The term “Mod”, abbreviated from “Modernism” (a term originally used to define fans of “modern jazz”), refers to the youth subculture that developed in London, in the United Kingdom, in the late fifties and reached the peak of its popularity in the decade that followed.
The Mods look
This socio-cultural movement was identified with somber, rarely flamboyant and well-groomed clothing, inspired by the Ivy League Look, or the most prestigious American university dress style: bottom-down shirts, three-button jackets, fine ties, moccasins or brogues. Starting with the motto “Adopt, Adapt, Improve”, the Mods were also inspired by all that the European pop culture offered them, while always maintaining originality, minimalism and functionality. Polo shirts, long parkas in neutral colors for travelling on Vespas or Lambrettas, and fringed haircuts to complete the look are all added to the wardrobe.
The Mod way of thinking
The “Mod” phenomenon was very elitist at the beginning, due to the simple fact that the standard of impeccable style was very high, and was cultivated by only a few true lovers. They were part of an underground world of small and smoky places where they listened and danced to musical genres which were not yet commercial, such as Jazz, Soul, R & B and Jamaican Ska.
Being essentially a matter of style (in clothing as in behavior), respect for the Mods was earned regardless of the size of their bank account – just think that the movement was born among the workers and the popular areas of London, and then developed among all walks of life. The motto “Adopt, Adapt, Improve” was not only linked to clothing, but to a sort of vision towards life in which knowing how to organize your life with cunning and familiarity was the basis for improving one’s social status.
Mod music and the evolution of the movement
In the beginning, as we have already mentioned, the Mods identified with musical genres which were not yet commercial, and were unknown to most. It was precisely this movement that sparked the spotlight on these “new” musical styles, until, as often happens with underground movements, the media began to take an interest in the news with magazines and programs dedicated to its success. The two greatest exponents of this cultural and musical explosion were The Who and Small Faces, who brought us an evolution of the classic R & B, immediately contaminating it with the ’60s Beat and rough rock.
The end of the Mod movement
As soon as the media, by the mid-1960s, completely contaminated the meaning of the movement, the latter slowly died. In fact, if the function of aesthetic and behavioural guidance, at the birth of modernism, was the main prerogative of the Mods, now, with the media’s interfering, their role and their importance had disappeared, and the media had overwhelmingly imposed the stylistic canons of the movement, albeit in a toned-down form for the masses. When radio and television programmes began to talk about the Mods and the clashes between them and their rough enemies, the Rockers on the beaches of Brighton, and this invaded the pages of newspapers, well, in fact, the Mod movement was already over.
A symbol for all Mods: Vespa and Lambretta!
There was also an element of fully Italian character to distinguish the Mod style: the means of transport!
The lads who belonged to the movement almost all drove Vespas and Lambrettas, identified as synonyms of progress, novelty and modernity. All duly chromed and equipped with mirrors and accessories, they were the distinctive element that made the difference, to be proudly displayed on the English streets.
Carry some “Mod Style” with you with Tribe
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