Though club kids are often overlooked in fashion history, they were a group steeping with revolutionary art, high fashion, and queer history.
The club kids were known to show up to New York city nightlife in some of the most ridiculous, flamboyant, androgynous outfits you’ve ever seen. They played with gender and status quo to a level that had hardly been seen before. Club kids followed no rules when it came to their fashion except ‘to be anything but boring’.
Club kids were in part a response to the havoc that the AIDS epidemic had brought among the queer community in 1980’s New York. The community had suffered undeniable trauma from the 100,000 AIDS related deaths over the past decade. They needed a way to lighten up the mood and a place to express themselves freely and creatively. These nightclubs were one of the only safe havens for queer people at this time to fully express themselves and explore their gender, sexuality, and personal style against the bounds of what was “socially acceptable”.
Drugs were also a catalyst for the club kid culture, fueling their long nights and eventually leading to their downfall. What started as alcohol and pot eventually turned into cocaine, special K (ketamine), and heroin, causing the group to eventually fall apart. Michael Alig, leader of the club kids, was even arrested for murdering a fellow club kid over a drug debt.
https://www.vogue.com/article/modern-club-kid-style-pat-mcgrath-tavi-gevinson
Club kids acted as a sort of ‘influencer’ even before social media was created. Though club kids might not be an active part of NYC nightlife anymore, their impact is still seen today. They have permanently influenced runways, particularly LGBTQ+ fashion by encouraging fluidity of gender and pushing the boundaries of “normal” fashion. Iconic designer John Paul Gaultier was heavily inspired by the fashion of club kids, frequently visiting the club Limelight which was a popular spot for club kids to visit. Some notable figures to have emerged from the club kid scene are Amanda Lepore and RuPaul
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