In the early 60s, the first wave of Japanese students born after the Second World War entered university. Japan is then in economic expansion and takes part in this new consumer society. These young people became the Miyuki-zoku – the “Miyuki tribe”, named after a trendy street in Tokyo. The gakuran: traditional uniform of Japanese […]
HUSBANDS JOURNAL
Author: Husbands
MAKING HUSBANDS #1 : SIGNATURE TWEEDS
Johnstons of Elgin factory has been producing some of the finest knitwear in the world for 224 years. The main spinning mill was opened in 1797, when Alexander Johnston was only 27 years old. The factory is located in Scotland in the town of Elgin on the banks of the river Lossie. THE MACHINE Johnstons […]
JOY DIVISION: AUSTERE SOUND AND STYLE
“In [Joy Division’s] songs, ordinary life achieves an epic grandeur. There’s no bombast or emotional theatrics; instead there’s a modernist starkness as pared down as a Samuel Beckett play.” – Simon Reynolds, The New York Times Joy Division (originally titled Warsaw) formed in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 1976. After a slight re-shuffle on drums, it […]
TOM VERLAINE : JAZZMASTER OF STYLE
“Marquee Moon is a 24-carat inspired work of pure genius, a record finely in tune and sublimely arranged with a whole new slant on dynamics.” – Nick Kent, NME 1974. New York. East Village. CBGB. A young band by the name of Television surface on a dead Sunday night. They hint at what is to […]
BOOTS
“As a band, like a thousand others, we all went to a shoe shop called Anello & Davide anourselves Beatle boots, which were basically Spanish dancing boots. They were a cool thing before the Beatles, but afterwards they were mandatory.” – Mick Fletwood 1837 : birth of the chelsea boot In 1837, Princess Alexandrina Victoria […]
THE TWEED
The river that runs between England and Scotland is the Tweed. By extension, the carded woollen fabrics made on its banks are named after it. Around 1850, the tailor Humann made the first sports suits out of tweed. It was then used to make robust jackets for Scottish farmers and fishermen. This wild wool, which […]
OASIS VS. BLUR
Mike Smith: “Britpop in general encouraged competitiveness – it was a clash between art school traditions and classic British R&B.” England. Mid-1990s. Music was reinvigorated with the rise of Britpop: a thrilling new style which soundtracked youth, subculture and class defiance. Among the big players were Pulp, Suede, Elastica and Supergrass. But the biggest battle […]
THE WESTERN SHIRT
The western shirt appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, during the conquest of the West. The outposts that welcomed the settlers were cosmopolitan; a cultural mix conducive to the creation of the first western shirts. The shirt is the result of a cultural mix: inspired by the traditional Mexican shirts worn by the […]
MANCHESTER 1976-1982
Manchester, late 1970s: cotton mills are closing one after the other, workers’ brick houses gradually give way to concrete housing estates. Manchester has just entered the post-industrial era, and becomes the catalyst for a new musical and aesthetic vision. 1976: Sex Pistols shockwave On June 4th, 1976, the Sex Pistols suddenly filled the cultural vacuum. […]
SHEFFIELD: SOUND AND STYLE TO FILL THE VACCUM
Sheffield is a city of seven hills – rural, bleak and bursting with wavelengths of sound. It cracked the codes of Northern post-punk but it purveyed more: blues, synth-pop, electronica, industrial, dance, techno, indie rock, baroque pop. The style in the city transitioned with the sound. An integral timeline, in order of formation: 1963: DAVE […]