The Staying Power of Style: The Islington Twins

THE TW↑NS: Env↑ronMENTAL Training™
A Training, Motivating, Consulting Service
“With all these myths about us it seems we have become a legend in our
own lifetime.” ITWOMLG
© C. Okonkwo & D. Okonkwo 2015 2

A Ten Year Anniversary Special
The Staying Power of Style And Etiquette
The Islington Twins were Mods but were never Rude Boys
Compiled & Edited by Chuka Okonkwo & Dubem Okonkwo

Part One
‘Everything Has A Beginning…’

Picture 1

"These myths about me, I'll soon become a legend in my own lifetime."
ITWOMLG
To celebrate our ten year anniversary we thought it a brilliant idea to give
our clients and readers a set of exercises using the photograph of The
Islington Twins by the talented photographer Robin Emilien.  But rather
than just asking you to perform the usual dry task of answering questions
after watching a short film or studying a photograph, we've given you
selected excerpts to read to give you a little background to the picture. 
Well done to those of you who managed to answer the questions in Film
Study: A Shred of Identity.  If you haven't seen the weblog, it's worth a visit
or even a revisit.  Congratulations to everyone who struggled to compete
the task set in How To Look At A Book Cover.  Yes, it may have taken up a
lot of your time, but you can't deny it wasn't worth it. 
In Part 2 we've selected and edited excerpts - with permission of course -
from the privately published 'The Staying Power of Style and Etiquette:
The Islington Twins were Mods but never Rude Boys' for this part of this
post.  We think the subtitle states clearly what the Islington Twins were and
what they were not.  We're delighted to be sharing these excerpts with you
our clients and of course our readers, and hope you enjoy reading them as
much as we have. 
We made the conscious decision to keep as much of the original wording
and expressions as possible to give readers a feel of the period being
described, and to help those of you who will be doing the exercises at the
end to immerse yourself into spirit of Robin Emilien's picture.  If after
successfully answering all the exercises in Part 3, you discover that your
visual ability has been awakened or is much better than you thought it
was, this post would have done the job we set out to do when it was first
conceived. 

We don't usually provide stimulating, visual distractions of any kind with
our weblogs, and clients and regular readers will testify that our posts
require one's full attention since they don't readily hold the attention. 
There are no bright or sexy images to hold the attention; no light-hearted
quotes attached to an interesting and familiar image to ease the dryness of
the text.  So this post is slightly different.  Well, it's our ten year anniversary
and we're feeling generous. 
If any scholar or historian reading this post is a fan of the photographer Bill
Brandt, we recommend popping off an email to the London College of
Communication, formerly the London College of Printing, and getting
access to their bulging archive, where you can spend an afternoon
perusing the pages of this thirty year old essay.  You shan't be
disappointed. 
Bill Brandt: A Life History: Contextual Studies Essay 1984 by Robin
Emilienhttps://openlibrary. org/books/OL20019667M/Bill_Brandt
'The Staying Power of Style and Etiquette: The Islington Twins were Mods
but were never Rude Boys' began life as an explanation of how Robin
Emilien's picture came to be taken.  The excerpts in Part Two tell that story
and others.  Those stories, though not related directly to the photograph,
are still important in themselves.  The image is from an age before Wi-Fi,
iPhones, Health & Safety, the English Premier League, the Internet and
Facebook became part of our daily lexicon and consciousness. 
Perhaps after this post is published the copyright holders will allow the
complete work to be published.  For the moment there doesn't seem to be
any plan or interest in doing so.  This is a pity since most of the material
that has been written about The Islington Twins fails to cover the
philosophy that underlay their style, first as Tw↑n Mod 1 and Tw↑n Mod 2,
and then during the post Mod period.  They believed strongly in mental
training, were avid readers of works from the extensive canon of the
world's literature, Shakespeare, Shelley, Byron, Plato, Lao Tzu.  They

