Research - Mods

The mods are a youth subculture who were mainly based in London. 'Mods' is the abbreviation of 'Modernists' and came into prominence in the 1960's. Modern Jazz, motor scooters and dancing in clubs are often associated with the 'Mod' culture. 

The history of mod style can be traced back to late 1950s in London and finished arguably in the mid 1960s. Teenagers are considered to be the people that created the mod subculture and appeared to be "a group of working class people and were heavily influenced by Italian culture". In the 1950s, the youth were more attracted to coffee bars, which are associated with jazz and blues - genres that the Mods listened to primarily. Mods were also associated with Lambretta scooters and drugs such as amphetamine pills which added a rebellious and "cool" sense to their community. 1966 was the year when the decline in the mod scene was significant. Indeed, the popularity of psychedelic rock (artists such as the Beatles and the Yardbirds) as well as hippies in the UK made people drift away from the mod style. This had a significant effect on mod bands such as The Who and The Small Faces, as they had completely changed their styles and were no longer considered as part of their original style.

This also influenced the style of young people around the UK, as they were encouraged to dress in a Bohemian fashion, marijuana-infused reflection and out-of-the-common ideas and aesthetics which would be only understood by a few people. The aforementioned elements dominated the youth scene and really showed a contrast with the frantic energy of the mod ethos.

However, the mod style was revived in the late 1970s in England. They started listening to Jamaican Ska as well as attending underground house parties and clubs. Style-wise, they adopted too-short Levi jeans as well as pork-pie hats which resembled the Rude Boy look. The new Mods soon evolved into the first skinheads - a non-political group who hung with black Rude Boys in West Indian clubs. These skinheads retained many elements of Mod clothing such as the Fred Perry and Ben Sherman shirts, the Levi jeans but they added working class oriented accessories such as braces and Dr. Marten work boots.