Boudica

So today we were lucky enough to recieve a guest lecture from one half if the designer duo known as Boudica. It was quite an amazing talk i found it hard to take notes on anything besides the authors, books or movies that were recomended however i found that if i ha missed it i would have missed out on a vital lesson that would have edified my life. one of the main things that i took frpm the talk is that you dont always need to have all the money in the world to produce an amazing collection of clothes, althought it would obviusly help i think that a lack of money can aloe you to push your creativity to new realms bettering you as a person and as a designer.
I also took from the talk not to limit yourself to typical visuals for inspiration. As we were told by Zowie how while at a protest men would cover there wirst with tape to prevent police grabbing them and from that she came up with an idea through that.
Overall i was glad that i had the oppotunity to hear what Zowie had to say and it was good to find oit how a noted designer came up with ideas and surivies in the cut throat business.

1980's Subcultures

Hip-Hop



 

 

DJ Kool Herc

Hip-Hop was a well known subculture of the 80's and is still to this day a way of life for some. The origin of Hip-Hop came to exist because of Jamaican born DJ Kool Herc who would loop and sample music for people to dance to. Above is a flyer for one of the first Hip-Hop  basement party's.





Hip-Hop was a response to the violence that was plaguing the NY Bronx the idea behind it was that gang violence could be turned into creative energy and it did as gangs began to break dance instead of attacking each other. The lyrics of Early Hip-Hop was a way for the rapper to focus on social issues that they faced a good example of this is a song called "The Message" by Grand Master Flash & The Furious 5

Hip-Hop became more internationally know through various films such as "Do the right thing" which focused on the lifestyle of people in the Hip-Hop subculture, "Wild Style"which shows figures from the early hip hop culture, and activities such as MCing, Djing, graffiti and breaking.

 

 As well as DJing Beat boxing was another emerging style in the Hip-Hop Scene which involves making a percussive sound with your mouth. One of the early known Beat boxers was Biz Markie

DJ Afrika Bambata

Biz Markie

The fashion for the 1980s Hip-Hop follower was an Adidas tack suit shell toe ,trainers a rope chain, and kangol hats the group above known as Run DMC were probably the best known for this style.

70's Subcultures

Northern Soul

Northern soul was a music related subculture that emerged in the late 1960's but captured a wider audience in the 1970's. The name was coined by journalist Dave Godin who used it to differentiate the customers (mainly form the north) that were looking for a faster tempo soul sound rather than the slower paced soul that was already about.

This iconic image of Olympic athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos became the symbol of the northern soul movement which is why the black fist is the most related symbol of the northern soul movement.

The northern soul subculture began to grow in Manchester, the twisted nerve was a well noted club for northern soul  but in its later years became known as a drug haven and as a result closed in 1971.

Wigan Casino also became a noted Northern soul spot and regularly hosted soul all nighters where people could come to dance and listen to the latest northern soul music.

These are just 3 of the artists that was a part of the northern soul movement. The clothing worn by people associated in the northern soul movement were known for wearing tank tops with a large collection of badges, they were also know for wearing loose bowling shirts and skirts as they need room to breathe in their clothing wen they would dance

60's subculture: surfers

• Spread rapidly thought  the 60's
• Drove woodies
• Music: Dick Dale and the Dale tones, The beach Boys, Eddie and the showman, The Bel Air
• Concept was about finding good waves
• popularised in southern California
• Surfers developed the skateboard to be able to surf on land
• Fashion: Board shorts, wetsuits, bikinis, sandals

1960 subcultures: The Black Panther Party (1966-1982)

The Black Panther Party originally a party for self defense was founded in October 1966 by Bobby seale and Huey. P. Norton as a reaction to the police brutality that African- Americans neighborhoods were facing. The BPP were political leftists (Promotes social justice and equality) as a result actions were taken. The black panthers were known to dress in black and sometimes blue.

Bobby Seale



Huey. P. Newton

The BPP was active in the U.S and made international impace thought the black power movement

The black power movement was a political slogan used to emphasize racial pride within the black community it was a slogan that echoed throughout the black community influencing musicians athletes etc James brown responded to the slogan with his 1968 song "I'm black and I'm proud" it became an anthem for the black power movement addressing the prejudice to black Americans and the need for equality.

Within the same year Olympic athletes made a stand in the name of equality. Gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos made a stand for black power performing the black power salute on the podiums while receiving their medals. As a result of their actions the medalists were were ostracized in the U.S and their families received death threats. Time magazine responded to their action by printing an image of the Olympic rings and replacing the words "Faster, Higher, Stronger" with Angrier, Nastier, Uglier.

By 1968 the BPP had expanded through the U.S to states such as New York, Los Angeles Washington D.C, New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit and many others and had a membership of 10,000 by 1969. FBI director J. Edgar Hoover called the BBP "the greatest thereat to internal security of the country." J. Edgar Hoover the supervised a programme to incriminate party members and drain the resources and manpower of the BPP, This programme caused internal problems and lead to Alex Rackley a black power member to be tortured and murdered as other members though he was a government informant.

The party fell apart due to a rise in legal costs and disputes between one another and by 1980 the membership of 10, 000 had fallen to just 27 and in 1982 the BBP decided to close.

Christian Dior

Christian Dior was born in 1905 in Granville on the Gulf of St Malo. His father was a wealthy fertiliser manufacturer and had dreams of Dior becoming a lawyer however Christian Dior longed to be a part of the art industry.

            In 1928 Christian Dior’s father gave him an art gallery and I later became the gallery for avant-garde artists such as Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso etc however Dior closed the doors to his gallery when the depression in 1931 hit his family business causing it to go bankrupt.

            After closing the doors to his gallery Christian Dior barley made a living selling fashion illustrations to couture fashion companies, and in 1938 couturier Robert Piguet offered Dior a job as a design assistant.

            After serving in the war as an officer Dior had a theory that the public was ready for a new style his idea consisted of a sumptuous silhouette and billowing skirts. (At the time France were hard pressed for coal food and clothes)

            Christian Dior debuted in 1947 with his collection quickly coined as the “new look” with was an instant hit due to his luxurious fabrics and amazing silhouettes

Dior became more in demand and   opened a ready to wear boutique in New York.

            In 1957 Christian Dior Died of a heart attack in Italy, his funeral was widely attended and Yves Saint Laurent became his successor.

Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 1999 - Creating an art piece