The Journey of the Leather Jacket And The Surrounding Punk Culture
From Mod Mania
The Journey of the Leather Jacket And The Surrounding Punk Culture
A black leather jacket is just that, until a punk makes it his own. The leather jacket is the epitome of his image, beliefs, opinions and likes and acts as a canvas where these can be shown to the rest of the world. Now, modification of jackets and other clothing in general has spread to a much wider society.
Imagine; you’re a teenager in the 70’s and you have just finished school. Initially, you have ideas of going to uni and living a comfortable life, starting a family and buying a car. However, as David Silva said “The economy in the 70s was awful. To the point that double digit interest rates and rising prices were largely responsible ...” (Silva, 2000) - The outlook for the future becomes bleak. You can’t get a job, can’t get to uni, have nothing to do and you become bored and angry. You’re sick of this stupid monotonous life, sick of society and all the crap that politicians create and you begin to voice these ideas. Your friends agree and all the teenagers in England feel the same way as you. My point here is that the conditions in England in the 1970’s were perfect for a cultural revolution, allowing such a hostile rebellion to emerge. With a bland outlook for the future, teenagers of the day found console in boredom which let manifest the insipid path of no future.
It was said to be the Ramones (History of Leather Jackets, 2009) who pushed an idea that became an integral point in the punk culture of the 70’s. They appeared on their self titled album cover in all matching black leather jackets, first introduced by the rebellious Marlon Brando. Thanks to him, the leather jacket gained a sense of revolution, helping the Ramones to promote their beliefs and ideals. Perhaps it began when Sid Vicious joined the Sex Pistols and the keen followers decided to modify their own jackets and follow his extreme persona. Sid Vicious was apparently given a leather jacket for doing an interview with a radio station (Ryan, 2009) and as the most well known member of the band, his image was vital to his performance. Following all that he stood for, the leather jacket could not simply be what society had given him and needed to be altered to suit his beliefs. We could trace history back, and start with the greasers of the 1950’s and the associated leather jacket and follow its path into the punk culture and into modern fashion. What does it matter when and how the punk movement and jacket became iconic? It gave people the ability to present something to the public, something they could be proud of and something that represented who they are and what they believe as an individual.
Each jacket is customised to the owner tastes in music, beliefs and is representative of them as a person. A jacket could never be bought in a graphitised state and have the same connection with the wearer as a jacket that has grown over time; “Make the jacket your own. The most important thing to consider when making your punk rock leather jacket is to make it reflect your personality. Punk rock is about individuality.” (How to Make a Punk Rock Leather Jacket, 2008) Much effort is put into each jacket; its weight is increased with kilos of studs, its colour is changed with leather paint (usually only one sleeve or a collar,) band patches are sewn on laboriously in a typical punk DIY fashion overall and over time, creating a look that has evolved with its owner.
Yet, a punk does not need to wear a leather jacket to show their philosophy on life. “If you ask any street punk they'll tell you that the clothes don't make them punk, the clothes are simply a sign that attracts unity and detracts unwanted people.” (Modern Punk, 2009) The punk culture created a way of life, helped by the leather jacket along with the eccentric clothing. To be a punk is to do things differently, to go “Against the Grain” (Graffin, 2004) and stand out from the majority of society as was the way with the leather jacket, the associated safety pins holding torn clothing together, thick army boots and gravity defying hair dyed impossible colours. This way of life is supported by the rebels in today’s society – someone who wears their hair differently, women who wear men’s clothing, a company that offers something more than their competitors and the list goes on. There exists people who still want to promote the original ideas of punk and try to live the lifestyle by creating their own jacket, wearing the ‘right’ clothing and acting out of boredom as the first punks did. These people do not truly believe the values created through the culture of the 70’s and simply express an outer shell of the punk image. I know of people who are the modern punks who exist to turn society upside-down and think in a creative, unusual way. You would know of people too - the Chasers exist to oppose society and expose all that is wrong with our modern culture in a comical, controversial way creating havoc and intrigue along the way."The Chaser’s War on Everything is a satirical program aimed at provoking debate and providing social commentary on topical issues, current affairs and public life in general," (Coote, 2009) said the statement that director Kim Dalton and executive producer Julian Morrow released after a particular skit involving terminally ill children. This skit did ‘provoke debate’ by bringing this issue to the attention of society. These are the type of people that would fit the description of modern punk – forcing society to look at themselves in a different way.
Punk’s not dead – punk has simply been modified. It will continue to evolve and as long as there is a mainstream society, there will be punks to defy it. The modification of clothing – a major aspect of the punk culture – has also moved on and into society where people modify clothing to represent who they are as a person.
Bibliography
Graffin, G. (Composer). (2004). Against the Grain. [B. Religion, Performer]
History of Leather Jackets. (2009). Retrieved 8 11, 2009, from How to Look Like a Punk Vol.1: http://www.truepunk.com/lifestyle/how-to-look-like-a-punk-vol-1-history-of-leather-jackets/
Ryan Schie. (2009, 8 3). (K. Vella, Interviewer)
Silva, D. (2000, march 12). Life in the 70's. Retrieved 8 20, 2009, from http://www.stuckinthe70s.com/history.htm
Coote, A. (2009). The Chaser Dying Kids Skit on ABC TV Backfires. Herald Sun .
How to Make a Punk Rock Leather Jacket. (2008, 3 24). Retrieved 8 24, 2009, from Answer Bag: http://www.answerbag.com/articles/How-to-Make-a-Punk-Rock-Leather-Jacket/b755d5b4-3f9b-a734-8bcc-313e44320bc8
Punk, O. (2005, 4 5). Modern Punk. Retrieved 8 24, 2009, from Urban Dictionary: http://ww/w.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Modern%20Punk
