How Nottingham designers made an impact on ‘80s fashion across the world
Brands from this time are being showcased at a new Bonington Gallery exhibition
It’s no secret that Nottingham’s fashion and textiles scene is world-famous. But did you know that it had a huge moment during the ‘80s? Throughout this decade, a wonderful mixture of designers began creating and selling out of the city.
I spoke with Robin Kerr, who co-created the streetwear brand G Force, about the vibrancy of this time, why designing in Nottingham and the UK is important to him, and what it was like having his work splashed on the front pages of the papers.
If you’re looking for things to do in Nottingham this March, the Nottingham Subcultural Fashion in the 1980s exhibition is on at Bonington Gallery from now until May 10. For more Nottingham 2025 events and articles about the area, subscribe to The Notts Edit for free.
“What people were wearing in those bars was what everybody wanted to wear” — G Force’s Robin Kerr on being part of Nottingham’s ‘80s fashion scene
By Eve Smallman
In the era of fast fashion, it can be easy to forget what a good quality, thoughtfully created garment looks like. A piece carefully designed, stitched together or knitted, that lasts for decades.
You can walk through so many different shops on Nottingham’s high street now and find racks of items that are all curated for the latest trends. But if you were living in the city during the ‘80s, there were very different clothing stores lining the streets.
Sir Paul Smith had just made it big and there was a new wave of young designers making remarkable clothing of their own — many of which were studying at Nottingham Trent University (or ‘Trent Poly’ as it was known back then).
“I went to school in Nottingham, studied fashion in Nottingham, opened my first shop in Nottingham — so I’ve got quite a history here,” says Robin Kerr, co-founder of G Force. At first, he began selling whatever could be made during the week on Saturdays. “The late ‘70s were a great time to be making and selling because what was on the high street was so minimal — so people loved to buy whatever we could make during the week.”
While wearing G Force clothing (and other vintage-style clothing) is hip and cool now, thanks to its oversized fits and bold graphics, back in the ‘80s the style was seen as a little out there. “In terms of going out at night, it was difficult if you were dressed differently to the masses,” Robin explains.
Luckily, people in this emerging Nottingham fashion scene all had spots they would head to (there was no texting your mates ‘Pint?’ back in those days), such as the Playhouse Bar and The Old Angel (now known as The Angel Microbrewery). He continues: “What people were wearing in those bars was what everybody wanted to wear — and they were buying it.”
This was also a time when Nottingham’s textiles scene was still thriving, with plenty of factories still whirring away in the Lace Market. Robin says: “When we opened our factory, getting staff was quite easy and we were able to get machinists that were really skilled.”
However, by the early ‘90s, this generation was retiring, and they couldn’t find anyone who had the skills for these machines. “We wanted to produce in Nottingham and in the UK and had a strong identity of being British,” he explains. “That kind of manufacturing is quite difficult to bring back.”
Other designers that were popping up around the same time included Olto, Cocky’s Shed, and Vaughan & Franks — and they all saw success because of how fast the market grew and how easy it was to get premises in Nottingham compared to London. Robin says: “Our first shop on Goose Gate that we rented in the 1980s was £600 rent for the whole year.” While all the local brands were aware of each other, Robin says that they weren’t necessarily in competition with each other. “We’d support one another and even occasionally would do fashion shows together as a group.”
Despite not being in the big smoke at first, G Force still broke out onto the international scene. “We used to take out tiny little adverts in i-D Magazine — no bigger than a postage stamp — and people from Japan saw them and would come all the way to Nottingham to take away as much as they could carry,” Robin explains. “That gave us an opening into the market, so by the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, production was really high.” However, it was still not enough for the brand's demand. “It was a great time to be independent because you could grow so quickly,” he adds.
G Force even had stores in Paris and Brussels and was present at famous fashion shows — which meant the brand caught the eye of a celeb or two. One of those was footballer Eric Cantona, who was papped wearing a G Force jacket after he ‘kung-fu kicked’ a fan. “I didn't know he bought it, but it was on the front page of every newspaper, in colour,” Robin smiles. “It was amazing to get that sort of level of publicity, but without having to do anything to get it.”
Forget influencer collaborations on social media — this was real and authentic. Meanwhile, Vaughan & Franks were worn by members of legendary 80s pop acts Dead or Alive and ABC and Olto were worn by The Police and The Rolling Stones.
Eventually, due to factors such as the recession in Japan and rising costs, Robin made the decision to close down producing G Force in 2007. However, he has recently begun producing limited-edition knitwear from his studio at his home in Mapperley. “Whenever we do a pop-up shop in Nottingham, 50% of people will be in their 20s, buying some of the cheaper items, accessories, or jackets,” Robin explains.
He continues: “There's also another group of people in their 50s and 60s that were around at that time, and they know the product and they say they always wanted to buy a piece but could never afford it, but now can.” As well as this, Robin has now started selling in Japan again, with shoppers loving the pieces old and new.
G Force isn’t the only brand from the ‘80s that is still on the scene today. Vaughan & Franks continues to create one-off custom garments and Olto evolved into One BC, which still produces bespoke garments in its studio at Sneinton Market (you might know it from the adorable Yorkshire terriers that ‘work’ there).
Read more:
Works from these brands and more are being celebrated during the Nottingham Subcultural Fashion in the 1980s exhibition at Bonington Gallery. This has a selection of garments, fashion magazines, photos and archive material from the period. “I've been looking at some of the photographs that have surfaced of people in the G Force shop and wearing the clothes at work — and it’s really nice to compare these to the images from the recent pop-up shops,” Robin says.
There is also an open call for materials from this time, such as flyers, receipts, magazines, and brochures, that will become part of the exhibition, and if contributors are happy, will be preserved within a growing archive of material. To share your anecdotes, photos, or any relevant items, you can email boningtongallery@ntu.ac.uk.
Despite the fashion scene now being a sea of trending colours and acrylic fabrics, there has been a definite resurgence in appreciation for the brands that brought character and flair to the streets of Nottingham and beyond. Robin finishes by saying, “It’s wonderful to get G Force out there again.”
No matter what your style is, it is worth taking the time to step back and appreciate these brilliant labels.
Nottingham Subcultural Fashion in the 1980s is exhibiting at Bonington Gallery until May 10.
boningtongallery.co.uk
@gforce_nottingham
🤳 Keep up with us on socials on Instagram and TikTok
✉️ Send stories such as press releases and feature ideas to editor@thenottsedit.com
💰 Want to feature your business in The Notts Edit? Email Eve Smallman at editor@thenottsedit.com to receive our media pack
☕ Enjoying The Notts Edit? Buy us a coffee on Ko-Fi and help fuel our words