We Are The Mods
Mod comes from the term ‘Modernist’ which is a subculture that originated in London in the late 1950’s and came to its peak in the mid 1960’s. The most significant elements of the Mod culture is the fashion which they wore which includes tailored suits, the music they listened to such as Ska, R&B, Soul and British beat music and they rode Italian scooters such as Vespa’s and Lambretta’s. “We are the Mods” was their slogan and is still used today.
Mod fashion was inspired by French and Italian trends which were very sophisticated and neat. Suits looked tailor made with narrow lapels and thin ties and pointed toed shoes which became the pinnacle of the male Mod look. Mods chose classic scooters over motorcycles as the style of Vespa and Lambretta scooters concealed the engines and were less likely to spoil or stain an expensive suit with grease. The use of scooters led to Mods wearing Military parkas to protect their beloved suits from mud and rain. Women were very androgynous and they sported short haircuts and wore flat shoes, pale makeup with false eyelashes and occasionally wore men’s clothing. Many people associate Britain’s most famous super model, Twiggy, with the high fashion Mod style.
There was a Mod revival in the late 1970’s when the film Quadraphenia was released. 
Thousands of Mods attended scooter rallies in places like the Isle of Wight and Scarborough. This led to a revival of scooters amongst the fashion forward youth who adopted the Mod lifestyle. Vespa’s and Lambretta’s were once again the epitome of style and cool and were highly sought after.
“We are the Mods” is a phrase that has been used in literature, film and even Opera’s to depict the most stylistic era of British history in the 20th Century. “We are the Mods” is used on many classic scooter websites and forums where Mods can get together for scooter rallies and share their common interest.
This article was written by Elliot Drake. Copyright 2009.
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