The word Mod or Modernist to many people around the world means a term associated with British youth culture in the 1960's.

For the first time in history young people would express themselves in a way never seen before. They dressed in a different way, listened to a new type of music and shaped the attitude of teenagers for decades to come.

The Early Years.

The Teddy Boys were the first group to emerge from post war Britain with any style and attitude. Rock and Roll had changed the music scene and for once young men didn't have to dress like their fathers or listen to the same music. With greased back quiff haircuts, Drape jackets and Brothel creeper shoes, The Teddy Boys had invented a teenage revolution where young people could dress up and look different. In the late fifties the Teddy Boy look had finished and the Rockers with their leather jackets and motorbikes had arrived. It was at this time when the first Modernists started to emerge.

Modernists.

Young art students in London around 1958 headed to the Soho coffee bars and clubs and found a new music scene. They hung around until the early hours and listened to live Modern Jazz, R and B. The basement rooms were dark and moody and frequented by the American GI's on leave and they would beg or buy records off them to add to their growing collections. Taking clothing influences from American, French and Italian films the Modernist culture had started to emerge.

Clothing.

A handful of middle class Jewish kids were the first to dress in continental suits as their parents were more affluent and many were tailors. They gathered together and immersed themselves in all things modern. Italian styling was the inspiration and suits were made to measure to their own specification. Button down shirts, slim knitted ties and hand made pointed shoes. Suits were a slim fitting box jacket with side vents and trousers were a narrow 14" to 17" bottom. Casualwear would consist of a pair of Levi jeans, a cardigan and a Fred Perry polo shirt. Haircuts included the College boy, the French Crew and the Perry Como. All these styles were short, neat and dry, no oil or grease was used. As time went on kids from other areas aspired to dress in the same way and before long a new style was born.

Scooters.

By 1960 small groups of teenagers adopted the Italian Scooters from Vespa and Lambretta to get around. They wore the Classic American Fishtail Parker, Fred Perry polo shirts, Levi jeans and Italian shoes.

The Mod Generation.

Carnaby Street became a hive of activity by 1962 as Boutiques opened up with all the latest clothing. The street would be full of Scooters and young Mods searching for the newest pieces of clothing from the continent and America. The Reefer jacket, roll neck jumpers, desert boots and moccacin shoes were worn as the look became more casual, and, it was less expensive than buying a suit.

The Mods and Rockers.

By the spring of 1964 the Mod scene had grown into a major teenage cult. On the Easter bank holiday the London Mods went to Clacton for the weekend. There were a few minor skirmishes with local shopkeepers and a few Rockers which set the tone of things to come.

The Whitsun bank holiday in Brighton was to become an event to go down in history. On Monday the 18th of May, Hundreds of Mods from all over Britain headed down to the coast. Bored in the afternoon with nothing to do because of bad weather, they gathered on the seafront. Police tried to move them on but the Rockers had also made the trip and fighting broke out between the two groups on the beach and in the town. Journalists expecting trouble had also made the trip and by the following day the newspapers were carrying stories of wild gang fights and police arrests.

August bank holiday saw riots in Bournemouth, Margate and Hastings and the scene was out of control attracting thousands of hooligans from all over the country dressed as Mods. This was to be the beginning of the end and by 1965 the true Mods became stylists and disassociated themselves from the masses.

British Groups.

By 1965 the Mods had their own British bands to listen to, The Who with their album, "My Generation" and The Small Faces led the way.

The Mod Revival.

It wasn't until 1979 we would see a rekindling of the Mod era. A couple of bands, The Chords and the Purple Hearts were playing live in London Pubs and pulling in crowds. The release of the Who's Mod film "Quadrophenia" had a huge influence around the country and within weeks the Mod scene was back. Fishtail Parkers, Fred Perry polo's, Levi jeans and desert boots were back on the menu as were the original Vespa and Lambretta Scooters.

The most successful band was The Jam who produced one hit single after another. The scene lasted a few years but had dwindled by 1984 and once again was driven underground.

The Mod Scene Today.

The Mod scene today is a mixture of Mods from the sixties, seventies and eighties staying true to the roots of Modism. Listening to Tamla Mowtown, Northern Soul, The Jam and The Who being played at R and B and Soul nights in pubs and clubs around the country. There are now hundreds of scooter clubs around the world and probably more original Vespas and Lambrettas in the UK than in Italy.

Note.

The Mod Generation Micro site was written for like minded people around the world to give a brief history of the British Mod culture. For many of us, the clothes we wear, the music we listen to and the scooters we ride. Mod is simply a way of life.

Steve Ford. Owner of Huckleberrys Menswear Ltd and www.modshopdirect.com