REFERENCE LIBRARY: THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS PT 1: JUDY BLAME

Judy Blame was a genius of unorthodox styling

"I wanted a lady name because everyone changed their name to one of the same sex, so I thought I'd confuse people. Judy was a nickname given to me by a friend, and Blame just sprang to mind one day. It sounds like a trashy b-movie actress from the 50's - a bleached blonde tart who only made one film and never got anywhere - I like that"
Judy Blame

Judy Blame :PH: Francois Nars

At the time it was a whim, even if it were a collective whim. In mid-80's London, a collective of fearless young creatives clustered around a stylish gentleman by the name of Ray Petri and began to air their strange and personal ideas about style and life. There was Neneh Cherry the bi-racial daughter of jazzman Don Cherry with her idea of doing a musical bricolage of the many worlds she richeted through. Hip Hop NY+ Club kid London and the recording studios that bridged them. She had an idea that a female artist could be teasing and feminine and yet commanding in the spirit of the regal Nigerian women who abounded in London. There was Morgan and McVie a photography and styling team that took beautifully lit studio shots that made 50's pin-up stars of the mixed race boys bounding through Brixton for magazines like The Face and ID. They too had dreams of cutting hit pop records with a kind of late 60's/early 70's Kingston vibe.Ray Petri, the most known of the circle (since he was gaining momentum as a star stylist in all the cool cult mags), would break out his prized Kingston 70's records and tell stories of his forays into the more...raw edged Jamaican neighbourhoods . Bob Marley's "Buffalo Soldiers" was blasting on the deck. "Buffalo Soldier...In the heart of America" sung Bob into the still South London night and the seed was planted. The collective, whimisical as they were decided to call their aesthetic...Buffalo.

Neneh Cherry beauty styled by Judy Blame

There was another young man, however and he was as much a part of the clique as much as he was not. His tastes were tinged by punk and they were also touched by the post-punk New Romantic/Blitz Kids surge that spewed out of Taboo. He too was a stylist and out of all the Buffalo crew, it is Judy Blame who has kept his name and his reputation current.
After his early styling stints for Boiy George (the Heroin Chic moment), Neneh Cherry (think turbans) and Bjork (the first album) Judy Blame has gone on to working as an art director for Massive Attack. He also, along with shoe designer John Moore and fellow designer Christopher Nemeth operated his own shop, House of Beauty & Culture' "selling his own
creations made of buttons, string, safety pins,rubberbands, badges, feathers, champagne corks,paperclips, pill bottles, stamps and anything else he could lay his hands on.".

Club Kid Blame: Then

That talent for bricolage evolved into a jewelry line, examples of which can still be found at that must-go London destination Dover Street Market. Though Blame would shudder at the thought, he is an icon of a tradition where the spontaneous creativity of the streets and the clubs has found a showcase in the halls of the corporate industry. There's a big difference with Blame however. He is so good at what he does, he can actually manoever with the likes of Vuitton and Commes des Garcons and be treated with total respect and absolute creative freedom. Blame's personality, eye, taste and legacy serve as a massive inspiration in TI's reference library. Stay tuned for future posts on Petri, Cherry and Morgan./McVie.

Club Kid Blame: Today: Ph: NY Times Magazine