Street Style and Subculture is a huge interest of mine, so I thought I would start a new series, Style Tribe. I'm starting off with punk and looking into its origins, trends that spawned from it and also its impact on high fashion. 

Punk fashion emerged during the 70’s and gained notoriety with a little help from Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s clothing shop. The look rebelled against the current trends such as hippie and disco, with offensive t-shirts (often worn just for shock value), and DIY approach; studs and patches, slogans scribbled in pen, as well as rips and tears held together by safety pins. Other key parts to this look are leather and vinyl textures, chains, denim, and combat boots. 

Moving onto the next style, which is seapunk. Created online in 2011 (primarily as a joke), this trend was referenced on catwalks such as Jeremy Scott and Blumarine Fall 2012, as well as the visuals on Rihanna’s SNL performance. Okay so, apart from the chokers and chunky boots, this trend bears little resemblance to the original punk look. Inspiration also came from the online cyber world and cartoons but also cultural aspects such as the nose chain and Hindu graphics. 

My final outfits are inspired by the influence on fashion today. The DIY style has of course made its return in recent years with pins and patches influenced by feminism and the Riot Grrrl movement. While Vivienne Westwood still continues to bring punk to the catwalk, other brands such as Libertine and even Vetements have been influenced by it too. Alexander Wang’s recent collections also refer to punk, with pierced mohair sweaters and ripped denim.

Thank you for reading!