Punk fashion refers to the style of dress for people within the

punk subculture. When punk music was first established in the

1970's, punk clothes tended to be rebellious, wild, and shocking.
While the 70's look was a far cry from the style of punk now,
during the time it was considered very confrontational.

Designers like Vivienne Westwood greatly influenced the punk

fashions of the time, as well as punk icons the Ramones.
Torn t-shirts, offensive clothing, and anarchy symbols were very
popular with the punk subculture during the 70's.

Additionally, controversial images, patches, and studded or

plain leather jackets were staples of the punk style and
remain prevalent today.
Footwear for the alternative clothing scene generally varied
from Chuck Taylors to motorcycle boots. Bondage clothing,
tapered jeans, and leather pants dominated the punk
clothing scene as well.
This was also the time where hairstyles took a radical route
and began to appear in bright colors and short lengths. This
was only the beginning of what would become even more
controversial in the world of fashion.

 Punk fashion is the clothing,

hairstyles, cosmetics, jewellery, and
body modifications of the punk
subculture. Punk fashion varies
widely, ranging from Vivienne
Westwood designs to styles modelled
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.

A French punk in 1981, wearing a customized

blazer, as was popular in the early punk scene.

Punk rock was an intentional rebuttal of the perceived

excess and pretension found in mainstream music (or
even mainstream culture as a whole), and early punk
artists' fashion was defiantly anti-materialistic.
Generally unkempt, often short hairstyles replaced the
long-hair hippie look and the usually elaborate 1970s
rock/disco styles. In the United States, dirty, simple
clothes - ranging from the T-shirt/jeans/leather jacket
Ramones look to the low-class, second-hand "dress"
clothes of acts like Television or Patti Smith - were
preferred over the expensive or colourful clothing
popular in the disco scene.

In the United Kingdom, a great deal of punk fashion from the

1970s was based on the designs of Vivienne Westwood and
Malcolm McLaren and the Bromley Contingent. McLaren has
credited this style to his first impressions of Richard Hell, while
McLaren was in New York City working with New York Dolls.
These T-shirts, like other punk clothing items, were often torn on
purpose. The clothes suited the lifestyle of those with limited
cash due to unemployment and the general low income school
leavers or students often experience. Punks 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
attention. It deconstructed garments into new forms.
Trousers were deliberately torn to reveal laddered tights and
dirty legs. They were worn with heavy Doc Martens footwear, a
utilitarian, practical traffic meter maid type of footwear in that
era, not seen on many young women until then. Safety pins and
chains held bits of fabric together.

After the shocking rebellion of the

1970's, the punk fashion scene
underwent a revolution of its own and
began to focus more on functionality
than shock factor. Dr. Martens and
combat boots (often with steel toes)
became the footwear of choice among
the majority of punk followers. Plaid
skirts, torn jeans, and heavy chains
were the most common items worn
during the 1980's.

UK punks displaying
elements of early and
1980s punk fashions.
Some punks bought T-shirts or
plaid flannel shirts and wrote
political slogans, band names or
other punk-related phrases on them
with marker pens. While this was
not without precedent in the 1970s,
the depth and detail of these
slogans were not fully developed
until the 1980s. Silkscreened Tshirts with band logos or other
punk-related logos or slogans were
also popular. Studded, painted and
otherwise customised leather
jackets or denim vests became more
popular during this era, as the
popularity of the earlier
customized blazers waned. Hair
was either shaved, spiked or in a
crew cut or Mohawk hairstyle.

Contemporary Punk Fashion

Street Punk
Glam Punk
Hardcore
Anarcho-Punk
Oi! Skinheads
Crust Punk
Gothic rock, deathrock and horror punk
Psychobilly and cowpunk
Skate punk
Pop punk

In general, modern punks wear leather,

denim, spikes, chains, and combat
boots. They often wear elements of
early punk fashion, such as kutten
vests, bondage pants (often plaid) and
torn clothing.
There is a large influence by DIYcreated and modified clothing, such as
ripped or stitched-together pants or
shirts.
Hair is typically dyed in bright,
unnatural colours such as red, blue,
green, pink or orange and arranged
into a mohawk or liberty spikes. Hair
could also be cut very short or shaved.
Belts with metal studs, and bullet belts,
are popular.
Leather or denim jackets and vests
often have patches or are painted with
logos that express musical tastes or
political views. Pants are usually
tapered tightly. Metal spikes or studs
are often added to jackets and vests.

Glam punk is the oldest

punk style, associated with
the early groups of the
1970s like the New York
Dolls. Glitter, androgynous
make-up, brightly-dyed
hair, drainpipe jeans (in
reaction to the flared
trousers worn by hippies),
bright colours like electric
blue and unusual costumes
like leopard print or satin
shirts are frequently worn.

