Clash Culture

The Cochrane Theatre on Tuesday May 1st held a fashion event marking the 30th anniversary of The Clash's White Riot tour. Hosted by Paul Gorman, a self-confessed clothes obsessive and author of The Look, Adventures in Rock and Pop History, the evening was a celebration of the The Clash's wardrobe with a rare opportunity to hear from the designers who created their clothes.

Alex Michon was working as a seamstress for a bikini company and her childhood friend Krystyna Kolowska was studying at Central Saint Martins when they encountered The Clash's manager Bernie Rhodes. Bernie had signed the band to CBS and wanted to recruit fashion students to create their outfits. He approached Cathy Tupper and although she wasn't interested, took Bernie back to her flat which she shared with Alex Michon and before long Michon and Kolowska were working 24-7 on creating The Clash's look.

The pair spoke about how they come up with Joe Strummer's legendary zipped jacket: "We threw a load of zips at the fabric and sewed them on where they fell," Michon told the audience. "We over-sewed, there's a lot of overstitching which I recommend - if your stitching is a bit wobbly just sew over it." Michon and Kolowska showed a handful of original Clash outfits including their T-cut trousers known as 'the conductors'. Industrial designer Sebastian Conran screenprinted The Clash's T-shirts on his floor and shared his experiences and showed a small selection of original T-shirts. Michon and Kolowska are now back working together and plan to launch their own fashion label later this year.

Then The Clash's manager took to the stage and the structure of the debate crumbled before us as Bernie Rhodes ranted in true rock'n'roll style. There were stories of his mother - a Russian immigrant who "made suits for Cary Grant" and wouldn't tell him who his father was, he told us about the time he knocked Andy Warhol's wig off and kicked it and then 'outed' Ron Wood and David Bowie as wig-wearers, before claiming "we have total censorship in this country" and asking "how can you be radical in Selfridges?". According to Bernie, "The Ramones didn't do punk they did haircuts", "interest rates are going up to 8%", "we're going to war with Iraq" and people should make "clothing for bereaved people and those who've lost their limbs. "We might be limbless but we're still fashionable".

Paul Gorman interjected and ended Bernie's reign after the Clash manager came out with a sentence I didn't hear properly but which included the word 'nigger'. Nonetheless, Bernie had managed a plug for his new range of T-shirts.

Words: Marian Buckley

The Look Adventure in Rock and Pop Fashion by Paul Gorman is published by Adelita - www.adelita.co.uk/thelook

Visit Paul's My Space pages for updates - www.myspace.com/rockpopfashion

Bernie's T-shirts are available online - www.bernardrhodes.com