Red or Dead held a retrospective exhibition on Brick Lane, showing the evolution of the brand from kooky Camden hipsters to corporate deals with Schuh, Specsavers and the likes.
From their thick soled flatforms in the late eighties, as seen on one of Kylie's record covers, they did a deal with Doc Martens that saw the skinhead-associated boots hit the high fashion crowd as never before, reinvented in plastic with the Space Baby motif. Then there were the ready-to-wear collections that became highlights of the LFW schedule - Russian dolls, oriental prints and packaging all featured. In the early 200s, the brand did deals that saw their shoes adopted my the masses in Schuh outlets and an eyewear line for the faint of sight.
More recent projects include a bike collab with Raleigh and the Pearly Queen collection to celebrate 30 years in the industry, flying the flag for Britishness and all that jazz - as well as this London exhibition. It was great to learn a bit more about the brand, who seem to have sold out a bit in recent years aesthetically. Personally I've always found something dull in their design but I was interested to see it grew at least from a more original and inspiring place. Those early catwalk shows looked like a right riot.
Shop the 30th anniversary collection at Bank.
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