adored art especially traditional paintings by artists like Da Vinci,
Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Titian, Delacroix. 
As well as art books, their reading material ranged from comics like
Warlord, magazines like Look & Learn, facsimiles of the Gem and Magnet
to books on science, history, sport, espionage, and music.  Books, books,
books and yet more books.  As well as clothes and records most of their
money was spent on books.  There was a time when the borough of
Islington had several good secondhand bookshops with 'gems' at
affordable prices, plus an excellent twice weekly antique market clustered
round the bizarrely named Camden Passage, about ten minutes walk from
Angel tube station!
The Islington Twins' musical taste was eclectic; their mother, a special and
dynamic influence in their lives, introduced them to the works of classical
musicians via The Reader's Digest beautifully designed box set collection
of composers like Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Grieg and others, all
recorded on vinyl to the highest quality.  Their record collection, which also
included The Beatles, The Hollies, The Kinks, The Animals, The Rolling
Stones, Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochrane, Buddy Holly, Scott Joplin, Walt
Disney, Irving Berlin, Gershwin, was all vinyl and played on an old record
player, a gift from a relative. 
Before their late teens they had watched many classic British and
Hollywood films from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.  On British television the
best of Lew Grade's output filled their minds: The Persuaders, The
Avengers, Danger Man, The Prisoner, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet. 
American shows with stick-forever-in-your head theme tunes, Man From
Uncle, Mission Impossible, I Spy, The Wild Wild West, and Star Trek
enriched them and captivated their attention.  They practised martial arts
like judo, Shotokan karate, aikido.  They were also great dancers and
walked miles round London daily. 

If one gives the above paragraphs a moments thought it will be seen that
their style was indeed an expression of all the influences that had shaped
them. We have not mentioned their deep interest in the ancient mind
development techniques practised in ancient China, Japan, India and
Tibet. Yes, it's true that the Islington Twins have their Nigerian heritage
and know the subtle effects the culture of Onitsha has had on their
psyche, but it's equally true that the effect of living and growing up in an
English culture with its rich history has also shaped their thinking. All these
influences, these effects, are like pixels that form a digital image. When
mixed with their interest in Eastern philosophy, it is clear to understand
how their style emerged.
Mary Mount's recollection of her time at The Bar with The Islington Twins
was first published in 2007 in Tank Magazine, Volume IV Issue 9, under the
title 'Two Cool for School...' before appearing as 'Gentlemen of The Bar' in
the Guardian's G2 in April that year. (Today the only source of the
interview is online on the Guardian's website. It would be good if Tank
Magazine made their version available online. From a fashion perspective
the images in the magazine make interesting viewing.) Mary Mount's
excellent piece carries their voice and allows them to tell their story
without tweaking to suit editorial or academic constraints. In selecting to
write in this manner, Mount gives her article space to breathe and retains
its authenticity. She keeps it real and raw to borrow street vernacular for a
moment. Today's youths would refer to the article as sick.
Those fortunate to have read The Staying Power of Style and Etiquette
and will tell you that the pages vibrate with a personal story of fashion and
style that few fashion writers or historians could ever pen, not because
they're incapable, but because the pressures that often come with an
academic's career trail after them. What with the problem of trying to find
funding or a grant that will allow you to do your research in peace,
compounded with having to teach unenthusiastic and unmotivated
students, and exasperated by the actions of interfering busybodies from

various educational bodies, some might claim that an academic career,
especially in the arts, is no longer what it used to be. Perhaps, Our Rage:
Bitterness and Delusion in The Arts 1990 - 2015 could be the subject of a
peer-reviewed paper some day.
Ted Polhemus, author of the seminal work, Streetstyle: From Sidewalk to
Catwalk, and external curator of the Streetstyle exhibition at the Victoria &
Albert Museum in November 1994, has an understanding of street style
and what makes it so special. If you haven't read his book it's worth a
look. Better still, get hold of a copy of the updated Street Style published
by PYMCA. The pictures in both books are a testimony that human beings
have the spirit of the peacock, the flamingo and parakeet within them, and
will seek different ways to express these characteristics, i.e.dressing up,
whenever they can and wherever they can. Early Spandua Ballet (who
were part of the New Romantic Movement) in the early 80's are an
example of what happens when freedom of expression is permitted to
flourish. The history of street fashion needs to be heard as much as
possible from the mouths of those who actually experienced the particular
period in question. Ted Polhemus's understanding of this necessity is
shown clearly in his publications.
In this clip from the PYMCA 2010 launch party for the publication of the
updated Street Style. You can feel the authenticity in the voices of Jon
Swinstead, founder of PYMCA and Ted Polhemus, author of Street Style.
Street Style - Ted Polhemus Book Launch and Exhbition
https://vimeo.com/112074392/description
In 1979, The Mod Revival provided an opportunity, an arena, a platform,
for The Islington Twins to express themselves in their own way. They
continued to do so even when they left the movement they loved. In fact,
many would be surprised at some of the 'looks' they created for
themselves during their time at The Bar. Their wardrobe during that period
was as far removed from the parka, pork pie and wraparound shades look

