Gen X, the affluent yet ignored demographic is under the spotlight with a wave of events introducing the culture that shaped them to new generations
As of 2024, Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) holds the largest share of global spending power at 23.5%, surpassing both Baby Boomers and Millennials.
Gen X were the first generation to grow up with design and creativity as a lifestyle as they came of age during the explosion of personal expression in the 1980s, influenced by MTV, street art, and the rise of personal computing. This era saw rapid technological advancements, mass media, and DIY culture, allowing creativity to integrate into everyday life like never before.
Considered the "forgotten generation" - Gen X are sandwiched between the much larger Baby Boomer and Millennial generations, both of which dominate cultural and marketing narratives. Despite shaping modern tech, music, and counterculture, Gen X tends to be overlooked in media, politics, and branding, though their influence remains significant.
Current exhibitions 'The Face - Culture Shift' and 'Outlaws : Fashion Renegades' along with John Richmond's return to LFW and 40 years since Nick Kamen's Levis advert, spotlight 1985 as a key design influence.
"It's 1985 so dress as if your life depends on it or don't bother, or don't bother"
Leigh Bowery
Outlaws at The Fashion & Textile Museum (October 24 - March 25)
The Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of Leigh Bowery's London exhibition showcases the vibrant style of 1980s London, featuring original garments from iconic figures of the era.
In 1985, Leigh Bowery's club Taboo opened its doors to an outrageous mix of New Romantics, drag queens, and performance artists, celebrating extreme self-expression and hedonistic excess. London’s underground fashion scene was at its peak. Designers like BodyMap redefined gender-fluid fashion with bold prints, while Pam Hogg introduced punk-inspired metallic catsuits. Trojan (Guy Barnes) combined pop art with kitsch in his designs.
Music and performance were integral, with Boy George and Divine popularising theatrical styles. Leigh Bowery's collaborations with dancer Michael Clark merged fashion with performance art, influencing both underground culture and high fashion.
Buffalo Collective
1985 saw the Buffalo Collective at their most influential. Heavily featured in The Face that year, the movement - credited to stylist Ray Petri and photographer Jamie Morgan - redefined fashion with it's raw, street-inspired aesthetic. Mixing high fashion with sportswear, military influences, and diverse cultural references, it created a bold, androgynous look that broke traditional fashion norms.
Key figures in the collective included photographers Mark Lebon and Jean Baptiste Mondino; stylists Judy Blame and Mitzi Lorenz; models Nick and Barry Kamen and Naomi Campbell, along with - of course -singer Neneh Cherry; all of whom contributed to its distinct visual identity.
The Face played a crucial role in popularizing Buffalo’s mix of working-class toughness and high-fashion styling, making it one of the most influential subcultures of the decade. Its gritty, real-world aesthetic—often featuring Black and mixed-race models—was a rejection of the polished, aspirational imagery seen in mainstream fashion magazines of the time.
The Face - Culture Shift at London's National Portrait Gallery, February to May 2025.
The Face Magazine: Culture Shift celebrates the influential British magazine, The Face, which played a pivotal role in shaping contemporary culture by blending music, fashion, and youth trends.
Designed by Neville Brody, the magazine revolutionised graphic design in the 1980s with bold typography, fragmented layouts, and experimental compositions that influenced advertising and branding. It redefined fashion by blending street style with high fashion, championing designers like Vivienne Westwood, Katharine Hamnett, and Jean Paul Gaultier while spotlighting subcultures like the New Romantics and the Buffalo movement.
Nick Kamen for Levis
This year marks 40 years since Nick Kamen’s Levi’s “Laundrette’ campaign, which became one of the most iconic commercials of the decade, cementing both his career and Levi’s status as a cultural powerhouse.
Set to 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' by Marvin Gaye, the ad tapped into nostalgia while redefining masculinity with Kamen’s effortless, rebellious cool. His look—rolled-up sleeves, slicked-back hair, and classic denim—embodied the mix of ruggedness and sensuality that The Face and the Buffalo Movement had been promoting.
The campaign was a massive success, boosting Levi’s sales by 800% in the UK and influencing a global resurgence of vintage denim trends. Many adverts followed the success of the Laundrette which became the blueprint for this genre. The highly influential, cinematic commercials helped redefine denim as a cultural symbol of cool, rebellion, and nostalgia.
John Richmond AW25
The British designer John Richmond returned to London, the city where his brand was initially started, with an immersive fashion experience at the Tate Modern for his Fall/Winter 2025 collection. The latest collection was introduced through a fashion film and a series of images shot by the British photographer and filmmaker Jamie Morgan, known for his work on The Face Magazine. The collection styling draws heavily on Morgan's association with the Buffalo Collective.
Richmond is known for his icon-loaded signature pieces, which reference streetwear influences from 70’s punk with the underground club culture of the 1980s. The new collection stuck closely to this approach with rifts on his classic motifs such as the graphic-printed moto jacket, branded sleeve detailing and classic tattoo prints.
Forty Years of Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Music legend and global LGBTQ+ icon Holly Johnson is bringing his Welcome To The Pleasuredome 40th Anniversary Tour to the Royal Albert Hall in June 2025, celebrating four decades since the iconic debut album by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, fronted by Johnson, was an early adopter of merch to accompany their hit records and were known for their use of bold, provocative graphic imagery—often featuring stark typography, war-like propaganda aesthetics, and cryptic slogans. The bands merchandise, record sleeves and adverts blurred the line between music and conceptual art, often using shock tactics to create a cult-like following. Notably, every advertisement produced was unique, resulting in a distinct advert for each print publication. The band's 'Frankie Say Relax' T shirt, inspired by Katherine Hamnett's iconic slogan tees, became synonymous with the decade.
Boy London, Kings Road
The iconic fashion brand, Boy London, was founded by Stephane Raynor, an avid collector of vintage and records, and businessman John Krivine. The first boutique was run by DJ and film director Don Letts and functioned as an art gallery, fashion store and club.
Their iconic Kings Road store was a hub for edgy, provocative fashion, attracting artists, club kids, and musicians who embraced its anarchic aesthetic. However, in 1985, the store was forced to close due to police raids and increasing pressure from authorities, who associated it with underground subcultures and illicit activities. The shutdown of the store only cemented its status as a cult label, reinforcing its anti-establishment ethos.
Design Directives
Icon Overload: Take inspiration from John Richmond by using classic silhouettes as carriers for graphic imagery.
Proportion play: Buffalo's use of unusual genres gave rise to unexpected proportions. Consider ultra cropped or outsize shapes to create newness.
Elevate: Hamnett's original t-shirts were actually billowing silk tops. Elevate previously unconsidered areas or functional details with high end fabrication.
Click here to see details of an original Hamnett top as seen at the Outlaws exhibition at the Fashion and Textiles museum
Update: Hamnett's slogans tee are one of the most recognisable design motifs of the decade. Avoid one-to-one copies by considering different placements and using different block types.
Reference: 1985 was strongly influenced by 1950's aesthetics as exemplified in the Levis ads. Check original and first-time-around references for untapped inspiration.
Typography: A essential part of the 1985 aesthetic, play with typographical prints, either as an all over placement as per John Richmond and Boy London, or be inspired by FGTH and mix in playful graphics and motifs.
Evolve: John Richmond's success shows how well he knows and understands his design DNA, reworking and tweaking his design classics each season.
Integrate: Buffalo's freshness came from mixing design codes. Consider how classic silhouettes can be represented in unexpected fabrications or cross-pollinate designs from opposing genres.
Personalise: The Outlaws exhibition and FGTH's one-off adverts highlight the importance of the individual. Allow for personal adaptation to create a sense of uniqueness.