The George Cox Monkey Boot - click here to view

This week, we're pleased to introduce the George Cox Monkey Boot as part of our ongoing Friends of Fred project. Handmade at the company's Northamptonshire factory, these 14-hole lace ups have been crafted in high shine leather that develops its own individual character over time, improving with age.

Originally designed as a standard issue army boot, the Monkey Boot has been adopted by various subcultures throughout the decades, originally picked up by the late 60s mods before becoming a firm favourite with both men and women on the skinhead scene.

The boot's unique shape hugs the ankle and tapers to the toe, making it ideal teamed with straight leg denim and a classic gingham shirt or Harrington jacket. The George Cox style features a leather lining, dual branding on the inner sock and an additional pair of yellow laces to add a pop of colour if preferred. Available in maroon or black colour options, in UK sizes 6-11.

Shop the latest Friends of Fred Collection online here, or find your nearest Laurel Wreath Collection shop.

Born and raised in Dublin, Garry O'Neill has always had an interest in his home city's local youth culture. Having collected Dublin street style photographs and memorabilia for several years, and noticing that there was little out there to document it; Garry set out to create a subcultural history of Dublin from the 1950s to the turn of the millennium. Teaming up with graphic designer and illustrator Niall McCormack, the pair spent over eighteen months collating hundreds of images to create Where Were You? Dublin Youth Culture & Street Style 1950 - 2000.

"The early seventies bootboy photos were probably the hardest to track down" remembers O'Neill. "I advertised around the city with posters and flyers for a couple of years. Most people were only too willing to help out as it was something that was going to, in some way, document their scene. It was difficult at first to track down good quality older material, like the fifties and sixties stuff, but it eventually turned up due to the length of time I spent looking for it."

Belvedere Boys Club - Mid 60s - photo contributed by Martin Coffey

Speaking of his own experiences with various street styles and groups, O'Neill says: "I liked and had lots of different clothes that are associated with one scene or another, but I’ve never wore them in any uniformed way. I loved punk, but I never felt like dressing up as a green hedgehog to convey that. You can be as anti-mainstream/establishment in a suit as you can in Doc Martens and studded leather jacket. Personally I liked the original suedehead scene from the early seventies, it was neat and stylish." The author's broad-minded approach is reflected in the book's content, which features images of groups ranging from mods, skins and teds to goths, new romantics, hippies and ravers.

Bray - Mid 60s - photo contributed by Brona Long

As O'Neill acknowledges in Where Were You? music and street tribes are indelibly linked. "Music was a huge influence, if you were into a certain kind of music; chances are you’d dress in a similar way to the groups or singers. The majority of the youth culture groups that we know, started on the back of some kind of music movement."

O'Connell Street - Mid 80s - photo contributed by Dublin Opinion.

Noting the significance of the Fred Perry Shirt, O'Neill says: "it appears in the book in various photos - what started life as a sport shirt, has become a readily identifiable item of youth culture clothing around the globe, from the original mods and skinheads of the sixties to the football casuals of the 80s, the Britpop kids of the 90s and everything in-between. It’s an iconic piece of clothing in the same way as the steel-toe boot or the parka jacket."

Of the hundreds of personal images captured in the book, is there one that stands out for O'Neill?

"If I had to pick one, it would probably be the photo of the two lads on page 114. It’s from 1974 and they’re wearing crombie coats, pinstriped parallel trousers, polished George Webb type shoes, bowler hats and umbrellas; they almost look like two city gents. The look is certainly influenced by the Clockwork Orange film, more than any music movement."

Find out more about Where Were You? on the book's official website or Facebook page.

Images used with kind permission of Garry O'Neill. Published by HiTone Books, November 2011. Foreward by Steve Averill.

The 60s kids kept it slim and tailored. The skins slipped theirs on under braces and wore it buttoned up. Marilyn Monroe famously tied hers at the waist. A recent rockabilly revival has seen it peeking beneath heavy leathers. An absolute classic, the gingham check shirt has been a mainstay of the youth wardrobe for decades; its enduring appeal recognised by each generation.

Women's Classic Gingham Shirt - click here to view

With a history as chequered as the pattern itself, gingham's exact origins are unknown. Countries worldwide, each with their own gingham 'customs' lay claim to founding the fabric. The African Masaï tribe have used the pattern for thousands of years and it even features in the national costume. In Indonesia the pattern takes on a spiritual meaning; the contrasting colours represent the battle between good and evil. In India it is referred to as Gamucha and is simply a towel used to dry the body.

The word itself, thought to derive from the Malaysian word genggang meaning ‘striped’, first appeared in the English language in the early 17^th Century. The brightly coloured fabric was imported to Britain under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I, who notoriously created strong trade links with the Far East during this period. However the fabric's popularity truly flourished during the 18^th Century when mills around the Manchester area began producing the brightly coloured check from imported dyes and cotton.  

Men's Authentic Gingham Shirts - click here to view

It was during the mid 20th Century that the gingham shirt truly came to the fore with the cult of the teenager - tribes emerged each with a unifying sense of style. Some were influenced by Hollywood, some took sartorial tips from the early Nashville musicians, others looked to the Italians and French. Each tribe found a way to wear the gingham shirt and in turn passed it down through the generations. The classic check shirt remains largely unchanged – a button down collar, the locker hoop at the yoke, an open chest pocket.

Shop the Men's Authentic Gingham Shirt

Shop the Women's Authentic Gingham Shirt