Hi, I'm Valerie Steele and our first speaker this morning is my colleague Melissa Marra
Co author of the book Fashion Underground The World Of Susanne Barscht
whos gonna be talking about the sub cultural capitols, London and New York.
Thank you, Valerie. Good morning. Former Village Voice journalist Frank Owen asserts
night clubs were meant to function as laboratories of style where new trends and modes of being are spearheaded.
In the 1980s and 90s, fashion was integral to the night life and club culture in London and New York City.
And the latter had a reciprocal impact in fashion.
by the early 1980s, London's club scene has given rise to the highly influential sub culture of the New Romantics.
Nights at the Blitz and Covent Garden for example, were instrumental in promoting the New Romantics dress up aesthetic
both domestically and overseas. A wine bar in Covent Garden; here fashion and music merged producing the eccentric aesthetic that would dominate
London's club culture through out the decade. It was its eccentrically dressed clientele that gave Blitz its
notoriety. Steve Strange's astringent door policy assured that only creative pioneers who look like
a walking piece of art gained entry. Rather than cater to celebrity clientele, many of the scenes standouts garnered fame in their own right.
Designer John Galliano has attested quote, the club scene fed me. Being with other creative people like Boy George was a crucial
experience for me. Blitz inspired a host of one-nighter clubs, among them Taboo, which attracted a clientele of fashionable club personalities
Leigh Bowery in particular became a prominent night life figure in London. Bowery's personality belied a series of interest in the history of fashion.
His private library held numerous books about designers; Cristóbal Balenciaga and Christian Dior among them.
Taboo provided Bowery himself with a venue for experimenting with performance art and showcasing his camp style
which became increasingly provocative. The clubs mantra: dress as though your life depends on it or don't bother
promoted individual expression and bold, exaggerated aesthetics. Bowery, a fashion extremist,
strove to be unique. However, his influence would impact designers such as Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, just to name a few
During the 1980s, a number of New York city clubs, including Danceteria and Area, began catering to
an art-fashion performance crowd. The epic Danceteria presented fashion shows on its second level.
introducing the industry to then unknown designers. Meanwhile, the mega club Caladium was forging its own
connections between the art world and the night life. Thus, Caladium commissioned works by designers
such as Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf for the club's decor. Scharf's VIP room for Caladium is seen here.
By the late 1980s, an economic crash and the AIDS epidemic ushered in a new conservatism that stifled the
night life community. Susanne Barscht moved to London in 1969 and immersed herself in the cities growing club culture.
When Barscht moved to New York City in 1981, she brought with her the knowledge of London's club culture
its emerging designers, and its fashion trends. Barscht opened a small boutique on Thompson Street
where she featured imported clothes from emerging designers. Thus serving as the defacto
ambassador for cutting edge British fashion. In 1987, she began hosting weekly parties at the night club
Savage. These parties resembled fashion parades where those seeking their fix of the underground
scene could promote themselves through stylistic dress. In 1988, she began hosting a monthly part at
Copacabana, attracting a large fashion contingent that included Jean Paul Gaultier, Donna Karan, and Calvin Klein.
As well as fashion photographers such as Steven Meisel. Betsey Johnson, Stephen Sprouse, Andre Walker,
and other designers were influenced by the atmosphere pervading New York clubs and used these as
spaces to promote their designs. When asked in 1987 what he found most intriguing about New Yorks club scene, Leigh Bowery sighted the
pyramids uniqueness. And people like Sister Dimension and Lady Bunny, quote, their starting point is drag but then
they take it someplace else, making it more modern and exciting. There's nothing like that in London.
In an unprecedented development in 1994, RuPaul became a face of Mac cosmetics VIVA GLAM campaign
which helped raised millions of dollars to help combat the AIDS epidemic. In 1992, Mugler began
employing drag queens and transexuals as runway models. The influence of 1980s and 90s club culture has endured.
Gaultier's Spring 2013 collection, for example, called upon the sartorial style of Boy George.
Music artists such as Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga affirm the club culture ethos of self expression and creativity.
Gaga in particular has been credited with creating a Nouveau club kid style. Today, night life and personas
such as Susanne Barscht, continue to create spaces for creativity to flourish. As fashion designer and nightlife personality,
Domonique Echeverria remarked quote, I look at nightlife as an opportunity to showcase my work.