Indie is a broad aesthetic based on individuality; its name comes from the word "independent". The indie aesthetic includes a variety of independent music genres, including shoegaze. This can also include the indie movie genre, as many movies in the genre add to the original indie aesthetic. The version of the indie aesthetic from the 2000s to 2012 is now named Indie Sleaze. The later iteration of the indie aesthetic in 2019-2020 is labeled Indie Kid. Other variations are usually unlabeled and just generically called indie.
History[]
The indie aesthetic originated in the 1980s in the United Kingdom. Sometimes referred to as “Twee”, indie fashion mainly consisted of striped t-shirts, jeans, mop tops and anoraks. Musically, indie consisted primarily of jangling guitar bands, typified by the C86 compilation, which marked a pivotal moment in the codification of indie as a distinct music genre and aesthetic sensibility. Indie music became known as "indiepop" and fans were referred to as "cuties", "anoraks", or "indie kids".
In music as in fashion, indie was a rejection of 80s mainstream culture and was heavily inspired by the 1960s. In the late 80s the "Baggy" aesthetic emerged, centered around Manchester (or "Madchester"), marking an aesthetic shift in indie toward brighter, baggier clothing. Occurring in the context of the UK's Second Summer of Love and the rise of acid house, "indie dance" combined 60s psychedelia with modern dance music. After peaking around 1990, indie returned to a more muted color palette and musical flavor with the rise of Shoegaze and Grunge in the early 90s. In the mid-90s, indie music peaked commercially with Britpop, a movement whose aesthetic and musical brashness contrasted sharply with indie's "Twee" image during the 80s (continued in the 90s by indiepop labels such as Sarah Records, and into the 21st century by groups such as Belle and Sebastian).
20th-century Indie has experienced several revivals or reinterpretations, including 2010s Twee fashion, 2000s and early 2010s Indie Sleaze, Art Hoe and the Indie Kid aesthetic of today. The Indie aesthetic was, in many ways, similar to the Pastel aesthetic, however, the color is paler and even less intense. Another key difference between the two is while the Pastel aesthetic conveys a sense of innocence and sweetness, the Indie aesthetic conveys more of a darker, moodier tone. Photos in this aesthetic often have sad text overlaid to further communicate the mood. Indie blogs also often feature photos of ornate architectural spaces, snow-covered landscapes, and bruised skin. Photos may be low quality and grainy for the vintage look.
Fashion[]
Old school Indie fashion was pretty vague and unassuming. Many pieces were thrifted and casual, a bit more digestible and easier to assemble than Grunge although very similar. It does take some influence from Normcore due to how wide the spectrum of the fashion is however old school indie fashion had more characteristics that made it look less basic, the common theme is individuality so personal preference is the biggest value present. Some other common factors include darker colors and alternative tendencies.
- Band and brand t-shirts
- Cardigans
- Jeans
- Tennis shoes, boots, Chuck Taylors
- Jean, leather jackets
- Flannel
- Rayban sunglasses
- Skullcaps and beanies
- little to no jewelry
- Natural hair and makeup
Music[]
Independently released music is not directly financially dependent on any of the four major labels (WMG, Sony BMG, EMI, and Universal). Specifically, Indie rock, a genre of rock music that originated in the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1970s, is very popular in indie circles. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock. Popular musicians in the Indie scene include:
- The Smiths
- The Replacements
- Felt
- The Primitives
- The Wedding Present
- Belle and Sebastian
- Blur
- Arctic Monkeys
- Pavement
- Talulah Gosh
- R.E.M.
- The Stone Roses
- Pixies
- Throwing Muses
- The Housemartins
- The Jesus and Mary Chain
- Dinosaur Jr.
- The Strokes
- Sonic Youth
- Teenage Fanclub
- The Sea Urchins
- Primal Scream
- Strawberry Switchblade
- The Field Mice
- Orange Juice
- The Pastels
- The House of Love
- The Go-Betweens
- Aztec Camera
- Wallows
- Clairo
- Dayglow
- jxdn
- Neutral Milk Hotel
- Bromheads Jacket
- Tilly And The Wall
- Of Monsters and Men
- Two Door Cinema Club
- Young the Giant
- Surf Curse
- Beach Fossils
- Jeff Rosenstock
- Beach Bunny
- Best Coast
- girl in red
- SALES
- No Vacation
- mxmtoon
Resources[]
External links to help get a better understanding of this aesthetic.
Records[]
- UK INDIE-POP (1982-1988) by ornormar
- Faded Pastels - An Indie Pop Aesthetic by the orangeness
Articles[]
- Nostalgic Photos of Britain's 80s Post-Punk Indie Scene
- Dave Swindells shot an infamous Stone Roses gig
- Indie Moans And The Raiders Of The Pop Charts. Or, ‘Don’t Pop’: How The Stone Roses Killed Indie And The Problem With Populism
- Fey city rollers
- Smells like indie spirit
- True Tales: The return of 1980s twee
- 7 Ages of Rock: What the World is Waiting For (Indie 1980-2007)
- Against Health and Efficiency by Simon Reynolds (1986)
- C86: 20 years on by Simon Reynolds
- Indie Music Cultures by Lucy Cage
Books/Chapters[]
- A Scene In Between: Tripping through the Fashions of UK Indie Music 1980-1988 by Sam Knee (2013, revised 2022)
- White Boys, White Noise: Masculinities and 1980s Indie Guitar Rock by Matthew Bannister (2006)
- Fashioning Indie: Popular Fashion, Music and Gender by Rachel Lifter (2019)
- Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Music by Wendy Fonarow (2006)
- Younger Than Yesterday: Indie-pop's Cult of Innocence by Simon Reynolds (1986)
Communities[]
- TweeNet
- @sceneinbetween on Instagram
Pinterest Boards[]
- indie by thilde 🧃
- Indie fashion by Sydney Olsen
- Indie Inspiration by Pinterest UK
- indie, alt by Lucy Grace
- Indie by Claudio
- indie by celine
- : vintage ★ indie ★ grunge by holytrash
- vintage & indie by Seni Marou
- indie/emo aesthetic by evan
Videos[]
- A Brief History of Indie-pop on YouTube by Stella's Encounter
- UK indie music scene 1980-1989 on YouTube
- UK indie music scene1990 on YouTube
- Indie City channel on YouTube
Playlists[]
- 80s Indie Classics Vol 1 on YouTube by G Rock
- 80s Indie Classics Vol 2 on YouTube by G Rock
- Primitive Painters: Original Indie Classics on Spotify
- Primitive Painters Too: A Second Selection of Original Indie Classics on Spotify
- Halcyon Days: Indiepop in the UK (1982-1988)
- Everything Flows: British Indie Rock (1989-1992)
- i n d i e spotify playlist by miraya ☁️
- AESTHETICS: indie by Chaotic Good
- Indie Vibes~ Spotify playlist by Finch
- Indie Pop Spotify playlist by Spotify
- today’s Indie Rock Spotify playlist by Spotify
- Ultimate Indie Spotify playlist by Spotify
- indie mix by kiwiizitos
- softcore by kiwiizitos