Carnaby Street and the Swinging Sixties: Where It All Began

They seek him here, they seek him there,

His clothes are loud, but never square.

It will make or break him so hes got to buy the best,

cause hes a dedicated follower of fashion.

They seek him here, they seek him there,

In regent street and leicester square.

Everywhere the carnabetian army marches on,

Each one an dedicated follower of fashion.

                                                   -The Kinks

In 1964, Carnaby Street staked its place as the ultimate trend-setting street; it picked up the pulse on the political and sexual revolutions taking place and reflected them in mod fashion.  Styles including miniskirts, kaftans, and counter-cultural phrases had their popular debut here and soon swept the world.  

John Stephen is often considered the father of Carnaby Street.  His first shop called His Clothes was soon followed by his outlets Mod Male and Male West One.  These stores sold "hipster trousers, floral shirts, mini kilts for men, low-slung elephant cord trousers, androgynous velvet double-breasted jackets, and caftans for men" and attracted the celebrities of the day, including The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones.  

Once it became known that these bands were shopping as His Clothes, teenagers and young adults flocked to Carnaby Street to shed their conservative attire for this new funky style.  They saw fashion as a way of expressing their distaste with the conventional ideas under which they had been raised.  Furthermore, they were rejecting the Vietnam War as protests swept the city in 1966.  There was a general air of protest and anti-establishmentarianism that could certainly be felt on Carnaby Street in the Sixties. 

Today, the fashion advances made on Carnaby Street can still be seen on the younger generation.  In addition to reverting to the mod style, our generation has also developed a few revolutionary styles of our own including the low-rise jean.  What has made a greater impact on our generation, however, has been the sense of rebellion, protest, and liberalism that characterize the Swinging Sixties.  

Sources:  http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/features/1960s/exhibition/swinging_london/index.html,  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/john-stephen-creator-of-carnaby-street-honoured-for-his-contribution-to-london-505332.html, http://www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.44