Grunge

Grunge is a deliberately careless, 'anti-fashion' style that grew in the early 1990s out of the Seattle rock scene (Nirvana, Pearl Jam) as a rebellion against the glossy glamour of the previous decade. Grunge is checked flannel shirts, stretched sweaters, ripped jeans, heavy boots, layering and a dark, muted palette. The aesthetic of worn, second-hand, deliberately untidy clothing became a manifesto of indifference to status and consumerism. In 1992 Marc Jacobs carried grunge onto the runway in a collection for Perry Ellis, and the 'anti-style' paradoxically became fashion. Grunge still returns in waves, remaining a symbol of youthful rebellion, ease and unadorned authenticity.