Oi! at H&M

Born in Britain in the mid-60's as a tougher offshoot of Mods, skinheads came to prominence a decade later with a strikingly aggressive uniform of Fred Perry polos, Ben Sherman button-downs, thin suspenders, Doc Martens and the shorn skulls that gave them their name.

When many began participating in nationalist and racist violence, the group became hated and feared: playing in front of a skinhead backdrop and waving a Union Jack flag in 1992 made Morrissey a pariah in the left-wing music press; though portraying one in the skinhead flick “Romper Stomper” that same year kick-started Russell Crowe’s career.

Skinheads went underground until gays, who have disarmed much of the movement’s racism, recently began dragging them out of the closet — the photographer Slava Mogutin included homoerotic pictures of Berlin skinheads in his book “Lost Boys.”

Nick Knight’s book “Skinhead,” which launched the fashion photographer’s career, is still selling.
Shane Meadows’s recent film, “This Is England,” follows a boy growing up in '83 England who becomes a skinhead.

The designer Hedi Slimane’s online photo diary includes an image of a black leather jacket with a Cock Sparrer patch.

And Paul Weller recently traced his obsessive love of style to his days as a junior skinhead in the late 60's.

And then there are this season’s collections: lace-up bovver boots were spotted at Dior Homme, and Yohji Yamamoto even collaborated with Dr. Martens to update the skinheads’ stomp wear of choice. With no steel in the toecaps, however, the vile associations have been sanitised.


Gucci's boy, designer Neil Barret's new fall look... Clockwork Orange much?


New look from your boy, avant-garde Designers & Characters, Yohji Yamamoto.


coming soon to H&M on Fifth