Punk, Fashion and Aesthetic Cosmopolitanism

In this article we propose an analysis of the genesis of Portuguese punk fashion. Due to the overvaluation of the London reality, punk clothing may at first sight show a homogeneity. However, by considering different realities and socio-historical contexts, it is possible to establish a more detailed view of what was and what is punk fashion, and the constant appropriation and actualization of this aesthetic. In Portugal, in the years after four decades of dictatorship, this fashion constituted a form of disruption. Through a set of interviews with key actors of the Portuguese punk scene, we will try to determine how this disruptive fashion was triggered and also how it allowed the country’s aesthetic and cultural opening to a late modernity.

Keywords: Fashion; Punk; Do-it-yourself; Aesthetic cosmopolitanism

Abbreviations: KISMIF: Keep It Simple Make It Fast! Project; DIY: Do-It-Yourself