CLUB CULTURE AND FASHION collided head-on in 1980s London. As the city's new nightclub scene became ever more frenetic and fantastical, young designers such as Rifat Özbek, Betty Jackson and John Galliano sought inspiration for their collections in the basements of West End venues. Their designs gave the era's sartorial theater a bigger stage.

The Victoria and Albert Museum's "From Club to Catwalk," opening July 10, charts this symbiotic relationship through 85 outfits—including ones worn by the likes of Adam Ant and Leigh Bowery. Here, four of the designers included in the show talk about their looks and memories.

Pam Hogg body suit (circa 1990) Victoria and Albert Museum

Pam Hogg

This catsuit evolved from my earlier work, like the two-piece worn by Lady Miss Kier from the band Deee-Lite for the front cover of the Face magazine.

The '80s, in general, was an era for going out and expressing yourself and rebelling against the norm. Saffron Burrows wore this piece on my catwalk, but it seems like everybody possessed one. And they still tell me it was the perfect club-wear piece they ever owned—worn in clubs from Kinky Gerlinky to all the acid house and drum 'n' bass all-nighters.

They were all-in-ones and you could roll them up, ready-to-wear, straight out of your bag. So you could go to the club straight after work and change very quickly in the bathroom.

For me, it was almost antifashion, as there was freedom in its essence. It wasn't trend-based. That's why it was called street fashion by the media. It was an individual way of thinking, nothing influenced us except our passion for creating clothes.

Betty Jackson zoot suit, 1982. Victoria and Albert Museum

Betty Jackson

This is a zoot suit made out of black wool crepe, made in 1982.

During this time, there was a group of us who worked all day and danced all night—never changed our outfit, maybe just our earrings. We went to Blitz, Legends and Embassy. If you didn't go out four nights a week, you were a social disaster.

London was buzzing; music and fashion went hand-in-hand. We were striking out against everything that had gone before: tradition, a rather mundane way of doing things.

London Fashion Week didn't exist then. Paris and Italy were still so traditional, so what we were producing was very new. London was the home of everything original at that time. It was an extraordinary time.

Rifat Özbek top, jacket and shorts with Converse shoes (1990) Victoria and Albert Museum

Rifat Özbek

This was from one of my favorite collections. It is a rhinestone-embroidered bomber jacket.

Fashion then was to do with bringing sporty looks into high fashion, which became a club look and was inspired by the clubs I went to. We had a gang of people and went to clubs like Daisy Chain and Leigh Bowery's night. Leigh was like a shining disco ball, the Pied Piper of the club world.

Fashion then was relaxed and fun—there was no rivalry. Every night was another fantastic evening, people wore sparkle, Lurex, leggings, psychedelic prints. I have wonderful memories. It was very exciting then—not as corporate as now. We partied hard, we were young, we went straight from club to cutting room.

Bodymap hand-knit dress (1985) Victoria and Albert Museum


This is a hand-knit dress from our 1985 fall "HalfWorld" collection, inspired by Oscar Wilde's "Dorian Gray." It depicts the glamour of the dandy set against a secret city underworld.

We were enthused by many things. We took inspiration from everywhere: Contemporary clubs, music, dance and art played a big part in our creative expression. It was a time of change, charged up by the anarchy of punk rock. We felt part of a fashion revolution.

We pioneered a new way of dressing in the '80s, making sportswear fabrics like Lycra chic and multifunctional. Clubs played a big part in the revolution of fashion at the time and assisted the development of unique, eccentric style.

One of the focal aesthetics of '80s clubbing was that you could do anything as long as you were rocking a major look. The '80s was a period of change, revolution and individualism. We worked hard and played hard. We didn't concentrate on fame and the power of celebrity, as it is now today. We focused more on our art and making a difference.

—Edited from an email interview.

"From Club to Catwalk"; July 10-Feb. 14