Phil Strongman's Acme BOY details the inside story of BOY, its precursor Acme Attractions and the attendant ‘anti-fashion’ movement that characterised youth rebellion in the later 1970s and 1980s. Including an array of rare and unseen photos, images and illustrations, the book is a fascinating personal document on London fashion in general and the ‘70s punk era in particular.
It tells not only the author's own story and his encounters with the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, but also contains exclusive accounts from Acme Attractions founder John Krivine and BOY co-founder Steph Raynor, whose were shops crammed with classic jukeboxes and staffed by film-maker and Radio 6 DJ Don Letts, Rough Trade boss Jeannette Lee, DJ Jay Strongman (a relation) and stylist Eric Rose.
BOY clothing had customers that included John Lydon, Sid Vicious, Bob Marley, Andy Warhol, Rudolf Nureyev, Peter O’Toole, Rod Stewart, Daryl Hall, Boy George, Joe Strummer, Chrissie Hynde, Billy idol, Patti Smith, Deborah Harry, Philip Sallon, Steve Strange and Adam Ant. Now labelled BOY LONDON, the label continues into the 21st century, worn stars such as Rihanna, Madonna, Cara Delevingne and Jessie J, yet the untold story of the brand’s tangled roots in 1975 and 1976 King’s Road proto-punk are both revealing and fascinating.
