The Creative Renegades Who Forever Changed London Fashion

There’s no denying that we’re chained to the algorithm. In an age where the digital media we consume is dictated by systems that analyse data based on user behaviour, preferences, likes, shares, and so on, it’s no wonder that today’s trends are increasingly homogenous — especially when it comes to fashion. 

Of course, this wasn’t always the case. In an age before social media’s cloud of conformity pressured us to fit into these algorithmically defined moulds, London was at the epicentre of a fashion revolution. Where creative renegades and boundary-pushing designers thrived in the chaotic energy of the city’s underground scene. It’s their stories at the heart of The Fashion and Textile Museum’s latest exhibition, 'Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of 80s London'. 

‘It was a whirlpool of creativity coming out of the colleges and finding themselves in clubs. The look filtered into the mainstream via pop groups and pop stars,’ curator Martin Green tells me. A Taboo regular himself, Green's show traces the rise of the infamous night club founded by designer and performance artist Leigh Bowery in 1985. The cultural influence of the legendary club kid went beyond the underground and into the fashion mainstream seeing him work with indsutry titans like Nick Knight in 1992 on the fashion film Guiser. Still, at the heart of 'Outlaws' is the cohort of Bowery's contemporaries who fashioned the Taboo dance floor from John Galliano to Stephen Jones. 'It was an incredibly exciting time.'

The exhibition starts with a bang, plunging visitors straight into Bowery’s universe. The downstairs galleries recreate the 1980s in all its gritty glory. Picture the squat where Bowery and fellow club kid Trojan lived, complete with mirrored walls and Star Trek wallpaper – its the kind of juxtaposition that screams, ‘let’s tear down the rules and make our own.’ And that’s exactly what they did.

‘His sheer magnificence inspired us all,’ says designer Pam Hogg, whose work is featured prominently in the hallway recreation of the stalls that once lined Kensington Market. Then a hotbed for Hogg, BodyMap, Rachel Auburn and more to sell their wares to those bold enough to embrace the unconventional and challenge fashion’s status quo through a mix of rebellious DIY aesthetics, experimental cuts and daring colours. ‘Leigh and Taboo were essential to the breaking and twisting of ‘normal fashion’, kicking life into what felt like conveyor belt type consumerist dressing,' she says.

The fashion landscape of Thatcherism in Britain leading up to Leigh Bowery's arrival in London in 1980 was steeped in conformity and conservatism, creating a palpable tension that left many emerging talents craving a fresh direction. 'It was a backlash to the socio-economic situation of the time,' explains designer Stevie Stewart. With co-founder David Holah they established BodyMap in 1982 after graduating from Middlesex Polytechnic. 'Plus, we came after punks, so there was this underlying rebelliousness and anarchy against the 'normal.''

With their oversized shapes and asymmetrical cuts, allowing for a fluidity of movement that was both comfortable and visually dynamic, BodyMap quickly became a favourite for the era's clubgoers. 'A lot of the fashion had been a bit stale, I suppose. And suddenly, there were these young, upcoming fashion students from Central Saint Martins and Middlesex eager to push boundaries,' notes Holah. The radical flipping of gender norms, reusing found objects, and experimenting with materials that had no business being worn are all practices we might take for granted today.

A girl in men’s Y-fronts, a man in patterned leggings and a bomber jacket – the lines between gender, art, and fashion were constantly blurred, creating a space where anyone could express themselves freely. This burgeoning wave of creativity was fuelled by a desire to disrupt the status quo, infusing the fashion world with an exhilarating spirit of experimentation that would redefine British style for decades to come, with the influence evident in works by today's talents like Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY and Richard Quinn.

The fashion on display? Nothing short of jaw-dropping. Think gold suits, shower curtain capes, and foam-stuffed catsuits. These aren’t just outfits; they’re loud, proud declarations of rebellion. Highlights include Pete Burn’s royal purple velvet coat by Dean Bright and lycra bodysuits in vivid rainbow hues trimmed with vinyl by BodyMap for renowned choreographer Michael Clark. This was fashion that flipped a middle finger to convention, with the DIY spirit of punk mixing with the glam excesses of the era. 

‘The look was important, obviously. But at the same time, it wasn't precious,’ explains designer and DJ Rachel Auburn. More than just a stage to show off one's creative mind, Taboo was at the centre of fashion's symbiotic relationship with music. 'It was a very eclectic and high energy mix of pop, electro and very early house. But then mixed with something like a Bollywood film track'.

Auburn's own work perfectly embodies the clashing of aesthetics that defined the era with her inventive juxtaposition of fabrics, optical patterns and DayGlo highlighter hues. Like the music, fashion was approached with an unbridled irreverence that saw punk, goth, glam rock, and historical dress fuse into a distorted symphony of rebellious theatricality. On the energy that defined Taboo, she states, ‘I would say falling on the floor and getting a bloody knee or a bruised face was a sign of a good night’. 

The exhibition takes us upstairs, where we see how the creative chaos of Taboo infiltrated the mainstream. New style magazines like The Face and i-D immortalised the look, and pop stars like Boy George and Neneh Cherry brought it to the masses. There’s a jacket worn by Martin Fry of ABC, a bra top designed by Judy Blame for Cherry – evidence of how the nightclub’s radical aesthetic was shaping music and pop culture worldwide. ‘When i-D started, they were taking photos of individual people with their own individual looks.  So within that sort of underground world it was really everyone aspiring to be individual and to make your own look something different,' says Holah.

If anything, 'Outlaws' reminds us of what fashion can be when it’s at its most defiant. The 80s renegades may have been forgotten by some, but their influence is everywhere. From the streets of London to the runways of Paris, their legacy lives on. This exhibition, with its dazzling array of garments, artworks, and recreated spaces, is a glorious, defiant shout into the past – a celebration of those who tore down the establishment, dressed up, and made fashion their own personal revolution.

'Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of 80s London' runs until 9 March 2025 at the Fashion and Textile Museum.