Pair of Shoes
1980s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
These lace-up leather Clarks shoes formed part of an outfit put together by Derek Falconer of Crazy Clothes for the exhibition Streetstyle, From Sidewalk to Catwalk, 1940 to Tomorrow held at the V&A in 1994-5. The complete outfit consisted of a black wool hat, a khaki cotton shirt, a string vest, cotton twill trousers and the shoes. It reflected a style of ‘yardie’ dress worn by some Jamaican men in the 1980s.
The term ‘yardie’ derives from the slang name given to occupants of government yards in Trenchtown, a neighbourhood in West Kingston, Jamaica. Trenchtown was originally built as a housing project following devastation caused by Hurricane Charlie in 1951. Due to the poverty endemic in the neighborhood, crime and gang violence became rife, leading the occupants of Trenchtown to be in part stigmatized by the term ‘yardie’. The military style of this outfit reflects the time spent by some Jamaican men doing military service in Castro’s Cuba.
The term ‘yardie’ derives from the slang name given to occupants of government yards in Trenchtown, a neighbourhood in West Kingston, Jamaica. Trenchtown was originally built as a housing project following devastation caused by Hurricane Charlie in 1951. Due to the poverty endemic in the neighborhood, crime and gang violence became rife, leading the occupants of Trenchtown to be in part stigmatized by the term ‘yardie’. The military style of this outfit reflects the time spent by some Jamaican men doing military service in Castro’s Cuba.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Leather |
| Brief description | Shoes, leather lace-ups, Clarks, Great Britain, 1980s |
| Physical description | Pair of red leather lace-up shoes. |
| Object history | Registered File number 1994/516, Streetstyle exhibition 1994-1995, in the exhibition it was part of an outfit called 'Yardie Jamaica 1980s' (includes the trousers T.179-1994, the shirt T.180-1994, the vest T.181-1994, the hat T.182-1994 and the belt t.184-1994). |
| Historical context | These shoes were purchased as part of an ensemble from Crazy Clothes Connection, a vintage clothing shop in London's Notting Hill neighbourhood. Crazy Clothes Connection was opened in the mid-1990s by Derek Falconer and his daughter Esther. The shop specialises in women’s and men’s clothing and accessories from the 1920s to the 1970s. 'Yardie Jamaica 1980s. Khaki cotton shirt, string vest, cotton twill trousers, leather shoes. Some Jamaicans did military service in Castro's Cuba. On returning to Jamaica they were comfortable in clothes which still had military overtones. Compiled by Derek Falconer, Crazy Clothes.' |
| Summary | These lace-up leather Clarks shoes formed part of an outfit put together by Derek Falconer of Crazy Clothes for the exhibition Streetstyle, From Sidewalk to Catwalk, 1940 to Tomorrow held at the V&A in 1994-5. The complete outfit consisted of a black wool hat, a khaki cotton shirt, a string vest, cotton twill trousers and the shoes. It reflected a style of ‘yardie’ dress worn by some Jamaican men in the 1980s. The term ‘yardie’ derives from the slang name given to occupants of government yards in Trenchtown, a neighbourhood in West Kingston, Jamaica. Trenchtown was originally built as a housing project following devastation caused by Hurricane Charlie in 1951. Due to the poverty endemic in the neighborhood, crime and gang violence became rife, leading the occupants of Trenchtown to be in part stigmatized by the term ‘yardie’. The military style of this outfit reflects the time spent by some Jamaican men doing military service in Castro’s Cuba. |
| Bibliographic reference | Surfers, Soulies, Skinheads & Skaters : Subcultural Style from the Forties to the Nineties
Described in the exhibition publication, part of an outfit called 'Yardie Jamaica 1980s'. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.183:1, 2-1994 |
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| Record created | April 11, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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