Take note, for if there are only a couple of exhibitions you catch this summer we’d recommend this one tops your list. Kicking off at Somerset House today is Return of the Rudeboy, the project of photographer and filmmaker Dean Chalkley and creative director Harris Elliot who, over the course of the past decade, have had their eyes peeled from street to studio taking note of an increasing number of boys and girls embracing the Rudeboy lifestyle.

Chalkley and Elliot have profiled a slew of these characters and worked with music figures including Don Letts (the pillar of punk and reggae touted with fusing the two genres through his DJ-ing and film direction), Rashad Smith (British-born, New York-based producer who has worked with the likes of The Notorious B.I.G, Busta Rhymes and Nas) and Gary Powell (drummer from The Libertines), for an experience that’s just as much about music as it is about style. After all, what arose from 1950s Jamaican ska and rocksteady street culture travelled to the UK in the 70s, the 2 Tone ska revival catalysing the terms Rudeboy and Rudegirl.

Artisan, bespoke luggage and work from the Art Comes First collective will be on display, and there will even be a grooming station equipped with a Rudeboy barber ready to cut hair, trim beard and engage in a decent episode of chin wag. But just don’t take the ‘look’ too seriously – as Dean and Harris here point out, it’s more about an attitude than a style to tap.

Tempe Nakiska: So how did the exhibition come about? What had you been noticing that sparked the idea?
Dean Chalkley: Harris and I have known each other for about 12 years, so we understand each other and we’re interested in similar sorts of things, mainly culture and the fashion and music side of that. Independently we were aware of a growing number of people who were displaying a certain attitude and sartorial way of dressing. We were talking on the phone one day and agreed we had to do something about it.

TN: We only really move forward by referencing the past. But what would you say is different about the 21st century Rudeboy, as opposed to that of the 1960s and 70s?
Harris Elliot: The original Rudeboys were from a rougher side of town, gangstas and the like, who were always immaculately dressed, always sharp. The 21st century Rudeboy isn’t a gangsta, isn’t rough but still carries that attitude and swagger that the original Rudeboys had.

Still from ‘Control’ by Spoek Mathambo, directed by Pieter Hugo

TN: Music plays a big part in the exhibition and you have the likes of Don Letts and Rashad Smith taking part. What’s their involvement and what else comes into it?
DC: Don is a legend, really. He introduced punk to the reggae scene. He’s also a cultural commentator who really understands how subcultures evolve and feed from one another. He even has his own ‘Culture Clash’ show on BBC Radio 6. We thought he’d be perfect so we met up with him one hot day last year, in a pub, and he loved it. He’s a guy who really knows his shit. Same with Rashad Smith, these are guys who really know what they’re talking about. We’ve also got Gary Powell, the drummer from The Libertines who has made a mixtape for us as well as some unique compositions we’ll be showcasing. It’s nice to take these different perceptions of the subculture and see where people take them. The other aspect is that we asked the people who we had photographed a series of questions including their top five Rudeboy tracks. The results are really interesting.

TN: A couple of tracks that come to mind?
DC: ‘Good Good Rudie’ by The Wailers, ‘Control’ by Spoek Mathambo and ‘Rudie Don’t Fail’ by The Clash.

TN: There’s been a lot of talk about the re-emergence of jungle, did things like that come up or was it broader?
DC: What really came up was the scope of what Rudeboy is. It’s not like a narrow beam, it’s much broader than that. It transfers onto clothing, too. You can wear a whole manner of things but it’s the way they come together that makes it Rudeboy. In terms of music, reggae obviously came up a lot but then there were wildcards like David Bowie. It was artists who displayed similar characteristics of the Rudeboy culture.

TN: Will Rudeboy stay a subculture for long or is it headed for the mainstream?
HE: I think it’s that the public perception and awareness of the culture is spiking now. As a subculture it will always be on a smaller scale rather than on the mainstream, but it will increase in size. As an identity though it’s more about an attitude over what clothes you put on your back. Attitude and identity are key. It’s not a trend.

DC: On a personal side we come from different places, too. Where Harris is definitely more from a Rudeboy place in terms of style, I’m probably closer to mod. Our points of reference cross over. Then again, it wouldn’t be too hard to catch me in a pair of dungaries and a smiley t-shirt, channeling acid house! [laughs]

TN: So it’s not so much about pigeon holing, by any stretch of the imagination?
DC: Yeah, it’s not about if you like one type of music you are automatically part of this subculture. It’s hard to define but easily pickable. As a collective, there is cohesion.

TN: So any high street knock-offs will potentially be way less shallow (if possible) than they normally might be in copying a ‘style’?
DC: If a brand comes to our show, which we know they will, it’s still going to be quite hard for them to replicate the Rudeboy style next season. It’s not about that. There are of course several pieces that are definitively ‘Rudeboy’ but it’s the way they’re put together that makes it special.

TN: Is it in any way about public image, or purely self-motivated?
DC: Well in the case of the people we photographed, it’s absolutely the former. They don’t even necessarily like to have their picture taken, these Rudeboy kids aren’t standing out the front of fashion shows waiting for a blogger to get their picture. It’s about more than that. There are a lot of people out there who just want to be liked. On reflection, the people we photographed for this project are not necessarily bothered about that. What we’re doing is bringing them together, putting them in the spotlight and in doing so highlight the true essence of this culture.

Return of the Rudeboy opens today and runs until 25th August at South Wing, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA.