Rare punk shirt sells for £3,500 at Newcastle auction house

Punk has paid off for a Northumberland fan’s years-long dedication to his music.

The fan's punk parachute shirt, kept for decades after being bought in a Vivien Westwood boutique, has been sold for £3,500 by Newcastle auctioneers Anderson & Garland. The auction house describe the indigo-blue cotton shirt as “incredibly rare”.

The shirt features straps and buckles, attached to a distinctive ring on the chest, as well as petrol-blue lower sleeves and a khaki cuff on only the right wrist. It also carries multiple original labels, including the ‘Seditionaries Exclusive Collection’ and the legendary ‘SEX’ boutique label, cementing its place in punk fashion history.

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“The shirt represents a rare surviving artefact from the height of the 1970s punk movement,” said auctioneer Tom Robson. “The price reflects its significance in terms of fashion, music and social trends. It is part of a time of music and fashion importance.

“The owner kept the shirt presumably because of that and it is interesting that the sale confirms that is still considered to be important.”

The vendor originally acquired the piece from a close friend who had outgrown the look. The friend had visited London’s groundbreaking fashion boutiques, including Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s SEX, and BOY, founded by Stephane Raynor and John Krivine. He gifted the shirt to the vendor, who remained a dedicated punk enthusiast. Other items in the auction from the seller’s punk wardrobe include a pair of Stephane Raynor and John Krivine BOY of London Punk scene trousers, sold for £260, including fees; a Raynor and John Krivine BOY boutique shirt, sold for £208; and a late 1970s British punk shirt with an indistinct designer label, sold for £390.

The punk movement, fronted by bands such as the Sex Pistols for whom Vivien Westwood designed clothes, was partly fuelled by economic recession and feelings of alienation and frustration among its followers. Venues such as Rockshots in Newcastle staged punk events, with The Angelic Upstarts from South Shields and Penetration from County Durham among the better-known North East punk acts.