A style tribe or fashion tribe is a group of people that dress

Clothing

Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...

 in a distinctive style to show their membership in this group. Examples include punks

Punk fashion

Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry, and body modifications of the punk subculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including...

, goths, hip-hop devotees, and ravers. The term "style tribe" appears to have been coined by anthropologist Ted Polhemus

Ted Polhemus

Ted Polhemus is an American anthropologist, writer, and photographer who lives and works on England's south coast. His work focuses on fashion and anti-fashion, identity, and the sociology of style and of the body – his objective, to explore the social and communicative importance of personal...

, who analyzed style tribes in terms of the modern primitive and an abandonment of a linear trajectory of progress in fashion.

Further reading

• Polhemus, Ted. Streetstyle: From Sidewalk to Catwalk. Thames and Hudson (1994). ISBN 050027794X.
• White, Nicola & Ian Griffiths. The Fashion Business: Theory, Practice, Image. Berg Publishers (2000): p7. ISBN 185973359X.
• Taylor, Lou. The Study of Dress History. Manchester University Press (2002), p212. ISBN 0719040655.
• Duffty, Keanan & Gorman, Paul. Rebel, Rebel: Anti-Style. Universe Publishing (2009). ISBN 0789318105