#subcultures

I even believe there is ways to execute it such as Dead Kennedy's "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" design. It has clear text and the line crossing out the swastika can be seen clearly as well. Even other crossed out swastikas could be hard to differentiate from afar. Another example being Anya Phillip's (no wave fashion designer/artist) feminazi armband which is mocking anti-feminists.

Being in a DIY subculture means you're going to be making and modifying a lot of your shit, but most of us aren't professional tailors or cobblers, so if you have some disposable income to use towards your look, here's where 16 years of punk counterculture have taught me it's best to invest:

-First and foremost, SHOES! You want something that's going to serve you well everywhere from the grocery store to the pit to the picket line to mandatory family beach outings. Do you research before you buy; a lot of the established brands like Doc Martens and Demonia have suffered enshittening in the past few years as they've gotten popular & begun to prioritise profit over quality.

And for the love of your poor innocent ankles, do NOT try to diy your own platforms. I saw viral shortform tutorials of kids making them out of flip flops and duct tape going around a little while ago and it made my soul want to leave my body. Nothing wrong with decorating a good pair of sturdy boots but please don't try to make your own massive platforms if you're not a professional. Yeesh 😬

-Your bag! (Or several, if you're into that.) This is another item you want to be good quality and hard-wearing so it can see you through all of your misadventures. If your budget doesn't stretch as far as something from an alt brand who actually make shit to last or officially liscenced band merch, just get yourself a plain, good quality backpack and cover that shit in pins. You're going to be taking this thing everywhere, so make sure it can take as much hardcore mischief as you can.

-Coats and jackets. Especially if you live in a colder climate like I do (hi, Great Britain calling), you need something that can actually keep the fucking cold out. Battle jackets are quintessential, but if that's not your style, a black duster, biker jacket or spooky cardigan will do nicely. Just make sure it'll actually do its job and not come apart at the seams a week after you buy it. No compromising function for aesthetic- if you can't get both, get quality and then make it look badass yourself.

Something all three of these have in common? They're things you can wear a lot between washes, if they even need to be washed at all (I see you crust punks). Putting your money into items you can wear or use a lot every day will help all of your outfits feel more punk/goth/metal/grunge/hardcore/etc (delete as appropriate) while you cycle through your shirts and jeans much more quickly.

Invest in the good shit and treat these items right and they'll be with you for decades, and they'll make it way easier for you to show your stripes on a day to day basis, too! Wreck your own jeans, bleach cheap t shirts and hoodies into oblivion, make your own jewelry and arm/leg warmers, but please for the love of everything gets some good shoes, a warm jacket and a sturdy bag if you can.

Also consider investing in the proper tools for things you like to DIY. One of the first crafting tools I bought was a set of jewellery pliers when I was 17, and I still use them regularly in my 30s. Fabric scissors, a seam ripper, good quality thread, a respirator for when you're working with bleach & other chemicals, some crafting varnish to seal your projects and some really strong multipurpose glue (not superglue) are all great items to pick up that will help make your DIY better and last longer.

(TW YAP SESSION that also became more of a nostalgic mess)

So basically, I’ve started to realize that being alt has started to become a BIG thing now. Everyone wants to be some type of alt nowadays. Weather it be emo, scene, 2000s, or ANYTHING. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being any of those things. I would even classify myself as some type of alt.

My problem is that because everyone’s so obsessed with past trends and music, it’s effecting our ability to produce new trends, new subcultures and music.

Now me personally, I was only around for one era/ subculture and it was 2020 alt/lockdown alt.

I was around 8 in 2020 (yes Ik i’m young stfu) So I was there for hyper pop, and indie. I WAS THERE, and was (wanted) to be indie. Back then, we all wanted to be either scene or preppy; but instead of trying to be the prefect authentic scene kid…We made something out of it. It was new, artists like Penelope scoot got big, it was covid so everyone was either on discord or TikTok all the time. We were open about being “weebs” and “dorks” and wore what we wanted, styled our masks, DIY’d everything and all of those mini things were significant to that era and being 2020alt or lockdown alt. No one can recreate 2020alt perfectly or be authentically any style like : (y2k,emo, scene) without being there for the time.

I honestly think the reason why so many people morn 2020 was because it was a time of community. Everything was new: The styles, the music, our environment everything. It was all new and we were experiencing it together through the only thing we could use to interact with the outside world: our phones. The reason why people are starting to call it the only new authentic subculture is because it came with an ERA. A time. A specific point in history where all of that happened.

I wish that instead of wanting to be this “authentic emo” “authentic scene” “authentic y2k” that we would just make a subculture out of them. Because We try so hard to be exactly like those times when it’s literally IMPOSSIBLE. it’s impossible to recreate an era. Because to recreate an era; you would have to recreate the novelty of everything from that era that made it significant. The music, the style, the atmosphere, their trends and everything. that’s all impossible, because we live in a different world compared to that time of style and culture.

Subcultures become significant because of culture. Therefore we can’t copy the culture of a style to a tea. So can we PLEASE make something out of what we have or had instead of trying to be the perfect authentic (insert subculture).

PS- Sorry if I went off topic and thank you for reading if you’ve gotten this far!❤️‍🩹

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