LYLE & SCOTT FW22 ARCHIVE COLLECTION

Looking at Archive, and the Archive customer, we know it is highly associated with contemporary indie music. We often forget “Indie” comes from ‘Independent’, so with current attitudes and trends calling for us to “strip back” and “go back to a raw simplicity”, it seems only apt that we shine a light on the foundational music movement that planted the seed of indie rock. Fuelled by the rigorous ‘DIY ethic’, the Punk explosion of 1976 sent a cultural shock-wave through the UK. It often conjures notions of gregarious hair styles, ripped tartan, and studs all over a bleach washed jacket. The icons from popular culture that this description brings to mind are ‘Vyvyan Basterd’ from the Young Ones, and Trash from ‘Night of the Living Dead’. These are caricatures and they are a hyperbolic interpretation that overshadows the true spirit and meaning of the punk movement.

The AW22 Archive capsule is about holding firmly onto the authentic and true value of the movement. The iconoclastic attitude of punk was holistic, which meant that a variety of societal structures could be dismantled. With the attitude of “have nothing but make something” artists rendered a new expectation on art and culture. It wasn’t perfection and skill of art that mattered, it was what it said, and what it did. In the punk world, you didn’t have to be ‘perfect’ either. Your sexuality, creed and background was never a hold back for having a point of view. You could have a voice and if nobody listened… You could use the bold and raw energy of punk to make them listen. Punk should always be celebrated and famed for this. An example of this in its purist form is ”Rock Against Racism”. A movement which was kicked off by a famous protest where protesters marched in the streets against the National Front, which ended in a protest punk gig in Victoria Park, East London.

These iconic and quintessential styles codes of the 1970’s lay the foundation of the Archive AW22 collection in silhouettes and fabrications. With a strong sense of nostalgia, they represent “just being you”. Key design features from 1976 have been taken from the Lye & Scott’s garment archive. An abstract print has been reinterpreted across different product categories, where a staggered cable knit has also been for a ‘cut and paste’ look. The collection uses clashing tones of putrid colours throughout, which is softened by brushed knitwear and plush textures. In stark contrast to this is synthetic fabrics and fibres, which are from recycled bases. These fabrics represent the idea of use and re-use that was integral to punk whilst also raising awareness of environmental factors.