We take a look at the ever pervasive Hipsters and chart their influence, from London Fields to Oxford Street…

 

Embracing the ‘so laid back they’re almost horizontal’ cliché, Hipsters are nonchalant about asymmetrical haircuts and over-sized cardigans teamed with skinnies (while convincing themselves no sunglasses are too big). This Tribe see themselves as icons, as a Hipster you are deemed ‘deck’ by the ‘deck’ (deck defined as cool if you missed that too…) and there is something effortlessly calm and ‘don’t give a fuck’ about them.

Cue the Hipster-bashing backlash and accumulated misconception about this Tribe; though Hipster-hate may be warranted, more often than not they are misunderstood and misrepresented. Typically defined by material objects and attitudes, well-educated Hipsters have grown into a mainstream sub-culture, now experimenting with commercialism rather than being lead by it (and still not caring about it!).

This pretentiousness is brilliantly reflected in Vice; a NYC based TV news magazine which is cheekily controversial for all the right reasons. With disregard for political correctness, it offers unconventional angles on unexpected and often unsightly news. While this may catch on, claiming Jesus was the original Hipster is another breed of cat… Still, the Tribe remain relevant and recognised as a Tribe who, traditionally like Jesus, stand against the culture.

Residing in cosmopolitan centres, the East London niche Tribe’s distinctive look has filtered into the mainstream. Their once thrift-shop and vintage-only markings have drifted onto the high street and into the likes of Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, and now New Look. This is not to say original food and clothing markets in East End streets are a thing of the past, but with this Tribe’s look and lifestyle becoming commonplace, soon we may all be Hipsters…