Fashion, music, art, culture – no one of these can exist in isolation. Subcultures are born from an amalgamation of all of these things, and the Northern Soul movement is no exception. The UK has been the birthplace of some of the world’s most iconic subculture movements which still inform the trends we see today. Since our UK heritage is part of the Jacket Required DNA, we’ve decided to celebrate some of the best British subcultures and where better to start than Northern Soul?
As its name suggests, Northern Soul has its roots in Northern England and the Midlands and is associated with the region’s dancehalls. Starting as a music movement, inspired by America’s Motown genre, Northern Soul quickly became a way of life for many music enthusiasts who already identified with the iconic mod scene.
As a subculture built on the music, fashion followed suit for practicality’s sake. Since it grew from the mod scene, Northern Soul style started with the traditional mod uniform; classic clean-cut suits, leather loafers and skinny jeans were the signature pieces. Later, the style changed to looser-fitting cuts and lighter fabrics, with high-waisted Oxford trousers and vests taking transforming the look. These would often be embellished with sew-on patches that indicated membership to a particular club.
It’s the men’s fashion that has become symbolic of the genre, but the women’s styles developed in the same way. Staying true to the mod style, hairstyles were shorter and often cropped, with full, ankle length skirts following the baggy trouser-ed trend of their male counterparts.
Northern Soul may have been in its heyday in the ‘60s and ‘70s but it’s still one of the UK’s most enduring and best-loved subcultures. As with many fashion movements, it pulls apart trends from the past to create something new and the aesthetic has everything to do with the attitude of the ‘60s teenagers who started this important new style tribe.
Discover the look at Jacket Required SS20. Brands including Ben Sherman, Baracuta, Gibson London and JJ Emlyn are some of the iconic British brands who will be joining the Jacket Required line-up this year to bring a taste of UK subculture to the Old Truman Brewery. Join us on 24th & 25th July to meet the brands.