of their Mod days, as the Afghan beads and psychedelic dress of the late
60's was to the slim ties and narrow lapelled suits in the early part of that
decade.
But their self-expression stems largely from their interest and love of
mental development and mental training. And any attempt to separate or
to look at their fashion or style without grasping their mental outlook is a
grave mistake. Such a separation would reduce their clothes to 'mere
feathers'. The term 'mere feathers' is an expression the Islington Twins
used to refer to their attire whenever they felt an inquirer had failed to
understand that it is the mind of the person wearing the clothes that
makes and gives the garments their look and feel.
It is not our intention in this post to analyse the thoughts and feelings that
contributed to their Mod look or any of the subsequent styles and fashions
that have been worn over the years. However, we would advise any
academic seeking to understand the thinking behind their various styles,
not to make the error of separating the mind from the attire. To do this is
as ridiculous as paying heed to the camera used by a photographer and
neglecting to understand what drives that photographer. Or to be so
focussed on the guitar the musician used you fail to understand their
mindset or the music's meaning.
The personal philosophy and mindset that governs fashion and style is not
the preserve of the Islington Twins. But if academics and cultural
historians would, for just an hour or so, put aside their peer reviewed
papers and follow Ted Polhemus's example, they would discover the
same richness and detail that their academic demeanour often deprives
them from feeling or even seeing.

If your musings or findings don't reach ears outside the walls of the
institutions you work in, you have failed yourselves as historians or
researchers. Get out into the field and speak directly to the ordinary
Smiths, Joneses, Chans, Patels and Leroys of this world. They will supply
you with the essence that will make your research worth the years of
dedication and committed study you have put into the pursuit of (or quest
for) academic excellence.

Picture 2
It is important to realise that fashions and styles do not spring out of thin
air. They are an expression of the human pysche, of how we humans feel
and think. It is true that environment and other factors play a powerful
part, but the mental spirit rises above environment and circumstance to
reveal or display its true nature. Anyone reading this post who doubts us
should read about the Sapeurs, who were featured in the classic 2014
Guinness commercial and documentary directed by the visual story teller
Héctor Mediavilla.
Sapeurs, the men inside the suitshttps://vimeo.com/122093834
The Surprising Sartorial Culture Of Congolese 'Sapeurs' by Angela
Evancie
http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2013/05/07/181704510/the-
surprising-sartorial-culture-of-congolese-sapeurs
Sapeurs - New Guinness Advert (2014) http://youtu.be/B-3sVWOxuXc
Watch the short documentary on the Sapeurs on YouTube
http://youtu.be/CScqFDtelrQ
Further reading:
Industry Spotlight: Ted Polhemus
http://www.fashionschooldaily.com/index.php/2014/03/11/industry-
profile-ted-polhemus/comment-page-86/#comments
The British supermarket of style by Paul Rambali and Sarah Callard
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/news/fashion--the-british-

supermarket-of-style-street-style-has-been-our-biggest-fashion-export-
now-neatly-divided-into-tribes-its-become-a-museum-exhibit-at-the-va-
paul-rambali-mourns-its-fate-sarah-callard-talks-to-those-who-gave-
seminal-pieces-to-the-show-1450938.html
In Part Two The Islington Twins discuss the Mod period and their post-
Mod experience. You will learn from them how they came to be part of the
Mod Revival in the late 70s, and how they came to hold court at The Bar.
End of Part One

Pictures in Everything Has A Beginning
p. 5
The Islington Tw↑ns aka Chet & Joe as Tw↑n Mod 1 and Tw↑n Mod 2 by Robin
Emilien in Brick Lane early 1980s
p. 13.
The Islington Tw↑ns at Agi & Sam SS 14 during London Collections: Men,
Victoria House, Bloomsbury, Sunday 16th July 2013

The Staying Power of Style: The Islington Twins

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