The Face magazine is arguably the most influential magazine of the 80s. It played a phenomenal role in not only celebrating the culture of the times, but also sculpting it through its influence on fashion, music, design, art and more. First established in London, at 60p, it broke boundaries and set new ones, discussing Britain’s diverse landscape, full of sub-cultures such as Punk, New romantics, New wave and Disco.
It was only recently that I heard of this supposed ‘Fashion Bible’, after discovering crates full of Face issues in the loft. They are a perfect time capsule of the 80s and 90s, and it was fascinating to see how the trends they commented on are reflected in today’s culture. In the editions through the 80’s, there is a clear “Face style”, which was initially established by Ray Petri, named ‘the first ever stylist’, who paved the way for a new outlook on fashion.
Ray kick-started the “Buffalo Collaborative”, a group of designers, photographers, models and artists focused on the Buffalo vision. The name, ‘Buffalo’, was used to embody their attitude towards design; Ray describes it as “a Caribbean expression to describe people who are rude boys or rebels. Not necessarily tough, but hard style taken from the street... a functional and stylish look; non-fashion with a hard attitude”.
As Ray Petri worked with Nick Logan for the Face, the movement they created drew from the world around them. The style creates a collage of different cultures and attitudes from around the globe, with tribal headwear, kilts, suits, MA-1 flight jackets and sportswear, often drawn from Petri’s background, as a Scott who travelled through both India and Africa and who was also influenced by the Punk and Reggae scene. The use of sportswear by Petri in street fashion was innovative at the time, and, as you step out today, from Nike grey trackies to tennis skirts, sportswear has become the norm.The Face,1985, Photos by Jami Morgan and Ray Petri (Buffalo). There is a clear focus on sportswear.
November 1984, The Face No.55: “MENSWEAR AT THE OUTER LIMITS”. This was the edition that encompassed the Buffalo movement. Masculinity, strength and... a skirt? Maybe Harry Styles wasn’t the first. It was a form of expression, born out of the idea that, as John Richmond writes, “Menswear is more of a challenge; there are more barriers to be broken down”. It set the tone for high-end fashion designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, Antony Kwok and Jean Paul Gaultier, shown through his 1984 show utilising pink satin suits and men in skirts in 1985.
March 1985, The Face No.59, the theme continues. On the cover, a 13-year-old boy stares defiantly at the readers, clad in a suit and hat, bearing the words ‘killer’. It was fashion against fashion, or as the photographer Jamie Morgan describes, “an antidote to the boring status quo of the fashion industry at the time”. The images juxtapose youth and formality to once again create this rebellious attitude towards fashion.
The Face was new and exciting, providing a platform for a new wave of style, its attitude towards design sowing the seeds for magazines following close behind such as i-D and Arena. We can see the blurred boundaries that the Face helped push forward in today’s fashion, with A$AP Rocky, Jaden Smith, Young Thug and Harry Styles’s looks all pushing the narrative that fashion is not bound by society’s perception of gender. The Face really was the best dressed magazine of all time.
LISTEN: Neneh Cherry’s Buffalo Stance. Cherry was a Buffalo posse and this song is a tribute to Ray Petri’s vision. [ Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance (Official Music Video) ]
Written by Elle Masters, 11TL
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