The Meanings of Punk

There is a number of stereotypes and meanings attached to the word “punk”. A popular stereotype  would assume fast, loud, tuneless music welcomed by the young people who wear ripped clothes with bizarre haircuts. In a more complexed way to understand it, punk can be seen as an attitude, a lifestyle choice and a fashion.

As a musical genre the term "punk" is applied liberally in the most recent days. Punk means The Clash and The Damned and their contemporaries of the late 1970s. But punk also applies to the American acts of the mid 1990s, such as Green Day who bears only a passing musical resemblance to old punk. The label ‘punk’ has been applied to numerous bands, some with little or nothing in common with punk’s origins, as a means of marketing rebellion.

It is different in the clothing fashion field. Dick Hebdige attempted to define some youth subcultures in his book “Subculture: The Meaning of Style”. He analyzed what the young people’s choice of clothing. He thought the punk is a supposed representation of resistance, but this style is now outdated, a relic of punk’s early days. I have to say he ignored the wider implications of punk. According to Craig O’Hara, punk as a youth trend is “the least accurate but the most popular image of Punk”.
Punk is significant. It covers a wide array in different fields and is outstanding.

A Guide To Afro Punk

Definition
Afro Punk is the alternative black cultural movement that arose by black people and other minorities of color. In today's world, most people think of Rock music as a sole White art form. However, artists like Chubby Checkers and Bo Diddley helped create the genre in the late 1940s. The alternative black people who do not fit the urban life are seen as "strange" by many people.While Afro-punks make up the majority minority group in North America, in Africa the punk community is thriving with lots of black participation.
Documentary
Titled with "Afro-Punk", James Spooner and Matthew Morgan 2003 documentary cultivated attention to the movement. The piece kept record of the four people’s lives including the punk rock lifestyle and discusses a range of social topics such as black power, racial and ethnic identity, interracial dating and exile.

Music
There are many punk rock bands with black members. Some famous bands include: Dead Kennedys, Death Pure Hell and Wesley Wills Fiasco.Afro Punk music mixes with many elements of African, Black American and Punk rock. The African inspirations are usually drawn from Hip Hop, Afro Beat, Dub sounds, Nigerian music.The Punk rock sound comes from a live band, the social politics, and the diverse array of philosophical and political ideologies.
Fashion
The fashion in the afro punk style applies the different elements into one. It is bold both for the designers and he way the people matching them.

Metal Elements Applied into Punk Style Clothing

 It has been more than thirty years since the punk style clothing comes into being. The time it appears, it becomes very popular and favored by so many people. As years passed by, the interest in the punk style clothing still not fade. And as a view from myself, it the certain patterns that make it a popular clothing style till now. The leather fabric, the asymmetrical design, the alternative look and the metal studs are the patterns that belong to the punk style clothing. And I want to talk about the metal elements that applied in the punk clothing.

Alternative Punk Pants for Men

There exists a kind of music which is called the heavy metal music. And in such kind of music the sounds are wild and hoarse. And the metal studded elements may be stemmed from that. I guess. The metal elements that appear in the punk clothing are in the form of the silver spikes, the buckle belts and some other decorations. The punk style clothing is focus on the coolness of the wearers. And when added with the metal elements, the cool look is revealed in a much stronger degree. The clothes look better than if not adorned with these metallic tone.
The certain patterns will help finish the look of one style. And the metal element is a kind of pattern that help to achieve a much cooler look to the punk style.

Clothing Fahion in Punk Style

Punk first emerged in the mid 1970s in London as an anarchic and aggressive movement. And at that time about 200 young people got together and defined themselves as an anti-fashion group. Closely aligned was a music movement that took the name punk. After that the punk grow more and more popular and the number of people who are fond of this style has far exceeded the original 200 people. The funs in the punk style music are enormous and in the punk style clothing are much more than that.

In the very beginning, the people had limited cash due to unemployment and the general low income school leavers or students. So they just cut up old clothes from charity and thrift shops, destroyed the fabric and refashioned outfits in a manner then thought a crude construction technique, making garments designed to attract the attentions. Though not accepted, it brought a new trend. The torn fabrics, frayed edges and defaced prints are now considered normal in the 21st century.

 

Black Punk Rock Pants for Men

And in modern fashion world, the patterns of punk clothing include safety pins and chains on the clothes, the asymmetrical design, the leather fabric and the alternative look, etc. The punk style is coolest among the clothing field and that is the reason why so many people follow this trend.

Street Punk Style

Street punk style is one branch of the punk rock style. We call it street punk because some people who are fond of the punk style hang on the street. There are a large amount of people belong to the street punk for that it is a working class-based genre. Originally it was shaped in the early 1980s which served as a sign to rebel against the accepted art presentation in Britain. The punk style was prevailed through the way of the music. The street punk is no exception.

