After our previous issue on Cafe racer culture, it was obvious for readers to be interested in another post-war culture that took over Britain and later the whole world. Yes, the culture that marked the origin of modern society can be termed as Modernist culture or simply "The Mods Culture".
Influenced heavily by modern Jazz music, and with the determination to change the dogma that working class people can't live an expensive lifestyle this rebellious group is still inspiring all the continental fashion that we see today. These scooter group termed as Mods are the most influential fashion group known to the modern world.
Let's take a look at the start of Early Mod culture
Uniqueness and individualism were two basic mottoes of this group. If we define Cafe racer culture as a customized motor driving teen group with leather jackets then Mods can be termed as tailor-made suits wearing clean and sophisticated teens from the late 60's.
CAPTION: Mod Subculture from early 60's SOURCE: Pinterest These enjoyed soul, ska, and R&B and drove Italian motor scooters usually Lambretta or Vespa. These teens valued fun more than work and original mods liked nightclub culture and heavy use of amphetamine to help them dance all night.
CAPTION: Mod Famous Faces Circa 1960 SOURCE: Mod Famous Faces Circa 1960 If you want to recall 60's history and cultural movements you should in detail on Mods movement, it symbolizes a social culture that was more materialistic and lifestyle friendly.
CAPTION: Mods Culture and it's influencing nature SOURCE: Mods Culture They tried avoiding factory based manual jobs and these smaller groups of clothes-focused working-class young men from England were distinctive on their choices, more inspired from Italian fashion these young souls wore tailored clothes and shoes and listened to modern jazz from the late 1950s.
What Happened to Mods?
Heavily inspired by French and Italian art films they grew up to take control over euro-fashion. Unlike Caferacers, these more educated youth held semi-skilled manual jobs or white-collar positions like clerks, messengers or Office boy. But the basic difference between Cafe racers and Mods were their way of life.
CAPTION: An interesting story of Rockers Vs. Mods SOURCE: Rockers Vs Mods Though Mods and Caferacers didn't have that much of origin difference these two distinctive youth culture lived with different mentalities. As Cafe racers were fast and loud youth living their lives on the edges Mods had a different type of mentality towards their lives.
How to Distinguish Mods And Rockers?
They both had more than adequate money to carry their lives on but couldn't afford cars Mods found another way to express their dissatisfaction on growing middle-class families, they wore expensive clothes, walked more fashionable and rode Italian scooters which were comparatively slower than Bikes.
CAPTION: Quadrophenia Mods cultural exhibition SOURCE: Quadrophenia Mods cultural exhibition Mods were in a true sense the pioneers of eccentricity. These teens showed the world that being different was normal and just like any other subculture Mods culture seems like a bubble in time as the fashion took over the world every individual started wearing clothes inspired from their ideas.
CAPTION: Cartoonist Mark's version of Mods SOURCE: Cartoonist Mark's version of Mods It later lost popularity as "unique was no more unique" and after they started their family the innovation stopped sounding new, hence the Mods story became a long lost tale. But the fashion and the trend they set never got old.
CAPTION: The Jam was one of the early Mods Band SOURCE: The Jam was one of the early Mods Band Spring Summer 2016 shows, recently included Mods way of dressing and the scooter they rode can still be seen on roads.