Bonington Vitrines #27: Nottingham Subcultural Fashion in the 1980s

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Townsend, K ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2212-2511 and Godfrey, T, 2025. Bonington Vitrines #27: Nottingham Subcultural Fashion in the 1980s. Bonington Gallery, Nottingham School of Art & Design, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, 22 March - 10 May 2025.

Exhibition view by Julian Lister

Item Type:	Exhibition
Creators:	Townsend, K. and Godfrey, T.
Contributors:	Name Role NTU ID ORCID Townsend, K. Curator of an exhibition UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Godfrey, T. Curator of an exhibition UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
Date:	22 March 2025
Abstract:	We are delighted to be dedicating the final Vitrines instalment of our 2024/25 season to archive material, information and clothing that documents the dynamism of the independent fashion scene of Nottingham in the 1980s. In the years following Beeston-born Sir Paul Smith’s ascendency from a 3x3m store on Byard Lane in 1974 – to bases in London, Paris and Tokyo – many local fashion brands were established, including several by graduates from ‘Trent Poly’, who bucked the moving-to-London trend by committing themselves to the city and starting a new generation of independent labels. Homegrown brands such as G Force, Olto, Vaughan & Franks, Katsu and Cocky’s Shed were a just a few… These brands combined talent, style discernment, DIY attitudes and cheap rents to start labels, open shops, and form global influence and connection. At one point the city even gained its own style pages in the form of Déspatch, Relay and Débris magazines, providing content as broad ranging as fashion editorial featuring local and international designers, montages of nights at The Garage, and signposting visitors to the shops and studios that were physically and ideologically a long way from the High Street. The fashion scene that developed placed equal importance on both studio and social time, building a network of close-knit creatives who collaborated and supported one another. This community incapsulated many of the same qualities that gave rise to other significant, and perhaps more well-known cultural communities such as the city’s music, cinema and contemporary art scenes. The aim of this presentation is to celebrate and help establish a legacy for this important period within the city’s [sub]cultural history. An open call for materials will run in the lead-up and during the exhibition, allowing anyone to submit related materials that will join the exhibition and evolving noticeboard. Accompanying the exhibition is a suite of specially commissioned essays by independent scholar Ian Trowell. Ian has also provided curatorial consultancy and research to this project, having interviewed several of the key protagonists of that era. Ian writes on subjects including UK subcultures, music, fashion, popular culture, art and media. His book Throbbing Gristle: An Endless Discontent was published by Intellect Books in 2023. This exhibition has been co-curated with Dr Katherine Townsend, a researcher, educator, practitioner and Professor in Fashion and Textile Practice in the Fashion, Textiles and Knitwear department in the School of Art and Design at Nottingham Trent University.
Related URLs:	Organisation
Event Location:	Bonington Gallery, Nottingham School of Art & Design, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham
Event Dates:	22 March - 10 May 2025
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham School of Art & Design
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	27 Aug 2025 15:12
Last Modified:	27 Aug 2025 15:12
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/54266
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