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The eighties: a decade of Thatcherism, Top of the Pops, big shoulder pads and even bigger hair. It was a time when student grants and squat housing enabled unmatched creative freedom in London, and artists from far and wide would travel to the city to make a name and express themselves.
‘Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of ’80s London’ is a new exhibition which opens today at the Fashion and Textile Museum, showcasing the work of more than 30 designers of the era. It spotlights the legendary nightclub, Taboo, and its flamboyant creative community centred around the trailblazing fashion designer and performance artist Leigh Bowery. Theatrical and non-conforming, Bowery was born in Australia and arrived in London in 1980 to swiftly make a name for himself. (Bowery is having a bit of a moment right now: a second exhibition devoted to him opens at the Tate Modern in February.)
Items in the exhibition span from custom-made clothes from private collections to photographs taken by Time Out’s former nightlife editor, Dave Swindells, cataloguing the dance floor and showing how style found its way from squat housing and clubs into pop culture and high fashion. ‘It was a really revolutionary time,’ said Boy George, whose jacket is on display. ‘It felt like you had this naïve idea that you could change things just by wearing something.’
Taboo – named because nothing there was ‘too taboo’ to wear, see or do there – barely lasted a year, but its impact was huge. An intimate venue on the corner of Leicester Square, it fostered a rebellious, experimental environment, where designers like John Galliano and Dean Bright would dance next to Pam Hogg, Boy George and choreographer Michael Clark. It was more than a club: it was a community of people, predominantly young and working class, who were there to have a bit of fun and push the boundaries of style.
Check out some of the photos from ‘Outlaws’ below.
Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of 80s London is at the Fashion and Textile Museum from October 4, 2024 until March 9, 2025.
ICYMI: These nostalgic photographs capture the sultry world of ’60s Soho
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