until Sunday March 09 2025

Fashion and Textile Museum
83 Bermondsey Street London
SE1 3XF London
United Kingdom

Contact
T : +44 (0)20 74 07 86 64
fashiontextilemuseum@newham.ac.uk
https://fashiontextilemuseum.org

Centres around the legendary nightclub Taboo, opened by designer and performance artist Leigh Bowery in 1985.

Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of 80s London exhibition centres around the legendary nightclub Taboo, opened by designer and performance artist Leigh Bowery in 1985.

Imposing ‘dress as though your life depends on it, or don’t bother’ as the dress code, the Taboo circle – which included fashion designers BodyMap, Rachel Auburn, John Crancher and Pam Hogg, dancer Michael Clark and pop star Boy George – sparked a scene that used the language of hedonistic excess to create fashion, art and popular culture.

Displaying original garments and accessories from Leigh Bowery and over thirty designers, including custom-made pieces from private collections and rare pieces from designers such as John Galliano, John Flett, Stephen Linard and Dean Bright amongst others, plus photography, film and artworks, the exhibition focuses on this vibrant alternative arena where the anarchic energy of the night spilt over into experimental creativity by day.

Image credit: © Brendan Beirne/Shutterstock-Leigh Bowery and Boy George in "Blitz" Designer Collection Fashion Show at the Albery Theatre. London, 1986.