Metalhead - A Fashion take

Where to find a metalhead....

Crobar 

This is a bar I have been to several times before. Located in Soho just off Charing Cross road this place attracts quite a crowd during the weekends. Blasting with metal bands like AC/DC and Led Zepplin the main crowd are metal heads who come to socialise with their own group and listen to heavy metal and drink. Though as they happily chat and drink loudly, with the blaring music it becomes very difficult to construct your own conversation. 

The facilities are not quite what you would expect. Dingy and dirty, probably in the worse conditions you will ever see a toilet, with slogan scribbled all over the walls like "Metallica rules" , "Death to all" and "Satan lover". 

Other reviews 

"Ok I have to admit, even though it has the yuckiest toilets I've ever set foot in my life, I pretty like this place. 

The place is always packed, the music is great, the walls are covered in old Judge Dredd comics, its open til late just great!"

Though on another note 

"Entirely unimpressed with this place. Pokey, uncomfortable and the only cider they've got is kopplaberg so if you don't like that and you're a cider drinker then bad luck I'm afraid. The toilets are also awful, it isn't worth going here just for a metal soundtrack."

THE INTERVIEW : With Jonathan Halls

BA illustration student, Londoner and Thrash metalhead Jonathan Halls. Now come and here is story. 

When was the first time you considered yourself a metalhead and why?

When i was 14, because I wasn't a goth and didn't want to be an emo.

Why associate yourself with those sorts of subcultures? 

Because I didn't fit in at school, I tried but it never worked no matter how normal I tried to be. The music then sort of gave me an identity that I fit in with and gave me friends.

Do you have other friends or a circle of friends who are all metal heads?

I used to when I first became one but most metalheads are metalheads for a reason, they're quite unbalanced so a whole group is insane. I now have metalhead friends but we socialise with other subcultures.

Do you parents accept your identity?

They accept it but they don't like it because it conflicts with their catholic and conservative upbringing.

Do you not involve yourself in the mainstream on purpose because your a metalhead or is it something that you do not come across?

I do involve myself in the mainstream but I prefer to go to metal bars or clubs because I can listen to music that I like.

Tell us about moshing? Why do you do it?

Its an extension of the music. The aggression of metal and the mainly male audience creates this sort of energy that is unleashed in the pit.

Why do you wear the clothes that you wear?

To express that music is important to me and give me an identity.

Give it a bit of metal

As an assignment, I was supposed to choose a particular subculture and go into depth about it. I choose metal heads. In particular Thrash metal. I chose this because it is the opposite to what I normally would have chosen and is a subculture that I know nothing about so would be a definite learning curve.

Why is a metalhead and metalhead?...The philosophy?

I asked this very question to a friend who I studied my foundation who is a lover of metal music. He gave me this answer

"It makes me happy, I can get my rage out in a positive way, even if it means moshing. I head-bang, throw the horns and listen to metal and I'm happy, it also gives me an identity and when I was younger and when I was depressed and alone it gave me strength inside and made me feel special. 

The clothes are uniform which gives an identity, you meet fellow metal heads and there's a connection despite colour, greed and faith. Being an outcast and meeting fellow outcasts just makes you feel part of something which make an outcast feel special"

Jonathan Halls 

So the main parts to being a metalhead is...

1. To be part of something. A wider group 
2. Finding your identity within something 
3. Losing yourself in the music to let out emotion
4. Rebelling against the commercial and the mainstream 
5. Love/hate relationship with God and religion

How did the heavy metal subculture start?

Derives from the loud blues and psyched of the late 1960's, but left the blues influence behind and kept the powerful, loud and guitar miffs of the late 60's and early 70's.

It began establishing itself as one of the most commercial successful forms of rock 'n' roll 

The who 

Jimmi Hendrix

Alice Cooper 

Led Zepplin 

These bands fused heavy guitars with blues. 

By the mid 70's the leaders of the new heavy metal were being established 

Black Sabbath 

Deep Purple 

Thin Lizzy 

Judias Priest 

Aerosmith 

AC/DC

By the 1980s heavy metal exploded and was not just music but a way of life. 

By the mid 80's/ early 90's speed metal and thrash metal had broken off the main subculture to form their own and became more popular. 

