Folk Fashion

It’s been almost two years since the first wave of nu-folk stars appeared on the English arts landscape, and there are no signs to suggest that they’ll be leaving anytime soon – not that we’d want them to anyway.

Just in case you’re behind on the state of musical affairs, a group of talented indie-folk artists from the Southern and Western corners of London stormed the music scene back in 2007 and created a contemporary and more widely accessible version of folk music. The initial pioneers included Noah And The Whale and Laura Marling, as well as slightly more underground musicians like Emmy The Great and Johnny Flynn, but the genre is now expansive, with new artists popping up every week.

But it’s not just the music they brought with them. It’s something I didn’t notice until I joined a sell-out crowd at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank last week for a gig entitled ‘Laura Marling and Friends’. This twenty-first century folk re-envisioning has brought about a unique new style and attitude too; somewhere between indie and traditional bohemian, with intelligence and effortless cool that is gripping the fans of the genre entirely.

‘Laura Marling and Friends’ included upcoming nu-folk artists Mumford & Sons, Alessi’s Ark and Peggy Sue alongside well-established artists like Johnny Flynn, Ethan Johns and Andrew Bird. As one may expect, each was dressed in a typically folky manner (photo examples throughout).

You can see from the photos what this style is all about for the boys and the girls: oversized shirts, waistcoats and tunic dresses (perhaps less of the dresses for the boys – or perhaps not…).

The real impact of the way these ‘folks’ dress, however, is not seen on the artists themselves. On Tuesday 11th August, the London South Bank was flooded with several hundred wannabe Laura Marlings – from the bleach blonde hair to the trademark black skinnies – and several hundred wannabe Marcus Mumfords – from the black waistcoat I swear he never takes off to the ‘I don’t remember the last time I visited a barber’ haircut.

So, we may think that musicians impact on world of art, comment on the state of society and make a name for themselves within the press, but it seems clear that their influence doesn’t stop there. Has anyone noticed high-street fashion stores beginning to stock exactly this kind of clothing? Let’s face it: nu-folk has given birth to nu-folk fashion…and aren’t you glad it did?