There’s been a bit of buzz this month about the release of Skinhead: An Archive – a publication and exhibition exploring one of the most controversial and radical subcultures of our time.

There are zines and other printed material, posters and films, all divided up into the sub-sections that, fused together, combine as the multilayered history of skinhead culture. That’s where London designer Martine Rose comes in – champion of youth and counter culture, the young menswear designer’s collections pay tribute to those who live under surface level, from the 90s rave scene and club culture to teen tribes and memoirs. Here, she has interpreted skinhead culture in an exploration of the heavy meaning inherent in badges, creating a capsule collection based around these visual tags.

“Showing your affiliation and support to a particular scene through the use of badges has been a part of subcultures since they began, not least by skinheads,” Rose says. “We are so familiar with the use of particular slogans they become trite and cliche. I wanted to almost remove the familiarity we have with these slogans.” This displaced intimacy is revealed with the names of the people profiled in the book used across the various styles of patch, which appear as a full set available for purchase on the Ditto website. 

The key piece here is an MA1 fighter jacket, made to order. You can view it all in the flesh first, too: the capsule collection is currently showing as part of the exhibition.

Skinhead: An Archive runs until 22nd January at Ditto Press, 4 Benyon Road, London N1 5TY