Steve Strange dies at 55, celebrities and friends lead tributes on Twitter in support.

12 FEBRUARY 2015

 

Tonight came the sad news that New Romantic Icon and Visage frontman Steve Strange has suffered a heart failure and died in his sleep in hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where he was spending time since the beginning of the month.

Steve Strange was one of the first people in the late 70s who started the New Romantics  movement and encouraged extreme dressing-up as a form of self expression. He started a revolution in the London nightlife with his club Blitz in Covent Garden, where his strict door policy pushed people's creativity. The club was a hotspot for many young art students and musicians and drew the attention of the likes of Mick Jagger, David Bowie and was paramount for bands like  Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Culture Club who all got their start at the club before finding stardom. He started his own band, Visage, which he formed in 1979 and their breakthrough single Fade To Grey is to this day one of the most iconic themes of the New Romantic era.

Strange's agent, Pete Bassett, said that the singer would be remembered as a "hard-working, very amusing and lovable individual who always was at the forefront of fashion trends". He added: "Up until last year he was putting together a book of fashion styles based on the New Romantic movement and it comes as a great shock. We understood that he had certain health problems but nothing we knew was life threatening. His friends and family are totally shocked, we had no idea anything like this was likely to happen. If you're out tonight, pour one out for one of the leading faces of British club culture.

image©2010o.yordanov

He will be missed and remembered by many, evident from the immediate twitter response to the sad news:

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Seen In Blitz - book launch

Some of you might have already seen the new book "As seen in Blitz" dedicated to the hayday of the Blitz movement when the now cult magazine was the hip must-read of a whole generation. The book features a detailed insight into the most memorable content of the Blitz Magazine. In celebration of the launch of the book, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London is throwing a glitzy launch party (by invite or ticket only) and here is the memo:

We're Not Here To Sell Clothes: The Making of BLITZ Fashion

18 May 2013 - 19 May 2013 - We are delighted to celebrate the launch of Iain R. Webb's new book As Seen in BLITZ: Fashioning '80s Style with a series of special events. Over the weekend there is a pop-up show in the ICA Theatre curated by former fashion editor Iain R Webb, a series of talks with special guests, and film screenings. As Seen in BLITZ: Fashioning '80s Style focuses on 1980s style and culture and includes a wealth of stunning visuals, text and interviews celebrating the deeply influential pages of BLITZ. In London at the start of the 1980s, three new style magazines emerged to define an era. It was a time of change: post punk before the digital age and at the dawn of a hedonistic club scene that saw the birth of the New Romantics. On the pages of BLITZ, The Face and i-D, a new breed of young iconoclasts hoped to inspire revolution. As BLITZ magazine's fashion editor from 1982-87, Iain R. Webb was at the centre of this world. His images manipulated fashion to explore ideas of transformation, beauty, glamour and sex. The magazine's arresting, subversive fashion pages, and its profiles of disparate designers and creative types, let the imagination run free.The cast of characters and contributors include Leigh Bowery, Amanda Cazalet, Boy George, Princess Julia, Nick Knight, David LaChapelle, Paul Morley and Anna Piaggi. Featured designers include Bodymap, Judy Blame, Dean Bright, Comme Des Garçons, Jasper Conran, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Katharine Hamnett, Hermès, Pam Hogg, Marc Jacobs, Stephen Jones, Calvin Klein, Andrew Logan, Issey Miyake, Franco Moschino, Rifat Ozbek, Antony Price and Vivienne Westwood.'We're thrilled to be hosting the launch of As Seen in BLITZ. It's incredible to think who passed through the pages of BLITZ magazine - Malcolm McLaren, Madonna, Daniel Day-Lewis... I couldn't have survived the 80s without it.'
Gregor Muir, Executive Director, ICA

You can try booking your ticket here: http://www.ica.org.uk/37313/Talks/A-Weekend-with-BLITZ-Magazine.html?utm_source=Blitz+PV&utm_campaign=9f8e27a0f9-Blitz_Mag4_10_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9c96fa0287-9f8e27a0f9-413170333#booktickets

some inspiration...

Return to the Blitz 2011 - Looking back