29 Things You Didn't Know About Punk Style

It's not all just mohawks and safety pins.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Written by James Harris (@Dr_TacoMD)

In the '70s, a new culture of music and fashion exploded out of NYC and soon spread to London. Punk's fast, violent, DIY sound and look spit in the face of everything that came before it, forming a completely new attitude toward clothing and style. Punk style changed over the decades, but its initial genesis and subsequent evolution were so shocking and furious that a bunch of awesome factoids, tidbits, and trivia were left in the dust.

On May 9, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in NYC will open an exhibition titled "PUNK: Chaos to Couture." The show highlights how early punk fashion influenced and still inspires luxury designers to this day—but it won't cover the bits of knowledge about punk style that have slipped through the cracks. 

Mick Jones of the Clash said that punk in its purest form only lasted 100 days, and whether you agree with him or not, it's quite clear that the culture's style has left behind an insane legacy. If you thought punk style was only about mohawks and safety pins, then read on for 29 Things You Didn't Know About Punk Style.

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"Punk" was first used to describe the subculture's sound and fashion in 1971.

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Punk style borrowed from Teddy Boys, skinheads, greasers, the Victorian era, and their own childhood school uniforms.

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Everyone thought the Ramones only wore Chuck Taylors, but they actually preferred Keds.

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Johnny Ramone wore Reeboks for his high arches.

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Richard Hell was the O.G. of punk style.

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Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's store was the central launching pad for British punk fashion.

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McLaren and Westwood gained infamy with their shocking T-shirts.

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McLaren and Westwood used McLaren's son's stencil kit to add slogans and text to their designs.

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Before the Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious was a shopboy.

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Punks wore swastika symbols to shock and disturb the WWII generation.

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British punk style and New York punk style were very different.

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Johnny Rotten used to wear trash bags.

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Sid Vicious used to buy Vogue to copy the looks.

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Punk was first seen in a haute couture collection in 1977.

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Punks’ preferred tartan plaid has always been Royal Stewart Tartan, the personal tartan of Queen Elizabeth II.

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It took only a few years for punks and their style to become a tourist attraction.

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In the early ’80s, Adam Ant was Westwood's muse. He became an early and avid collector of punk-era clothing.

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Punks in the ’80s popularized mohawks and studded leather vests.

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Punk rockers weren't the first musicians to have mohawks.

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Hardcore punk of the '80s preferred simple, utilitarian style because it was better for moshing.

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MacKaye cut off his long hair using a pair of dog-grooming clippers.

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Mike Watt started wearing flannel shirts at age 13 to emulate John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival.

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Grunge was influenced by punk's anti-fashion ideals.

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The Suicide Machines recorded an ode to Vans in 1994, establishing them as the preferred shoe for the era's pop-punk bands.

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Contemporary luxury designers are still directly influenced by punk style.

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Damien Hirst got swindled when he purchased what turned out to be fake punk clothing.

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Supreme's SS13 T-shirt was inspired by Vivienne Westwood

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Andrew Bolton, curator of the Met's Costume Institute, realized the punk and haute couture connection while at a Thom Browne show.

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Malcolm McLaren thought punk fashion was more important than punk music.

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