But by the mid 90's with the introduction of grudge popularity took a nose dive. 

And what about Thrash Metal....

The earliest Thrash metal is credited as thrash metal was Queen's "Stone cold crazy" in 1974 and Black Sabbath's "Symptom of the Universe" though this is subject to debate amongst all Thrash metal heads. 

The fast paced instrumentation introduced by Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Venom and Motor Head became the essential aspects of Thrash. 

A great deal of Thrash metal groups pay tribute to hardcore punk. 

The popualrity of Thrash metal increased and lead to a more heavier sound form of thrash metal came with the release of Metallica's "Ride of the Lightening" , Anthrax's "Fistful of metal" , Overkill's self titled EP and Slayer's "Haunting the Chapel". 

1986 - A big time for Thrash Metal, lots of highly publicised thrash metal. 

During the late 1980's Thrash Metal continued its climax with bands like Anthrax and Sepultura. 

Bay Area thrash is referred to a steady following of heavy metal bands in the 1980's who formed and gained international status in the San Francisco Bay Area.  This scene was widely known as a starting point of American Thrash metal. Again this is subject to debate. 

In the 1990s after this climax in popularity for the genre, it died down. 

Though revival has been taken place during the 2000s 

Bands such as Enli and Municipal Wadte have been key to this revival. 

A lot of the old bands from this 1990s have made comebacks in the 2000s 

"Big Four Tour" - Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax

In 2010 seven shows where put on in the Sonisphere Festival. 

First show in Warsaw, Poland, June 16 2010 

Last Show Istanbul, Turkey, June 27 2010

On May 5 2010 Metallica said that the show in Sofia on June 22 would be televised to over 450 cinemas in the USA.

Tell me about the music... 

2 types  - American Thrash metal / British Thrash Metal.

American Thrash Metal 

Agent Steel
Annihilator
Anthrax
Dark Angel
Death Angel

Sucidal Tendencies 

Exciter 

Exodis 

Flotsam and Jetsam 

Infernal Majesty 

Megadeth 

Whiplash

Nucleur Assault 

Oblivion 

Overkill

Possessed 

Razor

Sacred Reich 

Sacrifice

Slayer

Testament 

Thrash metal was spawned by the New Wave of British Metal 

There is an argument that uploads punk as another motivation for budding thrashers. The street ethic played a part. 

Musically the thrash bands aspired towards technical proficiency, which is a part of the punk approach. 

The focal part of this movement was Bay Area of San Francisco, California. Then New York and New Jersey for its cultural centre despite the presence of Anthrax and Overkill. 

Once it started, thrash metal rose to popularity with suitable speed. Bu 1986 and 7 Thrash has taken its command of the metal media into the charts. 

Metallica and its popularity made sure the genre was here to stay 

British Thrash Metal

Atomkraft

Onslaught

Pariah Satan 

Rearimation

Sahbat 

Sacrilege

Slammer 

Toranaga

Xentrix

Britain - The leader in the field of rock and metal 

The brightest hopes of UK Thrash came with Xentrix, Pariah and Sahbat 

Uk Thrash metal was unable to compete with America and Germany. Fans deserted the scene. 

Thrash metal bands tended to write a mixture of "political" songs and more direct, extensional critiques of modern society. 

Metal in the mainstream 

Last year, in the 5 and 6th season of skins there were 2 episodes dedicated to the character Rich, a metalhead shown to shut out the world and listen to his music. The episode in season 5 is purely based around his life as a metalhead. 

Dress/Make up

Jeans/T-shirt (Band, Black, Studded)

Leather Jacket (Studded, ruffed)

Studded bracelets, necklaces and accessories (studs, skulls, bass guitars)

Long hair 

All black clothing 

Where can metal heads shop?

This is a big independent label which bases itself around metal music which also sells merchandise like band t shirts and CDs for fans to buy on its website. 

A t-shirt based store selling t shirts and magazines of all genres.

There is a lot to be bought on ebay. There are a lot of stores within ebay which sell thrash metal music, merchandise and clothing. This particular store sells patches for bags and jackets.



Metal Fashion 

Its a style of dress, body, modification, make-up, hairstyle and so on, done by fans of metal music often know as headbangers or metal heads. 

