1980's MAGAZINE DESIGN - V&A Visit

Our brief is based around a 1980’s theme. For primary research we visited the ‘Club To Catwalk’ exhibition at the V&A museum in London. This showed all the fashion styles that were popular in the 80’s. A lot of the fashion was inspired by the club scene at the time and the vibrant city nightlife. This is why it’s named ‘club to catwalk’ because the innovative outfits that people wore to the nightclubs became fashionable and advertised on catwalks. 

Throughout the decade numerous styles became popular.  The reason so many new styles were created and became popular was due to the clubs. Everyone that went to nightclubs wanted the best outfit that was one of a kind. People would make a new outfit each time they went to a club. Some clubs even didn’t let people in unless their outfit was original. This meant that new styles were created often and fashion phases didn’t last that long.

It is said that the risk takers behind these styles remain some of the most influential figures in fashion today. Some famous designers include Vivienne Westwood. She brought Punk/Goth fashion to mainstream. This style included mainly black clothing or dark clothing. Black leather was a big feature along with Dr. Martens boots and studded accessories. This was hugely influenced by/associated with rock music as this was the style of clothing they would wear. She also brought Glam Fetish and Bondage fashion to the mainstream by selling this style in her shop ‘SEX’.

She also designed Blitz Denim clothing for brands such as Levi Strauss along with John Galliano, another famous designer. These involved custom denim jackets with random shapes bleached and materials added.

Another famous designer was Katherine Hammnet who became famous for her oversized t-shirts with political messages on in large text. This shows that there were other influences other than music. Some of the messages included ‘58% Don’t Want Pershing’, ‘Thatcher Out’ and ‘Save The Future’.

Other subcultures include the popularity of knitwear and use of new fabrics such as stretchable material that creates a hugging fit.

Also there was Hard Times which involved ripped t-shirts and leather jackets which represented masculinity and being tough.

  

Another style was New Romantic which was influenced by punk where males would wear loads of eye liner, frilly shirts and clothing that would normally be aimed at the opposite sex. The reason this style was so popular may have been due to the recent discovery of AIDS and the fact that homosexual relationships were becoming more in the open than in previous decades. This suggests that this style was an opportunity for gay men in particular to express themselves more freely.

Overall it seems that the more eccentric your fashion style idea was the more popular it became. The main place to show off unique outfits was in clubs, which meant music was a big influence.