How Mod Music and Fashion Shaped the Clothes Men Still Wear Today
Hasn’t what we listened to always influenced what we wear? The history of music isn’t just spelt out on record shelves and playlists, it’s hanging in the wardrobes and lying on the bedroom floor of gig-goers up and down the UK. Music and style are linked, always have been, always will be.
The Music Scene and Fashion, Forever Linked
What you wear has always told other people what you listen to. The Teddy Boys, one of Britain's earliest post-war youth subcultures, were already wearing drape jackets and drainpipe trousers when rock 'n' roll gave the look its soundtrack. The Rockers who followed swapped tight tailoring for denim and leather, with the likes of Little Richard providing the soundtrack.
Then, almost out of nowhere, came glam rock, with Ziggy Stardust, the rock messiah, completely changing what style meant. However, Bowie was by no means the last artist to rip up the rule book; the punks of the late '70s can attest to that. In fact, across the entire history of music and fashion, what’s in and what’s out has swung back and forth like a metronome. Every music scene left a little something behind, but largely they all passed on.
And while they do say that the only permanent thing is impermanence, at Relco, we respectfully disagree. Out of all the music-inspired styles, there’s one that’s stood the test of time. Hard-wearing, working-class Mod fashion, that’s as sharp now as it’s always been.
A Mod’s Style Was a Way of Life
Young, working-class Londoners with jobs and money of their own. The children of post-war austerity spent their hard-earned pay dressing above what was expected of them. And what they wore was so much more than a costume; it was a statement against what the generation before them thought young working-class men should look like. The sharp suits and clean lines of Italian tailoring found a new home on Soho’s dance floors. Young people took pride in what they wore and put effort into looking effortless.
The Who became one of the bands most closely associated with Mod culture. Their early image reflected the scene's sharp tailoring and clean silhouettes, helping cement the connection between Mod music and fashion for generations that followed. From the tailored suits down to the Sta Prest trousers, mods looked sharp enough for a big night out. And the amazing thing was, mods knew they could throw in a button-down shirt and still look smart enough for work the next morning.
A Different Kind of Sharp: Skinheads and Ska
By the late ‘60s, elements of Mod culture were evolving into a harder, more working-class look. Early skinhead style grew from that shift, while drawing heavily on Jamaican music and Rude Boy fashion.
Ska and rocksteady arrived with the Jamaican diaspora, as well as the Rude Boy aesthetic. Clean tailoring, cropped trousers and well-polished shoes. The Rude Boys and Mods both saw dressing well as a sign of self-respect. Both favoured clothes that were smart, hard-wearing and easy to move in.
The 2 Tone movement picked the whole thing up again in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. And The Specials and Madness put ska, rude boy tailoring and skinhead style back on Top of the Pops. The new generation dressed accordingly.
Why the Look Never Left
That connection between music and the mod’s style of the era is a big reason why the look still feels distinctive today. And every time British music looks back for inspiration, it ends up pulling from the same wardrobe. Britpop put a ‘90s spin on Mod style, borrowing from terrace culture and the football casual scene, where elements of Mod-influenced British style had found another home.
The Mods tried to bring together practical, versatile styles that could survive a night out and still look sharp enough for the office the next day. They aimed for a balance of comfort, style and utility, and they actually found it.
How to Dress Mod Today
Relax, you don’t need to buy a Vespa (although you can if you really want to commit), all you need are a few pieces of proper clobber to bring classic mod style into your wardrobe.
A Harrington jacket can elevate any outfit, and looks as natural draped over the back of an office chair as it does in the line outside a gig. When the weather turns, a parka is the obvious choice for fending off the cold without stooping to a puffer jacket.
For the legs, tonic or two-tone trousers can add a bit of shine, while some tartan trousers can really help you stand out in a crowd.
The Music’s Changed Again, But the Clothes Are Still Cool
Genres come and go, the songs on the radio change (some people get rid of their radios), but the clothes remain. What was cool in the ‘60s is cool now, and sharp, hard-wearing clothes still look good on a Friday night. That's the whole point of Mod and skinhead style, and it's why Relco's been making it since 1964.
Ready to build the look? Browse our full collection and see what sixty years of British music has left in the wardrobe.