The fashion has its origins in rocker, biker and leather subcultures. 

Some of the influences of modern military clothing and Vietnam War can be seen by fans and bands of thrash metal like Metallica, Destruction and Megadeth. 

Wearing bullet belts around their waist 

Spike bands or gauntlets

Patches

Designers

Ann Sophie - Back .... Swedish Avant -  Garde designer

http://annsofieback.com/

http://media.beta.photobucket.com/images/ann%20sofie%20back%20a/

Here are some bits and bobs of her A/W 09 collection. Heavily influenced by her personal tastes (she is a metalhead herself) we can see this through her clothing as she is known for her metal/goth clothing. 

Mainstream designers with a metal influence

Yves Saint Laurent's A/W 2012 collection we can see elements of the metalhead dress in the designs. The focus on black and and the the biker jacket and the top, is a take on the metal style



Kanye West's debut A/W 12 collection showed a lot of leather jackets and experimented with the styles of the jacket with a focus on black. This is playing on the main style of a metalhead, but you could say this is also an influence from a rocker style (subject to opinion) but he does use the item of the leather jacket and turning it into a more avant-garde form.

Rick Owen's clothes can also be said to be influenced by the metalhead style.

The bagginess and focus on black could easily fit into the sub genre of metal but also could be said to be borderline rocker chic. 

The Goth Life

Subcultures is a big part of the fashion world. It groups us together and gives us an identity.

Even wondered about goths? Well this presentation should sort u out ...

Enjoy

http://www.slideshare.net/catfred93/the-goth-life-15390614

Back to the Start

Since my last blog, my class have been instructed to go back to one of our favourite shops we visited for an in depth look/analysis. Me and my group's choice was Start in Shoreditch as we found that there would be a lot to talk about and we all agreed the layout and style of each of the three stores were versatile and interesting.

It is a modern versus traditional look store. The shop is tucked away and off the main road and the windows was quite low key, obviously not aimed at attracting new customers but for the more loyal and word of mouth customers. The shop's windows contain simple dressmakers mannequins dressed in suits. This is definitely targeted at the slightly older market, late 20s to early 30s.  As you walk in, the low lighting, exposed brick walls and the soul music of Al green hit you with an instant chill and contemporary feel.

I noticed that each style of suit only had one size on the rack therefore this demands customer-sales assistant interaction, giving a high end tone. It also allows the sales assistant to focus on sales of items which are situated around the store like ties, sunglasses and perfumes.

I liked the quirky details that were dotted around the floor like the bowler hat lights, pineapple lamp, empty shoe stands and the modern fireplace. Though the triban masks on the wall does throw me a bit, as they do not go with the theme of the shop.

The downstairs area is set up as a fitting room again forcing a sales assistant-customer interaction as a personal service is offered to fit the suits to the customer requirement. The whole area is brightly lit than upstairs and mimics the set of a tailoring shop. There are shelves of Saville Row fabric books that give a more high end, professional look to the floor and at the far end is a relaxing study area with chairs, a table with an open book on top. This allows the customer to sit and relax and feel almost at home.

However, this floor is not designated just for fittings as there are shelves of well presented leather shoes on one wall and a couple of traditional presentation cases full of Comme Des Garcons accessories like wallets. These are well placed so that the sales assistant can use them as an add to sale


Start  - Womenswear  

The first impression you get is how minimal is the shop window, though I believe this is a good idea as the large windows show the whole store and its displays. Any more it would look cluttered. As you go in, the tone is in stark contrast to the previous store.  The music now is more indie pop and a lot louder and the shop is full of little merchandising accessories like handbags, lip balm shoes etc with feminine details like flowers and satin hangers for a more girly store. The store is definitely targeted at younger women with such stocks as designer headbands.

The spaced out rails hold neatly presented clothes organised by colour not brand to make it more appealing to the naked eye. Noticeably the changing rooms do not hold a mirror but they do have some outside the changing rooms. This could be to ensure the customer interacts with the sales assistant but I find that sometimes this could be intimidating for the customer.

On the lower floor it is much more quieter as there are no speakers and the only noise you can hear is music from the upper floor. The grand oval mirror is the main feature as again there is no mirror within the changing rooms.

