Crust Punk Fashion Influence: Learn about Punk Fashion and Crusties

Crust punk can be traced back to Bristol (UK). In the late 70's early 80's, Bristol bands like Disorder, Chaos UK, Lunatic Fringe, Amebix, broke from the usual punk fashion confines, creating a disheveled DIY look originating in squatting and poverty.

Typical crust punk fashion includes black or camouflage trousers or shorts (heavy work pants are popular for their durability), torn band T-shirts or hoodies, skin tight black jeans, vests and jackets (commonly black denim), bullet belts, jewelry made from hemp or found objects, and sometimes bum flaps. Many items of clothing are covered in patches and/or metal studs. Often the patches display a political message.

Clothing tends to be unsanitary by conventional standards, and dreadlocks are popular. Crust punks sometimes sew articles of clothing with found or cheaply bought materials, such as dental floss. Pants are sometimes held up with string, hemp, or vegan-friendly imitation leather.

The term 'crusties' can refer to two distinct, but not entirely separate, subcultural groups. Particularly in North America, but to some extent worldwide, the term is used to refer to crust punks. In the UK especially, particularly in the 1990s, the term was used to refer to people who are members of a subculture related to the New Age travellers movement.

Learn more about various punk fashion styles from the main page of this section.