The Power of the Pin: A Staple for Subcultures
Much like the slogan t-shirt, the pin-badge is one of the great examples where fashion and language converse. Simple in design, yet thought-provoking in its communication, the accessory stands as a visual market for what you believe in, a sartorial meeting of minds and a firm middle finger to the establishment. Fashion, of course, has always served as a form of self-expression but in an era of political upheaval, environmental concern and social unrest, the pin-badge gives a voice to a generation that feels unheard. Politically charged or not, the signifier in all its forms is brash, bold and brilliant.
The first slogan pin-badges were created in the USA by Whitehead & Hoag Co in 1894, a New Jersey-based button badge manufacturer. Pioneers in buttons – the term the Americans still use for a pin-badge, their celluloid covered designs found fame on the chests of politicians campaigning for presidency. But it wasn’t until 1897, when Queen Victoria sent out millions of pin-badges all over the world as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations that they would first be sold as a mass market souvenir. Printed with her portrait and signs of Britannia, the pin-badges were a huge success and proved the power of decoration and expression.
Later British civilians sold tin versions as a form of fundraising for soldiers during WW1. Walt Disney used them as a medium to commemorate his Mickey Mouse club membership during the 1930s. And in the 60s they took on a more subversive form for hippies who recognised the potential for the pin-badge as a vessel for overt political messages.
By the 70s everyone from big corporations to religious groups and the British TV show Blue Peter had begun embracing the pin-badge, but it was their place in punk that truly sent them into the zeitgeist. Better Badges on London’s Portobello Road (punk’s epicentre) were behind the movement. In 1976 founder Joly MacFie made and sold badges at the Ramones show at The Roundhouse, London. His handmade designs resonated with the DIY ethos of punk and soon many began making their own at home. Before long there would be one for every band, however obscure.
In the 1980s, Post-Punk New Wave band Joy Division gave the pin-badge a smarter look. Later in the 90s, singers like Damon Albarn of Blur and Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain would keep the tradition of pin-badges in music alive with fan merch and designs that spoke more to the era's appetite for irony. It is the pin-badge’s connection to music and tribe mentality that has inspired fashion designers like Nicholas Daley and Raf Simons to incorporate pin badges into his own collections - even if the latter sells his at a less democratic price of £125. Supreme, Undercover and Thames have also been on the button-badge bandwagon too.
Beyond music and streetwear, pin-badges have also been an important activism tool for marginalised groups to promote peace, human rights and health awareness. In the 80s, gay and bisexual activists in New York distributed badges as a way to fight the stigma against aids. Inverting the pink triangle used to identify homosexuals in Nazi concentration camps, the badges served as a stirring commentary of what was being, on a governmental level, largely ignored. ACT UP’s work was a watershed moment for queer visibility in the USA, and the campaign led to a speeding-up of the FDA drug approval time window, saving thousands of lives by allowing those living with HIV and AIDS to access experimental medicine.
Today the pin-badge remains a piece of armor, reminding the wearer what they stand for in the world. Its power to promote political alliances has remained particularly evident in recent years, but more than that it has been embraced by a new generation as a symbol of empowerment. They appear at civil rights demonstrations and climate strikes as a way for activists to amplify their voice on pressing social and environmental issues.
It’s easy to dismiss the pin-badge as a simple, transient accessory, but it has the potential to impact global movements in society and politics, and the power to unite communities and youth in subcultures finding their voice in the world.
Text: Sam Trotman
Collages: Ken Balluet