Seen Black UK Style

With compelling imagery & newly-commissioned texts, Seen: Black Style UK offers an unprecedented insight into the way in which the unique energy of Black culture has initiated some of the most vibrant & innovative styles to hit the street & the dance floor in the past two decades. More than just a survey, the book is a tribute to the influence of a group of often overlooked creative individuals, highlighting the crucial role they have played in the social & stylistic revolution that continues to spawn the diverse subcultures of modern Britain. For many young British people, the experience of growing up in the media-saturated 1980s & 1990s, as wave after wave of new music & fashion washed against the margins of mainstream culture gave them the fuel to challenge the boundaries of creative innovation. In the case of young Black people, there was also the influence of a different cultural perspective provided by immigrant Caribbean & African parents. This inheritance injected an entrepreneurial attitude into many endeavors. In particular, young Black people kick-started nightclubs, record labels & fashion houses, or became musicians, DJs & dancers, & photographers. Seen: Black Style UK documents this surge of creative energy, with a mix of 300 images, quotes & observations compiled by Ekow Eshun, expeditor of Arena. Historical photographs also provide context on classic Black subcultural styles. Seen: Black Style UK is compiled by ex-Sleaze Nation staff, Jake Cunningham & Steve Lazarides of PYMCA, a highly-respected photography agency dealing with images of subcultures. Their wide-ranging personal contacts in the areas of photography, music & night-clubbing, have provided this title with its broad constituency of contributors, with many images coming directly from creative individuals' personal archives. Designed by Tristan Dellaway at Big Corporate Disco.