October 7, 2024 |
The world of designer and performance artist Leigh Bowery was a sight to behold. Finding fame on the debaucherous dancefloors of the underground ‘80s club scene, Bowery was at the heart of a wider community of club kin who all adhered to the simple philosophy of not giving a fuck about mainstream acceptance. A melting pot brimming with artists, designers, DJs, performers, photographers and those who dabbled in a bit of everything, they were bound by a collective appreciation for experimentation.
Taboo – a small club founded in 1985 by Bowery, located in London’s Leicester Square – became the stomping ground for many of the community’s key members. Despite only being open for 18 months, the space had a huge cultural impact and now, charting its history has become the mission statement of the Fashion and Textile Museum’s latest exhibition, Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of 80s London.
Starting off with a recreation of Bowery’s living room – Star Trek-themed wallpaper and all – the display includes a range of his original designs, which sit alongside the works of other key creatives from across the scene. A reimagination of Kensington Market offers insight into how designers like Pam Hogg, Rachel Auburn and Red or Dead got their start: keen to harness the creativity that seemed to flow out of them with the same ease with which most people breathe, second-hand fabrics were reimagined as outlandish garments to wear on nights out and sold to other partygoers who used the market as a home away from home. In turn, the community strengthened and grew, with the aesthetic they cultivated reflected and championed within the walls of Taboo.
Also featuring a recreation of the club’s dancefloor styled by performance artist and Club Kid David Cabaret, the exhibition platforms the real characters who frequented the club, with outfits worn by the artist Trojan, model Sue Tilley and Cabaret himself suited onto the mannequins.
from left: photography by Brendan Beirne, photography by Derek Ridgers
Move into the upstairs part of the exhibition and the popularisation of the Taboo aesthetic is explored. It begins with New York club queen Susanne Bartsch who brought her designs over from London to the Big Apple to stage the Roxy Roller Rink fashion show, and with the influence of punk profilers like i-D and The Face, showing how the subculture slowly and sparingly seeped into the fringes of the mainstream. The role of popular musicians like Boy George, who was heavily involved in the London club scene, and Neneh Cherry, who was styled by punk iconoclast and image maker Judy Blame, was another significant marker for bringing the Taboo look above ground.
With Taboo signifying a seminal moment in time for queer culture – where sexuality of all kinds was accepted, experimentation encouraged and gender boundaries blurred – this exhibition is a reminder of the vibrancy found across LGBTQ+ history. Oftentimes overshadowed by the heartbreak of the AIDS crisis that dominated the decade and the political and societal discrimination that led to legislation like Margaret Thatcher’s Section 28, exhibitions like this one paint a fuller picture of queer history that significantly positions joy at its forefront. It’s not one to miss.
Top image: photography by John Simone. Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of 80s London is open now until March 9. Book tickets here.
from left: photography by Derek Ridgers, photography by Sheila Rock