There are several styles of dress within the hardcore scene, and styles have
changed since the genre started as hardcore punk in the late 1970s. What is
fashionable in one branch of the hardcore scene may be frowned upon in
another.
Clothing styles are often chosen to make moshing easier to perform. Plain
working class dress and short hair (with the exception of dreadlocks) are
usually associated with hardcore punk.
Mute colors and minimal adornment are usually common. Some elements of
hardcore clothing are baggy jeans or work pants, athletic wear, cargo or
military shorts, khakis or cargo pants, band T-shirts, plain T-shirts, muscle
shirts, and band hoodies. Many hardcore punks wear sportswear, such as
tracksuits, and sneakers.
Common sneakers include classic Adidas, Puma, Pony, Nike, Converse
high-tops, and Vans shoes. Boots are also somewhat common, especially Dr.
Martens

Oi! skinheads, sometimes known as skunks or

punk-skinheads, are a fusion of traditional
skinhead fashion and street punk fashion. The
look is characterised by 14 to 20 eyelet Doc
Martens boots (or similar boots made by a
different brand), braces, and tight rolled-up
jeans, sometimes splattered with bleach.
Other common items are T-shirts (featuring
band names, political beliefs, or text/images
relevant to skinhead culture) and denim
jackets or flight jackets. These jackets are often
decorated with buttons or patches, and in the
case of the denim jackets, sometimes
splattered with bleach.
Hair was typically shaved shorter than with
traditional skinheads. Other items from
traditional skinhead fashion (e.g. Fred Perry
and Ben Sherman shirts) and, to a lesser
extent, punk fashion (e.g. short mohawk
hairstyles, metal studs on jackets) are also
worn.

Crust punk fashion is an extreme evolution of

traditional punk fashion, and is heavily
influenced by bands such as Doom, Amebix and
Antisect.
Typical crust punk fashion includes black or
camouflage trousers or shorts covered in patches
(heavy work pants are popular for their
durability), torn band T-shirts or hoodies covered
in patches, studded vests and jackets (commonly
black denim), bullet belts, jewellery made from
hemp and other natural/found objects, and
sometimes bum flaps. Patches, even band
patches, are often of a political nature.
Clothing tends to be unwashed and unsanitary
by conventional standards, and dreadlocks are
popular. Crust punks sometimes sew articles of
clothing with found or cheaply-bought materials,
such as dental floss. Baseball caps with patches
sewn on or studs implanted are popular
headgear. Pants are often held up with string,
hemp, or vegan-friendly imitation leather
(sometimes avoided due to the style's connection
with animal cruelty).

Psychobilly emerged in the 1980s and combines

punk with elements of 1950s Greaser and British
Teddy Boy fashion: brothel creepers are frequently
worn, as well as leather jackets, gas-station shirts,
black or white retro T-shirts and vintage
motorcycle/work boots. Hair consists of a quiff or
pompadour, usually with the sides shaved into a
mohawk. Clothing is usually adorned with motifs
inspired by classic American horror films or artstyles inspired by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. This style
of punk is strongly associated with the Kustom
Kulture movement.
Cowpunk blends punk with outlaw country,
Southern rock and rock and roll. Fans of cowpunk
base their look on Southern United States poor
boys: vintage western wear like checked shirts,
Perfecto motorcycle jackets, wifebeaters, overalls,
and cowboy boots. Hair can be a short quiff, crew
cut, long, or a psychobilly-style mohawk, and
facial hair is acceptable for males.

Skate punk is a derivative of

hardcore fashion, chosen with
comfort and practicality in mind.
Common skate punk clothing
items include: T-shirts, flannel
button-down shirts, hooded
sweatshirts, webbing belts, and
khaki shorts, pants or jeans. Some
punks, especially in Southern
California, mirror Latino gang
styles including khaki Dickies
work pants, white T shirts and
colored bandanas. While some
skateboarders have long and
messy hair skate punks usually
have short hair, often shaved into
a buzzcut, and wear little
jewelery.

Pop punk fashion sometimes overlaps

with skater punk fashion. Originally
this consisted of black or tartan baggy
pants (sometimes fited with studs and
eyelets), band hoodies, wristbands,
patrol caps, pyramid stud belts, dress
shirts with thin ties or scarves, blazers,
and spiky hair.
Pop punk fashion, influenced by
indie, hip-hop and the middle class
emo subculture, evolved to include
cartoon print hoodies, Converse
shoes, keffiyehs and drainpipe pants.
Spiky hair was gradually replaced by
skater styles with long fringes or
bangs. In the 2010s, pop punk fans
took on a more hardcore look with
shorter hair (including a wide
Mohawk combined with a fringe),
plain hoodies, and straight-leg jeans.