Start - Urban man 

 

This is quite an awkward store to get into as you have to go through a side entrance and then a small door with no indication that that was the entrance. But as you go in you are hit by the calm contemporary music which instantly reflects the atmosphere of the store. It is a very light and airy store which is what I like about it. The floor is surrounded by exposed brick and wooden floors and the clothes appear to be more contemporary menswear.

Downstairs is more relaxed though at times a tad confusing. The changing room has so many different designs and look which automatically begs the question what was the thought process behind this. It mixes pebble brick with contemporary, with a boat, and the outside holding a display of beach wear which seriously contrasts from the clothing that is sold throughout the store. On the back wall is a very aesthetic display of accessories like bags, shoes and knitwear.  They are neatly folded and presented to the fullest.

The second visit to Start has been good. Staff were willing to help and left us to wonder and analyse. I love the clothes they sell, however, I cannot afford anything, which is a blessing in disguise! I would definitely recommend a visit to these stores if you were in the area and even if it is to window shop.

Fashion Shop 101

The must see post. A short, sweet and to the point introduction to London's lil and big treasures! Enjoy :)

Absolute Vintage

Hidden away in the very chaotic Berwick Street, more known for its fabrics than its vintage, Absolute Vintage is definitely a lil treasure but this is vintage with a twist. Gone is the chaos, replaced with neatly presented well maintained stock, it could almost be mistaken for a boutique. With its piles of leather bags and fashionable clothing, I will definitely be coming here more often!

Acne

The upscale boutique located on the quiet Dover Street is impeccably presented and shows the expense of the clothes. The piano in the middle with books on top is a unique touch creating a serene feel to the shop and gives the shopper something else to do. The shop assistants were very nice and helpful and its a shop which despite the fact I cannot afford anything, I would go to visit again. 

Beyond Retro

Bursting at the seam with wacky vintage clothes, a good bargain is to be had here. Its erratic surroundings strongly contrasts with the quiet street behind Oxford Circus where the shop is located. Amongst the clutter, there are some quality pieces and is why this is a shop I always make a note of visiting every time I am in the area.

Bluebird Cafe

This is definitely where the elite would dine. There’s mix of a casual cafe, bakery, restaurant and fashion store - a lot to choose from but ideal for the leisurely shopper.  The fashion store in particular, has a strange mix of clothing and appears to have no target market. A mix of minimalism, office wear, quirky stuff for the older market with mixes of home products.  I am not sure where they are going with this.

Browns and Browns Focus 

 

Situated as two stores, the quiet and a tad cluttered store does not resemble the typical boutique. The difference in shopping experience between the two stores is probably one of the biggest differences. Browns focus as I went in was quite dark and gloomy, adding to the cluttered feel of the store. Staff were clueless and rude and I would not go in there again. Browns though was a lot brighter and had a more airy feel to it and staff were willing to help. Browns focus tends to target the younger market, displaying up and coming contemporary designers.

Diverse

Down the quiet end of Angel away from the hustle and bustle of the Design Museum this store is not the most stand out store but when you look closely you can see the quirky infusions to an otherwise quite plain clothing aimed for the mid 20s market. My personal favourite is the window display with its quirky mannequins, clashing prints and fun accessories look cool and fun and would draw in a more younger market.

Dover Street Market

This is quite an unusual store as it resembles a mix between a modern warehouse and an office block -  not what you expect when you hear market. From homeware to high end avant garde clothing with a particular focus on Comme des Garcon. But to be honest the tone of the building is very quiet and staff are snobby at times making the shopping experience not such a pleasant one.

Liberty 

A historical exterior which carries through into the interior, this store screams traditional. Its carefully laid out high end stock includes the likes of Marc by Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen and Paul Smith.  This store is for the elite shopper, however, with all the cleanness and low customer foot flow it creates a dead atmosphere, which are boring

Matches

Tucked away in the elite area around Portobello Road. Matches is split into two stores along the same road. One dedicates itself to womenswear the other mixes it up with womens and menswear and also includes accessories like shoes and bags. The womenswear boutique is smaller and dainty which holds a lot of minimal clothing with a few stand out pieces in particular a striking leather waistcoat. Staff were friendly and willing to help and even held the door open for me as I left. I felt truly looked after.