And the music performed by the bands such as Sham 69, Angelic Upstarts, Cockney Rejects and Cock Sparrer are most famous at that time. I have to say this is the best part the music plays. Through the music people find their members who share the same interest and gather together.

Plaid Leather Punk Skirt for Women

Besides the music, people who are fond of street punk style have their own way of dressing, hairstyle, decoration and make-ups. Street punks often wear spike-encrusted leather vests, T-shirts with political slogans or the names of punk bands and fitted pants. There, of course, the other clothes for the street punks to choose, but the most outstanding clothes are what I mentioned before.
Street punk style is unique. It is easy to distinguish because the street punks generally have a much more outlandish appearance.

Punk Fashion and Punk Clothing

Punk fashion has a large cover over the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry, and body modifications. The fashion of the punk style is a subculture which under the punk category. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including glam rock, skinheads, rude boys, greasers, and mods have influenced punk fashion. Punk fashion has likewise influenced the styles of these groups, as well as those of popular culture. Many punks use clothing as a way of making a statement that they are fond of the punk.

Punk fashion has been successfully applied into the clothing field. The best designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier are most well known in the punk clothing world. Punk clothing has become one of the fastest prevailed clothing styles. 

Vintage Black Punk Blouse for Women

For the most outstanding features the punk clothing share is the cool and metallic tone, the casual style and the asymmetrical design. There is not a setted rule for people to follow to wear and to match punk clothes. You can wear something in your own way and this is also a reason why people say the punk style is a individual one.

Leather Jackets for Women

A jacket is important for any wardrobe. There are many types of jackets. Denim, button-up, zip-up, wool, cotton.  But there is one type of jacket that has been popular for decades and maintains it's popularity today and that is the leather jacket. Leather jackets no doubt maintain their popularity because they are so versatile and due to the many styles available, everyone looks good in a leather jacket!Leather jackets for women have always been popular too but only in recent years have they become as popular as leather jackets for men. Leather jackets generally come in brown, gray or black.

Black Rock Punk Jacket for Women

Jackets for fashion are normally lighter because they are made to be worn for everyday activities. There are several different types of leather jackets that are worn for fashion and towards certain social groups in society. Here are some of those types of jackets and types of people who wear them:
1 The rock stars may wear a leather jacket. The jackets are synonymous with the world of rock and roll ever since the first electric guitar was played!
2 The punk rock scene and the people who followed it is another music genre that is synonymous with the leather jacket but the style was generally shorter and tighter.
3 Goths generally wear longer and more flowing leather jackets that tend to be black or dark in color.
4 Metalheads tend to wear over-sized leather jackets in dark colors as well.
To sum up, a jacket is a must-have in one’s wardrobe. A leather one is perfect for achieving the fashionable look.

Rock Music and Clothing

Rock music is a genre of popular music that originally started as "rock and roll" in 1950s America. It has its roots in 1940s' and 1950s' rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music. Rock music also drew strongly on a number of other genres such as blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz, classical and other musical sources. Rock music is often referred to a kind of music created by electric guitar, bass guitar and drums. Rock music is characterized by its strong beat and heavy tone.

Black Rock Punk Jacket for Women

There are a large amount of bands and singers who contributed to the rock music a lot. Such as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, led zeppelin, the rolling stones, the U2 and Judas Priest, etc are famous all around the world. Of course there are many other bands and singers. And their music and songs are re sang in a very wide range. I love Judas Priest most. The songs can drive me crazy. The rock music is not only prominent in its own world, it also rings a new trend in the clothing field.
The bands and the singers always wear a different kind of clothes. And such kind of clothes are classified into the punk style. The clothes are characterized by the asymmetrical design, heavy metal accents and unique look. People who follow the rock music wear in the same way. Listening to the rock music matched with punk clothing is really fantastic!

Vivienne Westwood--Hottest Designer in Punk Style

Vivienne Westwood is an English fashion designer and businesswoman, who is essential for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.
Westwood came to be known by the public when she made clothes for Malcolm McLaren's boutique. She became noticed because she had the ability to fuse the clothing and the music in the 7o’s punk style. At that time, she was largely inspired by the shock-value of punk and wanted to see whether someone could have a say in that system.

Deeply interested in the punk fashion, Westwood designed her own style of clothing and jewelry. The essential design elements include the adoption of traditional elements of Scottish design such as tartan fabric. She is outstanding in the clothing design. And the main reason lies on her use of these traditional elements make the overall effect of her designs more shocking.

The artistic influence of Vivienne Westwood on the punk clothing is enormous. With her effervescent taste for fashion, Vivienne Westwood set a path for a whole new generation of fashion rebels. Her inspired creative freedom, allegorical collections and fusions of historical and ethnic dress and cut had a huge influence on the fashion in the punk clothing.