ESSAYS
STYLING
OTHER MUSINGS
Photographer Credit: Martha Wright, Fashion Communications and Promotion, Year 2
Written in collaboration with Somerset House and The Missing Thread: Untold Stories of Black British Fashion’s Exhibition. Curated By BOLD. (2023/24)
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Dancing in Basements to the Catwalk; How music facilitated change for black creatives.
Within The Missing Thread, music is used to set the scene, as it has influenced massive cultural change and opportunities for Black creatives.
The Nail Bar. The Entrance to the Nightlife Gallery.
Wright, M. (2023) The Missing Thread [Photograph] Sommerset House, London
Music was present at The Missing Thread exhibition, uncovering how it catalysed Black individuals' recognition. Throughout history, music has been a defining force of culture; a marker of who you are. Descendants of the Windrush generation invented a new sound to match their new identities. Blair Maya Imani Black explores in her dissertation, For Us by Us, how Black, immigrant and queer influences had been disregarded in the creation and expansion of house and Electronic Dance Music (EDM). She clarifies how these new sounds, such as Acid House, Garage, Jungle and ‘Drum n Bass’, created a fluid movement of changing identities within the shifting music scene and their own sound. It utilised a combination of tradition and emerging street culture. This agency, through music, allowed Black individuals to design and lead their narratives, which is reclaimed at The Missing Thread exhibition. The emerging talent created places of acceptance in comparison to the traditional nightlife. The attraction of unfamiliar places would lead to a contemporary style of dress which Joe Casley-Hayford defined.
The Cuyah Come Here Title Card
Wright, M. (2023) The Missing Thread [Photograph] Sommerset House, London
More than a beat, rhythm or place, music connects us all. Dancehall music is synonymous with Jamaican culture. It expanded through the UK as second-generation Windrush immigrants combined their family roots and their worlds. Dancehall culture relies on a deep sense of community that is reflected through dance, according to Niaah Stanley as she writes in her book, Dancehall: From Slave Ship to Ghetto, ‘the consumption of lyrics in dancehall through bodily movement… revels potent modes of community”. This can be seen in the short film ‘Cuyah, Come Here’ by Angela Philips, which is on display at The Missing Thread exhibition. Looking at the women featured in the film and their dancing, their clothing, and the colours and style depicted within the films you can see the visual impact on modern nightlife culture. Dancehall music would shape new genres of music, such as electronic dance music pioneered by Acid House. This would lead to the creation of genres such as Jungle, amplified by Black musicians such as Congo Natty (formally Rebel MC), Goldie and Fabio.
A late 1980s Rave Street Party.
Swindells, D. (1988) Trip Street Party [Photograph]
Nightclubs became the central places for the expression of this emerging music identity. Notably, cities such as London and Bristol became intertwined with this subculture. In the book ‘It’s a London ting’ by Casper Melville it is explained that to this subculture it was important that it could be any place or anywhere and was for anyone. Large nightclubs with exclusive, discriminating, and principally racist rules were being caught out of this new wave. Instead, parties with acid house were happening in the fields of the countryside, or a cramped basement in a small Bristol Bar. This non-exclusive attitude to Jungle was what pioneered it to become so culturally important, anyone could be anything, and the sound of EDM was for anyone. Andrew Ibi, co-curator of the Missing Thread, expands
“It empowers people… You could be part of an equal community, which is what we're all… looking for, ultimately… nightlife was also a space of escapism, and a way for people to develop freely without the constraints of a society … that was… essentially racist.”
By utilising this open-access attitude, it has created a legacy that has empowered a new generation of EDM artists such as NIA archives. Nightclubs still hold important cultural narratives about the voices of young people, but this shift would not have been possible without black creatives and these new values.
Speakers and Photographs at The Missing Thread.
Wright, M. (2023) The Missing Thread [Photograph] Sommerset House, London
Andrew Ibi continues, “style was synonymous with music”. As a result, the dress needed to change to reflect the changing culture. InThis is not Fashion: Streetwear Past, Present and Future, King ADZ and Wilma Stone recount how each club and sound had an alternate look, most nightclubs brought drab and boring clothing, typical of nineties minimalism. But due to the changing locations, something more comfortable was required. More people started to wear what they felt was practical. The clothing brand One Block Down in a collaboration with the Instagram page Samutarolaid out the cultural fashion story of Jungle Music recalling how baggy jeans, combat boots or an Ellesse tracksuit became commonplace. Artists such as Goldie became Fashion Icons. These parties could occur anytime, anywhere and under any circumstances. The need for a dynamic, but still aesthetic style was important, which was where Joe Casely-Hayford was the leading designer through his unique understanding of street and high culture.
The Fashion Designer Casely-Hayford became the trailblazer for integrating high fashion with subcultural dress. His cross-cultural approach and his use of beautiful tailoring and post-modern influences shifted the design scene of the 1990s. Growing up in Chelsea (London) he developed and understand of high fashion and culture, while still being involved in Brixton underground scenes, according to an article for ID, written by Caryn Franklin, Jason Jules, and his Wife, Maria Casley-Hayford. He chose to then study fashion at Central Saint Martins. Here, he channelled these cross-cultural explorations into expansive and experimental fashion designs. A clear example of his innovation and contributions to the style of nightlife is on display at the Missing Thread. This collection contains numerous items of clothing that are subversive and elegant. In a discussion with The Los Angeles Times in 1990, Casley-Hayford described his designs as “classic but with a little element of interest.”. This was where his talents truly shone, his ability to transform a plain garment into something revolutionary. The effortless adaptable luxury that is presented embodies the attitude that Casely-Hayford presented throughout his life. His ability to transform a plain garment into something revolutionary is where his talents truly shone. The effortless adaptable luxury that is presented embodies the attitude that Casely-Hayford presented throughout his life.
By exploring how the role of music has facilitated cultural changes across Britain, we can investigate how this change allowed the success of Black creatives. By promoting a more positive, less-discriminatory way of thought it shifted and created subcultures that were more accessible. This allowed for Black success and recognition that previously was ignored. These new identities would become reflected within the changing sense of style that led to new designers such as Joe Casely-Hayford. This Casley-Hayford influence cannot be understated. He designed clothing that was uniquely innovative and modern continues to challenge designers' efforts.
Joe Casley-Hayford Collection on Display at the Missing Thread
Dowle, E (2023) The Missing Thread [Photograph] Somerset House London
Bibliography
Black, B. (2023) For Us by Us: Electronic Dance Musics Queer of Color Under Commons University of California
Caryn, F. Jules, J. Casley-Hayford. M (2020) Joe Casley Hayford – An icon For Our Times ID magazine https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/n7w8vx/a-tribute-to-the-iconic-joe-casely-hayford-who-paved-the-way-for-black-fashion-designers
King, A. Wilma, S. (2018) This is not Fashion; Streetwear Past Present and Future. Thames and Hudson
Lobrando, A (14th March 1990) A Low Profile for a Man of Manners: Designer: Joe Casely-Hayford describes his men’s and women’s designs as “classic but with a little element of interest.” Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-14-vw-360-story.html (Accessed: 1st December 2023)
Melville, C. (2019) It’s a London Ting: How Rare Groove, Acid House, and Jungle Remapped the city Manchetser: Manchester City Press
Stanley, N. (2010) Dancehall from Slave Ship to Ghetto. Ottawo: University of Ottawa Press
The Story of the Original Nuttahs: How Jungle Music Informed Decades of Style and Culture, oneblockdown The Story of the Original Nuttahs: How Jungle Music Informed Decades of Style and Culture (oneblockdown.it) Accessed; 20th November 2023