From CBGB's to Urban Outfitters: The Commodification of Punk
- Paulina Subia
- Oct 15, 2021
- 6 min read
When one hears the word "punk," a general image will likely come to mind: leather jackets, combat boots (think: Dr. Martens), ripped t-shirts and denim, and shocking hairstyles. The look is accompanied by a disheveled demeanor and a "couldn't-care-less" attitude in a way that is both charming and off-putting all at once. The "punk" image is arguably one of the most iconic symbols in both music and fashion alike. Having persisted through the last half-century, punk has cycled through generations who adopt the clothing, the opinions, and the music for themselves.
I first got into punk music about four years ago with very limited knowledge of the subculture, my only introduction being the Sex Pistols' Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols album (admittedly, a rather pitiful first glimpse into punk - but we'll get to that later). As I immersed myself in the music of other punk greats - Iggy Pop/The Stooges, Patti Smith, the New York Dolls, Blondie, Television, and more - I fell in love with the culture. The music harnessed an energy unlike any other genre I'd heard before, simple in nature, with the ever-so trustworthy ingredients of a catchy, gritty guitar riff and an angst-fueled vocalist. Naturally, the fashion drew me in as well. As I described earlier, it was a straightforward type of dress that was bold enough to make a statement, which I, as an impressionable fifteen-year-old high schooler, perceived as the coolest fashion trend I'd ever seen.
Young-me particularly worshipped the Sex Pistols. In my eyes, they were the punk band, with their anti-establishment lyrics - sung by a snarling Johnny Rotten - their their torn-up clothing, and their abrasive, arrogant personalities, I thought they were amazing. However, upon finding out that the Sex Pistols were essentially the most famous industry plant in rock music was jarring, and opened up an entirely new area of questioning for me as to what "qualified" as punk.
Punk's entrance into "high fashion" came about from the mind of Malcolm McLaren, an English musician, manager, and clothing designer. While many contend that it was McLaren and his management of the Sex Pistols that "invented" punk (both the music and the clothing image), when it was in fact musicians from Detroit and New York, respectively, who truly created the sound and vision of "punk" that we know today. McLaren's "punk" is really just a stolen replica of what he saw from New York musicians in the 1970s, as he admits in the book Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk (a personal favorite book of mine): "I was taking the nuances of Richard Hell, the pop side of the New York Dolls, the politics of boredom and mashing it all together to make a statement... and piss off this rock & roll scene..."
Punk was never about safety pins, facial piercings, and studded leather; this was all a carefully-curated vision stolen and imitated by McLaren and forced upon a group of twenty-something-year-old "musicians" who had little-to-no understanding of what "punk" was at all. Coupled with the Sex Pistols' outlandish behavior, resulting in the formation of a rebellious, unruly fanbase, the true punks of New York were ultimately erased and denied their due recognition in punk history - at least to the extent in which they deserved.
New York punk had a radically different sound and look from what we recognize now as "mainstream punk," while still having a significant impact on the culture. What I find fascinating about the New York punk scene lies in the initial meaning behind "punk" itself: personal freedom. Punks weren't concerned with securing mainstream success, nor were they phased by the public's perception of them. They were creating art for the sake of art, and living with a sort of reckless abandon that made them all the more intriguing. The cast of characters that defined New York punk - from the muses of Andy Warhol's Factory; to bands like The Ramones, the Velvet Underground, and so many more; to artists like Patti Smith and Jayne County - hold their stake in punk history as true innovators, with both their music and their images, respectively, being "punk" in their own right.
From left to right: Debbie Harry of Blondie; Patti Smith; Joey Ramone of the Ramones; Andy Warhol & the Velvet Underground; David Johansen of the New York Dolls & singer Jayne County; and Tom Verlaine of Television
As McLaren capitalized off of his re-interpretation of New York punk style through his designs sold at his now-infamous clothing boutique SEX, the idea of "punk" became distorted and redefined under the influence of mainstream media and major-label executives. Punk's entrance into popular culture lead to its downfall: the Sex Pistols broke up after just two years, and while iconic punk figures such as Patti Smith, Blondie, Iggy Pop, and The Clash went on to have significant recognition in popular culture, the true meaning of punk was already lost within the media frenzy.
This blatant commodification of the punk subculture lead to a wide variety of similar instances in both music and fashion. Reincarnations of punk music have persisted since its inception in the late 1960s, with the genre having resurgences in every decade since. Present-day interpretations of punk are, to be blunt, a bit laughable, with artists and bands so driven by mainstream success that the initial freedom that came with being "punk" is foregone in pursuit of capital gain. Moreover, with music today being largely influenced by "pop" sounds, there is little rock music to be heard in the mainstream - and what can be considered rock blurs the genre (to an unfortunate extent) to fit with popular culture.
Further, the fashion industry has capitalized on "punk" fashion for decades in both the high fashion and fast fashion sectors. Namely, Vivienne Westwood - who was partners both personally and in business with Malcolm McLaren and their notorious SEX boutique - has consistently created clothing that is punk-inspired, but with a high fashion edge to it.
Westwood is often regarded for bringing both punk and new wave culture into the mainstream through her collections. The way that she fuses these subcultures into her work is admirable; it doesn't come off in a way that screams "for-profit" (ahem: Malcolm McLaren), but rather in a way that pays homage to the culture that defined Vivienne Westwood in a personal way and serves as a consistent source of inspiration.
Punk fashion influences have also pervaded fast fashion - whether the consumer realizes it or not. Brands like Urban Outfitters, for example, are notorious for re-printing famous band t-shirts; I can personally note them featuring prints of The Velvet Underground and the Sex Pistols, but there have been many instances over the years of these band t-shirts making a resurgence. Notably, Dr. Marten's, a historically-punk brand that first gained notoriety within 1970s London punk culture, has kept the subculture alive in the fashion industry through their iconography, becoming synonymous with punks internationally. They have also had numerous collaborations with rock bands, including the Sex Pistols in recent years, debuting a range of shoes, boots, and bags featuring the band's image, logo, and lyrics (and yes, I do own a pair with Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious' faces on the boot, and no, I am not ashamed).
In a similar way to that of Vivienne Westwood, I think that these kinds of collaborations (though controversial when considering the potential capitalistic motives) are a commendable way of keeping punk culture alive. Combined with the symbolism behind Dr. Marten's, I do not think there is any other brand that could successfully carry out such a collaboration without being distasteful or ignorant of the history of punk, altogether.
My relationship with punk culture - knowing what I do now about the history behind it - is complex, to say the least. It is surely disheartening to see how the culture is often misconstrued and profited off of, especially considering the humble, lower-class beginnings of the culture and the people who championed it. Yet, I think that like all popular subcultures, there comes a point where the art simply becomes too mainstream; this is inevitable in a capitalist society, regardless of whether we, as fans, like it or not.
As Legs McNeil, founder of Punk magazine and the literal namesake of "punk," wrote in his book, Please Kill Me, "[Punk] was about real freedom, personal freedom... Just being as offensive as possible. Which seemed delightful, just euphoric. Be the real people that we are." Despite the many narratives that surround "punk" as a genre, as a culture, and as a statement, the emphasis on freedom remains true. As fans carry what it means to be "punk" across generations, their power in keeping the genre alive and letting it evolve with the times truly is "punk" in itself, and is telling of the intensity that a fanbase can hold. This can be seen across various subcultures over the course of popular history - another of which will be looked at next week.
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