The nearly 50-year-old punk label is retooling for the modern age.
When news hit the HALOSCOPE office that BOY London was going to be digitizing their visual archive for the first time, we were absolutely chomping at the bit to get our eyes on it first.
Founded in 1976, BOY London has been emblematic of underground subcultures from Punk to Acid House for nearly 5 decades now. Made famous through their connection to major celebrities like Madonna, Boy George, Andy Warhol, Rihanna, and Beyoncé, BOY is fanning the flames of their ever-burning cultural relevance with their Fall/Winter 2024 collection.
I had the chance to meet up with the BOY London team to talk all about their inspirations for the collection, their vision for the future, and to answer the age-old question: Is punk really dead?
Here is our conversation:
This interview has been edited for grammar and clarity.
KAITLIN OWENS: I’m seeing a lot of utility wear and racing-inspired looks. How did you go about designing the collection? What were your inspirations?
BOY LONDON: For Autumn/Winter 2024, our racing inspiration came from Bosozoku. It’s a Japanese youth culture associated with customized motorcycles and outlaw biker gangs [that] turned against the Westernized business suit-and-tie and adopted their own uniform style called Tokkōfuku, modelled off military wear — hence the utility references in the collection. We looked carefully at the slogans and symbols that were used by these gangs and interpreted them in the “BOY” way — always reverting back to our punk heritage and DNA.
KO: I am obsessed with the vibrant reds and chunky knits in this collection. How were the red-and-black textiles featured in many of the looks constructed?
BL: [The featured textiles] are a red-and-black knitted Tiger intarsia using merino wool for the base and what's called an eyelash yarn technique in mohair.
KO: Are there any plans to revive looks from the early days of BOY? Or is your team looking more towards the future of fashion?
BL: We are always looking back at our extensive history which is rich in diversity — there is a huge amount to pull from. However, we are always looking ahead and evolving the collections, but always being mindful to create [sic] the core DNA of the brand.
KO: As your visual archive becomes available to the media for the first time, I’m curious — what are your favorite collections?
BL: Which do you return to as a touchpoint for the DNA of the brand? We always love the simplicity of how BOY was used in the ‘80s and ‘90s — bold logos that are remembered so clearly on caps and T-shirts worn by the likes of Elton John, Rihanna, Pet Shop Boys, and Andy Warhol. The logo is iconic and we enjoy reimagining this in more modern applications.
KO:I would love to hear your opinions on the legacy of Brit Punk fashion. We’ve heard ad nauseam that “punk is dead”— what do you think?
BL: Obviously, we love the rich and exciting history of “British punk” with the amazing associations with some of Britain's most famous and influential punk artists like Sid Vicious. Whilst these are always very clear in our minds when designing new collections, it's obviously important to evolve with the times and what people are actually wearing and buying into. To us, “punk” is an attitude [that] comes with certain beliefs and idealisms — it's not about safety pins through a ripped jacket but more about how you carry yourself and the life choices you make. Punk will never die because it belongs within us — it's not an image or a particular look but a way of life.
For more information about BOY LONDON and to take a closer look at their archive, please visit their website here.🌀
Kaitlin Owens is HALOSOPE's Archival Fashion Editor and the Editor-in-Chief of Dilettante Magazine. For a closer look at her work, please visit kaitlindotcom.com.