"Punk Fashion" (newly revised)

 

Punk Fashion... where do I begin? The very idea is almost an oxymoron... The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC has recently opened an exhibit called Punk: From Chaos to Couture. Unfortunately, as The New Yorker magazine aptly pointed out, this was a failure on multiple levels... (continued after the jump)

As a young person, I can recall the militant devotion to punk... sticking to such ideals or images back in school helped define a person's identity when such a thing was absolutely necessary at that stage in life. As an adult I can appreciate that I identify with many different scenes, and appreciate punk rock as well as clothing cultures.

Presently, a number of older underground subcultures are enjoying some sort of resurgence in mainstream trends. In 2013, you can buy your very own spiked and patched kutte at Urban Outfitters. This of course has an upside and number of downsides. On a positive note, with any cult devotion entering the mainstream, the increased exposure can attract new blood, who would theoretically become more refined and potentially move on to make great contributions and move the genre or entity forward. For example, many great younger-generation punks started out with gateway bands such as Green Day and explored the roots of it and evolved from there, contributing to the bigger picture with their own music.

The danger, of course, starts with the annoyance of watered down derivative junk invading our senses constantly, and a feeling that the scene 'isn't ours anymore.' There will be some people who don't look deeper than the so-called 'gateway bands' and styles and are out to be nothing more than fashion plates. In certain circumstances, this is perfectly acceptable. There are those who enjoy rocking the latest trendy looks and putting their own spin on it. Go right ahead - get some red jeans. Assimilate  the leather/denim/safety pins/studs and spikes into your looks. Then, when it's out of vogue, move on to the next thing.

The next thing that's troubling is if those who jump from trend to trend choose to incorporate actual bands in the mix, they may be cutting the bands and individuals out of the picture and appropriating them as brands. Take Chris Brown as the ultimate example. Here, we see him trying to sport a spiked leather jacket with band patches such as Municipal Waste and DRI. I think it's pretty safe to say that he has no idea who the hell these bands are or what they sound like. Furthermore, Chris Brown is a notorious asshole who beats women posing as a member of 'our' culture. What's funny is that the designer of his jacket, DNA Fashion, is charging around $6,000.00 for these, that are supposed to be DIY. If that isn't the best example of irony, and 'something lost in translation,' I don't know what is. It goes to show there is a market out there just for those with too much money to spend. He is embarrassing himself wearing this, and bringing shame to the bands and their fans. I would say that it gives me great displeasure to see anybody I strongly want to dissociate with dressing like me, as if they belong to the same community.

And now we reach the heart of it. What people are missing about these styles is that the wearers gear themselves up with a sense of pride about their ideals and music tastes. This is precisely why the Met's exhibit is a big missed opportunity. They could have created a contemplation about the artists' lives, their fans, what inspires people to dress in this fashion, etc. We lost the PEOPLE, and their stories. It could have been very exhaustive ...it's the freakin' MET for chissakes! Instead we got stupid celebrities parading around in looks that they pretend to care about. Honestly, if I had a little sister, I'm sure she could whip up something more authentic in one trip to the local Hot Topic.

Even completely dismissing the music and fans, focusing on JUST THE CLOTHING, they could have done a lot more. The Met could have opened a discussion surrounding Anti-Fashion, or perhaps drawn a parallel between Dada, the punk styles and the ZEF South African counterculture movement. I can definitely see a huge street punk influence there. Yolandi Visser of Die Antwoord is quoted as saying, "It's associated with people who soup their cars up and rock gold and shit. Zef is, you're poor but you're fancy. You're poor but you're sexy, you've got style." She's hit the mark.

Ultimately, my advice to anyone wanting to jump on this punk clothing bandwagon is... again, PLEASE, don't pull any bands into it unless you actually get into their music. Don't be a poser... drop the punk pretensions and DON'T pay a fortune for clothes that originate from a DO IT YOURSELF ethic. It's from small bands making their own merch with markers and paint. It's from fans in the street trying to make a name for their clique. I understand that there is some hypocrisy here that we have to allow for as humans with complicated hearts - punk is for everyone, so yes, why not let Chris Brown wear it without criticism... but you understand why it was brought into the discussion. As a quick tangent - I'm OK with street-credible rappers wearing punk shit... Streetwear has harmoniously incorporated punk looks and ideals with hip-hop, skater, and general pop culture since the 90s. Go ahead and get into that. Rich people- my hat is off to you, but if you want to get in on this thing as a trend for a minute, keep it simple- admit that you are just trying to be stylish, buy some streetwear, or just throw some studs and spikes on your shit!

Support DIY punk fashion:

 http://jssxiii.bigcartel.com/

http://www.cvltnation.com/cvlt-store/ 

See Also:

-Your favorite local band's merch

-Streetwear with an aesthetic that actually means something to you