90s rave culture – you had to be there.
Well, the person writing this wasn’t there. I was born a good few years after, and for my sins, have to live vicariously through middle-aged blokes banging on about white doves, Wigan Pier & Sprayway jackets.
Maybe 90s rave culture really was just that good, or maybe it’s a serious case of rose-tinted glasses, I’ll never know – but what’s undeniable is the effect that dance music from that era has had on the trends of today – fashion, music, style, whatever.
In my efforts to find out more about this hallowed era – between constant rewatches of Human Traffic – I came across a piece of ephemera that seemed to perfectly encapsulate what it was all about – photos of a zine called Boy’s Own.
For those of you who are unaware, Boy’s Own was launched in 1986 by Terry Farley, Cymon Eckel, Steve Mayes, Steve Hall and the late Andrew Weatherall. The zine originally served as an inside track to London’s emerging house music scene and was filled with unfiltered commentary, in-jokes and typographic quirks.
It was pretty much the perfect zine – informative, knowledgeable, unpretentious and sought to blur the boundaries between club culture, terrace culture and counter-cultural fashion. The zine became a launchpad for parties, records and era-defining anthems.
I realise I’m at risk here of sounding like one of those aforementioned middle-aged blokes, and I wasn’t even there. So I’ll move swiftly onto what the relevance of all this is…
Boy’s Own has re-emerged from the shadows for the second time to release a limited-edition clothing capsule. The capsule is aptly titled Collection No.2 and features a series of tees inspired by the zine incorporating a healthy smattering of references back to that legendary era.
The T-shirts perfectly capture the nature of the cult publication through the use of archival graphics, original zine clippings and unseen photos from acid house photographer Dave Swindells.
Core motifs of the collection are titled Uppers and Downers, Terrace Rumblings, Gangsters and Guns & Ponytails, and it’s safe to say there are cult references aplenty.
The limited-edition collection is available to purchase from END. Garbstore and Dover Street Market, who are lucky enough to have an exclusive design.
