their mark on British culture and fashion. Often depicted in films as hardcore cliques and radicals, these subcultures subtly remain a constant throughout men’s and women's fashion, without the extremism once associated with youth culture. Although many subcultures still exist in their true form, with patrons adhering to the groups’ way of life, many subcultures have been ‘watered down’ and absorbed into everyday wearable fashion.
The skater attitude has proven to be infinitely seductive to brands. One of the reasons that skate wear has become mainstream is undoubtably due to branding. Corporate giants such as Red Bull have taken the sport and seamlessly aligned with it, ensuring mass proliferation of what was more of an outsider game. But the supremacy of the brands on the scene today stems from their authenticity. And amongst a clan of heavy hitters, there are two main giants who stand shoulders above the rest: Supreme and Vans. These brands command huge audiences, with stores al over the world. Cruising from the outer ranks of style into the heart of the contemporary aesthetic, they continue to monopolise the same attitude, but also speak to a generation in a way that is more relevant than their high fashion counterparts.
Beyond the labels themselves, skate wear brands have also mastered the nature of the concept store. The attitude seamlessly pervades throughout the experience of the label. And amazingly, the attitude is maintained on their websites too. Online, Supreme’s layout allows you to navigate, but gives the minimal amount of content. The brand’s ‘cool’ factor is located in the mystery.
To be a hipster now, is to be a millennial. There’s nothing alternative about the fashion options here. But skate wear continues to offer something more individual, even as it starts getting sold on Urban Outfitters. Indeed, as the cult of skater style develops into a contemporary culture, it will be interesting to see how these brands cope with such passion and sustained admiration.
(Brown Bag Clothing Blog, 2017)
Skaters
Over the last 20 years, the skateboarding community and its fashion skate has evolved from outsider to very much insider and the lord of the mainstream aesthetic. Yet as the culture has developed, so has the cult within it. In spite of their widened availability, you are now more likely to see queues winding down the block to get a piece of limited edition skate clothing than at any other point in history.
Clothing is the embodiment of the skater spirit. Guys and girls wear oversized tee-shirts, backwards caps, hoodies and shorts; a style that has barely changed since the 70s. The loose fitting, oversized items give riders the freedom to skate how they want, while conveying a carefree, understated aesthetic.
Below shows the modern skater style:
Clothing is the embodiment of the skater spirit. Guys and girls wear oversized tee-shirts, backwards caps, hoodies and shorts; a style that has barely changed since the 70s. The loose fitting, oversized items give riders the freedom to skate how they want, while conveying a carefree, understated aesthetic.
Below shows the modern skater style:
The skater attitude has proven to be infinitely seductive to brands. One of the reasons that skate wear has become mainstream is undoubtably due to branding. Corporate giants such as Red Bull have taken the sport and seamlessly aligned with it, ensuring mass proliferation of what was more of an outsider game. But the supremacy of the brands on the scene today stems from their authenticity. And amongst a clan of heavy hitters, there are two main giants who stand shoulders above the rest: Supreme and Vans. These brands command huge audiences, with stores al over the world. Cruising from the outer ranks of style into the heart of the contemporary aesthetic, they continue to monopolise the same attitude, but also speak to a generation in a way that is more relevant than their high fashion counterparts.
Beyond the labels themselves, skate wear brands have also mastered the nature of the concept store. The attitude seamlessly pervades throughout the experience of the label. And amazingly, the attitude is maintained on their websites too. Online, Supreme’s layout allows you to navigate, but gives the minimal amount of content. The brand’s ‘cool’ factor is located in the mystery.
To be a hipster now, is to be a millennial. There’s nothing alternative about the fashion options here. But skate wear continues to offer something more individual, even as it starts getting sold on Urban Outfitters. Indeed, as the cult of skater style develops into a contemporary culture, it will be interesting to see how these brands cope with such passion and sustained admiration.
(Doyle, 2017)
References -
A brief history of Tattoos . [Online] Available from: http://www.powerverbs.com/tattooyou/history.htm [Accessed 6 December 2016].
In-text citations: (A brief history of Tattoos)
Raul Bustamante (2014) Hori Smoku sailor Jerry: The life of Norman K. Collins. [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CS9Fuw7ENg [Accessed 6 December 2016].
In-text citations: (Raul Bustamante 2014)
Devlin, M. (2013) 10 fascinating facts about Tattoos. [Online] Available from: http://listverse.com/2013/07/23/10-fascinating-facts-about-tattoos/ [Accessed 6 December 2016].
In-text citations: (Devlin 2013)
Take me down to tattoo city - Ed Hardy (2011) . [Online] Available from: https://www.bigtattooplanet.com/features/artist-interview/take-me-down-to-tattoo-city-ed-hardy [Accessed 7 December 2016].
In-text citations: (Take me down to tattoo city - Ed Hardy 2011)
Britishcouncil.org. (2017). The power of fashion | British Council. [online] Available at: https://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/policy-insight-research/insight/power-fashion [Accessed 13 Nov. 2017]. In-text citations: (Britishcouncil.org, 2017)
Maddison, P. (2017). The Subcultures That Changed The Way We Dress. [online] FashionBeans. Available at: http://www.fashionbeans.com/2016/subcultures-changed-way-we-dress/ [Accessed 13 Nov. 2017]. In-text: (Maddison, 2017)
Brown Bag Clothing Blog. (2017). How British Subcultures have Influenced Men's Fashion. [online] Available at: http://www.bbclothing.co.uk/blog/how-british-subcultures-have-influenced-mens-fashion/ [Accessed 13 Nov. 2017]. In-text: (Brown Bag Clothing Blog, 2017)
Doyle, I. (2017). How Skateboarding Carved A Place In Mainstream Style. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/how-skateboarding-carved-a-place-in-mainstream-style/ [Accessed 14 Nov. 2017]. In-text: (Doyle, 2017)
Alicia Norton. (2017). Tattoos – from subcultural rebellion to a mark of high fashion. [online] Available at: https://alicianorton.com/2015/08/01/tattoos-from-subcultural-rebellion-to-a-mark-of-high-fashion/ [Accessed 14 Nov. 2017]. In-text: (Alicia Norton, 2017)
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