Pair of Boots thumbnail 1
Not on display

Pair of Boots

1988 (made)
Place of origin

These leather army boots formed part of an outfit put together by photographer and DJ Normski and hiphop clothing suppliers Four Star General 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 and grey cotton NATO camouflage jacket and trousers; a baseball hat, a Public Enemy cotton t-shirt; a leather holster; a metal belt buckle and these boots. It reflected a ‘B-Boy’ style of dress worn by young British men around 1988.

In the late 1980s the black militant look was epitomised by the band Public Enemy. On their first LP, ‘Yo! Bum rush the show’, released in 1987, they were dressed in army camouflage, black berets and held Uzis. This look became popular as an expression of black consciousness. Every conceivable garment was emblazoned with the silhouette and cross-wire logo of Public Enemy.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Boot
  • Boot
Materials and techniques
Leather
Brief description
Boots, black leather, ex-army, Germany, 1988
Physical description
Ex-army black leather boots.
Object history
Registered File number 1994/1708, Streetstyle exhibition 1994-1995, in the exhibition it was part of an outfit called 'Military-PE B-Boy UK 1988' (includes the belt buckle T.298-1993, the holster T.741-1994, the camouflage suit: jacket and trouser T.1023, 1024-1994, the T-shirt T.1025-1994 and the baseball hat T.1026-1994).
Historical context
'Black and grey cotton NATO Arctic camouflage jacket and trousers; baseball hat, cotton t-shirt, Public Enemy; leather holster; metal belt buckle, leather army boots, Four Star General.
In the late 1980s the black militant look was epitomised by the band Public Enemy. On their first LP, ‘Yo! Bum rush the show’ released in 1987, they were dressed in army camouflage, black berets and holding Uzis. This look became popular as an expression of black consciousness. Every conceivable garment was emblazoned with the silhouette and cross-wire logo of Public Enemy.
Compiled by Normski and Four Star General.'
Summary
These leather army boots formed part of an outfit put together by photographer and DJ Normski and hiphop clothing suppliers Four Star General 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 and grey cotton NATO camouflage jacket and trousers; a baseball hat, a Public Enemy cotton t-shirt; a leather holster; a metal belt buckle and these boots. It reflected a ‘B-Boy’ style of dress worn by young British men around 1988.

In the late 1980s the black militant look was epitomised by the band Public Enemy. On their first LP, ‘Yo! Bum rush the show’, released in 1987, they were dressed in army camouflage, black berets and held Uzis. This look became popular as an expression of black consciousness. Every conceivable garment was emblazoned with the silhouette and cross-wire logo of Public Enemy.
Bibliographic reference
Surfers, Soulies, Skinheads & Skaters : Subcultural Style from the Forties to the Nineties Described in the exhibition publication, part of an outfit called 'Military-PE B-Boy UK 1988'.
Collection
Accession number
T.1027:1, 2-1994

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Record createdMay 22, 2007
Record URL
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