Other

A small almost missable store on the back streets of Regents street, this store looks almost untouched. As you go in you could hear a pin drop! The sales assistant was very nice and almost glad to see me come in. The clothes are not my style but were nicely presented. Not much of an atmosphere.

Oxfam

Never in a million years would I have thought I would have to check the price tag of a charity store. Gone is the charming clutter and friendly atmosphere of a normal charity store and is replaced by the coldness and well presented aspects of a boutique. I am not sure whether I like these changes but through the rails of designer clothes there is a bargain to be had, but I cannot afford that bargain!

Present

A quirky little find infuses a small cafe with contemporary feel. Light and airy using the small space well, I could quite happily sit there for hours with a cup of tea and take in the surroundings. Though staff were quick to jump on me to have a seat and eat there, which was slightly awkward as I did not have any money. 

Start

Based as three stores along Rivington Street in the Shoreditch area, Start already earns some trendy points.  All three of the stores are set out differently so that each is a different experience. One is set as a modern take of a tailoring store with neatly folded shirts and bespoke suits hanging from the ceiling. The other, a more urban layout mens store, with hooded jackets and casual blazers, this is more for the younger market, with glimmers of accessories in the basement. The third is the most boutique like, focusing on womenswear. To be honest this is not my style and out of my price range but is good to look at.  Though my personal favourite of the stores was the tailoring one, as it stuck to traditional bespoke with a modern twist which I found interesting. 

Rokit 

Known for its well chosen pieces, and one of the very few chain vintage stores, Rokit has a big following. The dimly lit surroundings creates an underground tone, and its well presented, clearly labelled shop floor makes it easier for the shopper to browse. It stock ranges from the old and dated to the new and modified. 

Selfridges

The historical and traditional exterior bares no resemblance to the modern interior set like any other department store, but what sets Selfridges apart is the elegance and regal tone it has. Filled with polka dots, its tribute to its collaboration with artist Yayoi Kusarma and her further collaboration with Louis Vuitton, you can tell why this store is a landmark

Topshop

Neatly presented despite the busy turnout, full of students looking for a bargain, today it is more civilised than its prime time saturday afternoon. The three floors Topshop owns are stocked to the tip of their own clothing, vintage and boutique pieces, plus franchises of shoe stores like Office and eating places like Eat ensuring that this place is not just a shop but a shopping experience I could quite happily stay here for a few hours!

Urban Outfitters

From the outside it seems like any other Urban Outfitters store, but as you go in you see that there is something different. Its freaking HUGE! Really interesting layout which includes high ceilings making you feel lost in the atmosphere. It is stocked full with the sort of clothes you come to expect of Urban Outfitters which is quirky clothing with edge. This is a flagship store with a difference. 

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ONLINE STORES

Oki-ni.com

Seems like a very urban website, mixing top avant-garde brands like Comme des Garcon and Alexander McQueen to more common brands like Nike and Adidas. They have gone for a very simple layout with a big slideshow of advertisements to show the viewer a taster of the website. 

Farfetch.com

Very minimalistic website, keeps everything simple and easy to navigate, The high end contemporary designers shows that the website is aimed for the young, wealthy and fashion conscious. 

net-a-porter.com

Very visual first impression, a personal favourite website of mine, it mixes the established designers with up and coming ones, creating a spectrum of styles to choose from. 

Not Just Another Label 

Very full and photographic. "Discovering and supporting pioneers in contemporary fashion" this quote is aimed to summarise the website. Aimed for a young market and the editorial market. Includes lots of very different designers. 

Independent Boutique 

Trendy, indie site focusing on british designers who are up and coming. Includes profiles on all brands so the viewer can get to know the history and inspiration of the pieces and also so they can get familiar with the brand. 

Labour of Love 

Preppy, neat, well laid out. Very simplistic layout, can't say it is my style of clothes but the presentation is appealing. It is quite hard to navigate to what you want. 

Sefton 

A menswear specific website, sefton has a very standard layout, with generic headers and small slideshows of the clothes. very preppy with bits of urban mix, i like the style.