What are Skinheads?

A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in London, England . Originally, the skinhead subculture was mainly based on fashion, music and lifestyle not politics or race. In fact many British Skinheads during the 1960s were Black.The first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian and British mods. Eventually, political affiliations grew in significance for the skinhead subculture, and now the political spectrum within the subculture spans from far right to far left.

RACISM, ANTI-RACISM AND POLITICS

In the late 1960s, some skinheads in the UK had engaged in violence against South Asian immigrants (an act known as Paki bashing) . There had, however, also been antiracist skinheads since the beginning of the subculture. These early skinheads were not necessarily part of any political movement, but that changed by the early 1970s. As the 1970s progressed, racially-motivated skinhead violence in the United Kingdom became more political. But by now they are towards skinheads fashion and lifestyle.

Unidentified white power skinhead. His badge says "Skinheads Weiss und stolz" ("Skinheads White and proud").

(SHARP) logo

 Aggressively working-class puritans in big industrial boots, jeans rolled up high to reveal them. Hair cut to the skull, braces and a violence and racism earned for them the title bovver boys, boot boys. A member of a youth fashion and gang movement,characterised by close-cropped or shaven scalp and smart utilitarian wear, associated with football hooliganism, racist violence and neo-Nazism.

RECOGNITION
The skinheads are an international politicocultural youth movement with a crude white racist and Nazi ideology. They are recognizable by their shaven heads, steel-toed boots, and tattoos, and they listen to what they call Oi music.

SKINHEAD FASHION
As early as 1964 one could recognise mods who resembled skinheads in that they had short, cropped hair, wore Ben Sherman shirts and Levis. The Mods eventualy split in two groups: One group, the art college or trendy mods and other group the hard mods, or the gang mods, developed into the skinheads. The mods fanatical eye for detail became an important element of skinhead fashion. The young people who developed this skinhead fashion and style rejected the finery and slightly effeminate characteristics of the art college mods and the hippies for clothes that were more related to their working class background. Skinheads needed clothes that would not get torn in a fight, which would stay pressed and neat and which would identify them in crowd. Donkey jackets, army greens, tough working jeans, industrial boots and braces fitted this need. Steel toecapped boots, highly polished, became a badge of identity and useful wapon until they banned at football matches.

Human beings have always used their appearance as personal advertising - a calling card signaling who we are and where we are at. As our world grows ever more complex and fragmented, the importance of appearance grows ever greater: our visible differences and similarities facilitating interaction and relationships.. Hence the STYLETRIBES appear

STREET FASHION SUBCULTURES & STYLETRIBES PASTPRESENTFUTURE

Where the styles originate? Streetstyles are born in street (and suburbs) And hibernates in street (and suburbs) The followers may change their mind But the attitudes and styles will not