Punk philosophy and style revival3 reading minutes

Le Regard Libre N° 37 - Hélène Lavoyer

With the erosion of the hippie movement, which had already rejected consumerist society, traditional values and the many taboos and barriers between social groups, came the advent of a new genre: punk. The movement, which emerged in New York in the mid-1970s through the music scene (The Ramones, Television, Suicide), then spread to the UK. Here's a brief description of this timeless movement.

Its followers live to the rhythm of electric guitars and catch the eye with their atypical style. But punks aren't just «thugs» who want to be noticed; they carry a way of thinking, a way of living, and the protest cry of a generation that has suffered the economic crisis of the 1970s and the disillusionment of hippy ideas.

Philosophy of revolt

Anti-capitalist and anarchist, punk philosophy is characterized by a certain nihilism that is more creative than destructive. Going beyond social norms becomes a need, a process that involves rejecting the institutions and intellectual values of the groups that dominate society, as much as finding alternatives to them. 

Two slogans in particular reflect this spirit: «Do It Yourself» (abbreviated DIY) and «No Future». Let's take a closer look at the former, which stems from thinking that pre-dates punk culture and emphasizes production as the perpetuation of an individual's goods and resources by his or her own means - committing affiliates, for example, to growing their own food, creating or repairing their own goods, rather than buying new ones or relying on a third party to do so. 

For punk artists, it's all about recording and selling albums without a record company - like the record Spiral Scratch The Buzzcocks« first entirely self-produced album. Minor Threat singer Ian MacKay commented: "I think there's a lot of organizational work that people have absolutely no idea about. They generally imagine that the music world runs with lots of people in charge of doing the job for you. But that's not punk rock. We come from a world where we do things ourselves.»

Faithful to this protest vision to the end, punk minds created their own individual style, personalized with original objects; they sewed, patched and cut up clothes to make them atypical. But fashion soon seized on the recurring codes of punk culture, and the latter had to reinvent them constantly if it wished to remain consistent with its ideology.  

«To be a punk,» says Johnny Rotten, lead singer of the Sex Pistols, «is to find your own way, your own style, and above all, not to foolishly follow others.

Sex, or the Westwood and McLaren punk empire

Starting with the Ramones, and later in the UK with the Sex Pistols and all the members of the «punk community», a number of objects, fabrics and patterns give the punk style its iconic characteristics. Among them, the leather perfecto, the boots Dr. Martens, These include eccentric patterns such as leopard print, as well as kilts, garish colors and safety-pin earrings.

In London, the Sex boutique sells clothing and unusual objects in the punk style tradition. The McLaren - Westwood couple (he is the manager of the Sex Pistols, she a designer and designer fashion) is selling off stocks of provocative T-shirts, hats and other Westwoood creations.

Punk invites itself to Fashion Week

Today, the punk look parades down the catwalks of events featuring the greatest couturiers of our time. Yang Li, young protégé of fashion designer Raf Simons, already known for his eccentric style, is one of the fashion world's rising stars. The designer uses and abuses punk codes.

Leather, black, lace and fishnet are superimposed; they are asserting themselves as the new trend, as in the already iconic creations by Alexander McQueen. The safety pin also seems to be making a comeback in giant format.

However, the revival of these stylistic characteristics by the world of haute couture and by artists of the genre trap (Travis Scott, Trippie Redd or Asap Rocky) is not that of punk philosophy. Their arrival in the world of over-consumption is probably even a denial of this timeless, out-of-this-world spirit.

Write to the author: helene.lavoyer@leregardlibre.com

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