This play book is being published four decades after the birth of punk, and it is devoted to one of the most spectacular youth revolutions in the whole of history: a provocation held together by safety pins, one that was rather short lived (1976-1980) but definitely made its point...and left a deep mark on our imagination. Thanks to torn clothing, spiky hair, chains, razor blades, studs, leather, sullen facial expressions, and a fast pace, the movement elbowed its way to the frontline of style. Punk was the product of an economic crisis, of the failure of ideologies, of the wake-up call of the dream of love and peace in the sixties, but it was also a healthy reaction to the tediousness and pomposity of the cultural pundits. It appeared with a rebellious and rude attitude, together with vibrant music performed by a motley crew of performers wearing garish stage outfits: from the Sex Pistols to The Clash, from Iggy pop to The Ramones. In spite of nihilist radicalness and its prophetic promise of "No Future", punk did guarantee a future to the fashion system by putting forward myriad new ideas.It ritualised violence, its visual terrorism was transformed into a successful sartorial stereotype.
The Punk Playbook invites you to play punk by colouring in, cutting, pasting, and putting together figures that recall the places, the idiosyncrasies, and the cult heroes of the punk scene - and to enjoy the educational supplement dedicated to the movement's fairy godmother, the great name in fashion, Vivienne Westwood, and her outrageous creations.