Material of menace, armed with apparel: a historical investigation of the use of leather in British subcultures (1940s - 1980s)

Abstract

This study intends to study the historical factors behind the use of leather in British subcultures between the 1940s and the 1980s. By enmeshing the ways that leather has been portrayed, perceived, utilised, and imbued with different meanings, this essay posits that wearing leather became an essential aesthetic taken up by individuals belonging to different subcultures. The post-World War 2 (henceforth, WWII) developments in Britain became a locale for subcultures to develop and thrive, dictating forms of fashions, modes of thinking, and social fabrics. As such, among other fashion materials, leather became icons imbued with a plethora of social and cultural significance that went beyond their utilitarian purposes. Simultaneously, they embodied new ways of expression and community as individuals who relate to, or are thought to relate to these individuals, use leather to indulge in the psyche, and the nature of these subcultures. By examining how and why material culture has influenced members of the Leatherman, punk, and Sadism and Masochism (S&M) subcultures, this essay intends to illustrate the unique value of leather that was commonly imbued by followers of different subcultures, while asserting that they were commonly used as a way to express their resistance.