• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
  • The Cut Shop
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • The State of the Uterus
  • Parenting
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Horoscopes
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
nostalgia
August 7, 2014

The Man Who’s Partly Responsible for the Pharrell Hat

By Erica Schwiegershausen

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
Photo: Karim Nuyttens

Most people know Malcolm McLaren for his ties to the music industry: The British artist and musician, who died in 2010, is best known as the former manager of the Sex Pistols, and also worked with the New York Dolls and Bow Wow Wow. Less well-known is the fact that he dated and collaborated with Vivienne Westwood for over a decade — not only did he encourage Westwood to pursue fashion in the first place (when they met in the early ‘70s, she was working as a primary-school teacher), but he also had a significant influence on what may turn out to be one of Westwood’s most enduring designs: The Pharrell Hat.

This week, an exhibition at the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair celebrates McLaren’s work with Westwood and his contributions to the fashion industry. Titled “Let It Rock: The Look of Music, the Sound of Fashion,” the show is named for McLaren and Westwood’s original pop-up shop, which opened in 1972 in West London. Over the next decade, the store would change names, concepts, and designs five times before it eventually became Worlds End, which Westwood still operates today.

“Malcolm was an artist ahead of his time,” says Young Kim, McLaren’s partner from 1998 until his death, who, along with Paul Gorman, curated the exhibition. “We take for granted the changes that he wrought. Malcolm is responsible for creating deconstruction in fashion, clothes that were inspired by fetishwear, clothes with slogans on them.” The show features designs from each shop displayed along with inspirations: for example, a copy of Alexander Trocchi’s Helen and Desire paired with a T-shirt designed from the text that reads, “I groaned with pain …”

The exhibit also includes notes McLaren gave Westwood for her autumn/winter 1982–1983 collection, the Nostalgia of Mud — which included the Buffalo Hat made famous by Pharrell. Westwood and McLaren’s partnership ended in 1983, and she took over the shop at 430 Kings Road, marking the end of their series of pop-up shops (which, according to Kim, she saw as “commercial suicide”) in favor of a more traditional retail space. In the years that followed, McLaren became more focused on his solo music career, though his ties to the fashion world never disappeared: Just before his death, he composed the soundtrack for Dries Van Noten’s fall 2010 show.

Click through the slideshow for a look at the exhibit, featuring some of Westwood and McLaren’s most influential designs.

Related

Pharrell’s Grammys Hat Actually Not So Ridiculous [Updated]
View
1 / 13 Photos
"God Save the Queen" muslin top, 1977, and McLaren's bondage trousers, 1976.     Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren... "God Save the Queen" muslin top, 1977, and McLaren's bondage trousers, 1976.     Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren Estate
McLaren in Central Park, 1975.  Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren Estate
Handwritten notes by McLaren and Westwood to accompany the Nostalgia of Mud, 1982.  Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren Estate
"Anarchy in the U.K." newsletter, 1976.  Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren Estate
Malcolm McLaren outside Let It Rock, 1971.  Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren Estate
"I Groaned With Pain" T-shirt, 1974.  Photo: Karim Nuyttens
"Anarchy in the U.K." muslin top, 1977.  Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren Estate
Young Kim wearing an outfit from the Witches collection, designed by McLaren/Westwood Worlds End.  Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren Es... Young Kim wearing an outfit from the Witches collection, designed by McLaren/Westwood Worlds End.  Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren Estate
Ties from Let It Rock and Sex.  Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren Estate
Pirate brocade shoes from Worlds End, 1981.  Photo: Karim Nuyttens
Malcolm McLaren wearing garments from the Witches collection in New York, 1982.  Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren Estate
Sheepskin jacket from the Nostalgia of Mud Collection, triple-tongued sneakers from the Witches collection, 1982.  Photo: Jean François Carly ©Ma... Sheepskin jacket from the Nostalgia of Mud Collection, triple-tongued sneakers from the Witches collection, 1982.  Photo: Jean François Carly ©Malcolm McLaren Estate
Marco Pirroni pinstripe suit from Too Fast to Live Too Young to Die and Galleon print tie, 1974.  Photo: Karim Nuyttens
1 / 13

Tags:

  • gallery
  • malcolm mclaren
  • vivienne westwood
  • pharrell's hat
  • fashion
  • slideshow
  • let it rock
  • london
  • seventies
  • nostalgia
  • More

More Galleries

oscars 2023 Mar. 12, 2023
Oscars Red Carpet 2023: Every Look  Rihanna! Florence Pugh! Michelle Yeoh! They’re all here. 
celebrity Feb. 19, 2023
All the Best Looks From the 2023 BAFTAs Red Carpet  Florence Pugh, Barry Keoghan, and Angela Bassett brought color to the red carpet. 
grammys 2023 Feb. 5, 2023
Every Look From the 2023 Grammys Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Adele, Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, and more.
By Brooke LaMantia
Jan. 10, 2023
All the Looks From the 2023 Golden Globes  Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jenna Ortega, Jessica Chastain, Julia Garner, Jeremy Allen White, Angela Bassett, and more. 
parties! Sept. 23, 2022
Katie Holmes, Chloë Sevigny, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Chanel, Mejuri, and more celebrate. 
parties! Sept. 16, 2022
Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Fendi, Frame, and Coach all celebrated NYFW. 
emmys 2022 Sept. 12, 2022
Emmys 2022: All the Red Carpet Looks  Updating: What Hollywood is wearing to the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards. 
By Olivia Luppino
nyfw spring 2023 Sept. 9, 2022
Gigi Hadid, Chlöe Bailey, and More of the Bestest Party Pics of the Week  Saks Fifth Avenue, Longchamp, and more celebrate the beginning of NYFW. 
rip Sept. 9, 2022
The Queen Sure Did Love to Color-Coordinate  Monochrome for decades. 
red carpet Sept. 6, 2022
The Venice Film Festival Is a Major Fashion Event  Valentino and Gucci and Armani, oh my. 
red carpet June 5, 2022
All the Best Looks at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards  Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Hudgens, Jay Ellis, and more! 
parties! May 20, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Harry Styles > everyone! 
parties! May 13, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Bury me in Dove Cameron’s Saint Sintra skirt. 
parties! May 6, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Cue the Met Gala after-party FOMO. 
met gala 2022 May 2, 2022
Met Gala 2022: All the Looks [Photos]  Billie Eilish, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Yeoh, Hailey Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Blake Lively, and more. 
parties! Apr. 29, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  This one goes to Olivia Rodrigo and her sweater vest. 
parties! Apr. 22, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  “Fuck those Zoom tops.” 
celebrity style Apr. 18, 2022
The Best Looks From Coachella 2022  From Harry Styles’s sparkling Gucci set to Megan Thee Stallion’s metallic bodysuit. 
style Apr. 13, 2022
A Look Inside the New Museum’s Spring Gala  Featuring all the best looks. 
grammys 2022 Apr. 3, 2022
Grammy Awards 2022 Red Carpet: All the Looks  Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Lenny Kravitz, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and more. 
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • About The Cut
  • About New York Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Accessibility
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.