What Can These Clothes Tell Us?

The clothes and oral histories in the Renegade Collection at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery challenge some of the myths and assumptions around subcultures.

When people contribute clothes to the Renegade Collection they are interviewed about their outfits and lifestyles. We want to understand why the clothes are important to them, and what part their dress played in creating their identities. They were asked questions like:

Where did Teddy Boys go in Brighton and did they all have razor blades sewn into their collars?

Were you in Brighton for the notorious May 1964 troubles? Was it really that bad?

Were all Skinheads racist and why did the police stop them wearing shoelaces in their boots?

Do you think Hip Hop has had an influence on mainstream or designer fashion?

You can hear people's responses in our online archive of renegade oral histories.