youth culture

On eco-activism, who made your clothes and the third summer of love



Jim Marshall Photography

Are we about to enter the third Summer of Love? All the ingredients seem ripe for the mix; a groundswell of political activism, the legalise weed campaign, plus an overarching peace-n-love vibe from the youth contingent. The last week in London has seen peace protest camps from Extinction Rebellion plot up in Westminster, Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, increasing eco-activism and awareness globally.

When I went to visit the Marble Arch camp on Saturday, it happened to be the same day as the 420 rally, with blazing sunshine, a carefree Glasto vibe and the distinct whiff of weed wafting across from Hyde Park. As with the recent anti-Brexit march, DJs and musicians lent their support to a rotating sound system so the likes of Massive Attack could show solitary to the cause. It was all rather groovy. (more…)

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Sanlé Sory – Peuple de la Nuit



Fête au Volta dancing, by anle Sory, 1982

Just opened at the end of Ladbroke Grove, a fantastic exhibition of 1960s-80s nightlife photography by West African photographer, Sanlé Sory.

Sory used to take portrait photos in his Burkina Faso (formerly Bobo-Dioulasso) studio, later scooting to local parties and dances as requested, to shoot partygoers in action. According to him, “if there’s music, you need to have memories. Photography tells the story.”

He would also photograph local jazz musicians, the results of which would end up on their record covers. A few years ago, French writer and music collector Florent Mazzoleni came across some of the records and intrigued by the photography decided to track down the photographer. Legend has it that when he arrived in his village, his enquiries led him to Sory in the midst of burning his negatives. (more…)

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Iain McKell on youth subcults



Iain McKell Private Reality - Diary of a Teenage Boy

“Small town subcultures are funny, it’s not like bigger cities where you effectively have tribes. In a small town like Weymouth, one guy in the group is a hippy, another is a skinhead, and another a rocker. It’s the backwater, and it’s always been behind the times, but within that you get little nuggets of interesting people.”

Photographer Iain McKell has uncovered a stash of photos of his 70s youth and has started a Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund his book (more…)

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Culture and community – how skate brands win at retail



Oktyabr multibrand skate shop in Moscow conceived by upstart brand Rassvet - Pic by Hypebeast

The skatewear industry is one of the few niches managing to circumnavigate the plummeting shifting bricks and mortar retail landscape. Last weekend I went to Soho’s Brewer Street to witness the annual pop-up tour from Basement Approved, an online streetwear community that has evolved into a 360 proposition of physical merch, parties and pop-ups. Outside the appointed retail unit, a small gathering of scruffy-beautiful skate kids milled about guzzling Red Stripe and doing whatever young people do on their phones these days. (more…)

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