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Fashioning Visibility: The Windrush Generation’s Style and Influence
- Sophie Lambert
- 10 hours ago
- 4 min read
When the HMT Empire Windrush docked the shore at Tilbury, Essex in 1948, the hundreds of passengers it brought from the Caribbean expected a new start in what they believed to be the “motherland”. What they were met with was far from a sense of belonging, and the British propaganda extended to the colonies was far from the Britain that they had arrived in.
Despite the number of passengers on the HMT Empire Windrush being relatively small compared to the migration from the Caribbean seen in the 1950s and 60s, the ‘Windrush Generation’ would become shorthand for all Caribbean migrants who would come to Britain from 1948-1971.
They were invited, seemingly with open-arms, to help rebuild post-war Britain under the 1948 British Nationality Act, which gave them the right to live and work in Britain. Due to the crushing legacy of colonial rule and enslavement, Caribbean countries had been struggling with low wages, widespread unemployment and overall economic hardship and the move to the UK offered opportunity. When they arrived, many became manual workers, drivers, cleaners and nurses, like my Grandmother, who moved from Guyana to work as a nurse for the newly founded NHS.
However, upon their arrival, the ‘Windrush Generation’ was met with hostility and alienation due to prevailing racist attitudes. Black people were prevented from getting jobs and equal access to housing, without paying a premium, and skilled workers were often forbidden from taking on customer-facing roles.
Although this resulted in several methods of resistance across the generations to come, fashion became a mode of self-expression and empowerment through visibility, resisting the expectation to blend in.
A lot of the men of the ‘Windrush Generation’ arrived dressed in tailored suits, wide-legged trousers and trilby hats, believing that dressing their best would symbolise their readiness to work. The formal wear in the Caribbean at this time was largely inspired by African American cinema. In the Caribbean, dressing well was seen as a form of self-respect, and the Windrush Generation carried this belief with them to the UK, asserting dignity in the face of hostile attitudes.
Fast-forward to the 2025 Met Gala, in which the theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” saw celebrities such as Colman Domingo, ASAP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and Lewis Hamilton introduce the mainstream fashion world to the concept of Black dandyism. Taryn Finley explains this concept as “a man unduly devoted to style, neatness, and fashion” and, more widely, the use of fashion as a vehicle for self-expression and a subtle form of rebellion against societal norms. The exhibition, curated by Monica L Miller, explored how dandyism in Black culture is an assertion of autonomy, beauty and power in a world that continues to attempt to restrict Black expression.
Despite Black dandyism being mostly associated with the post-Emancipation period and Harlem Renaissance, the same spirit of this concept was embodied by the Windrush Generation. The visibility asserted by their Sunday best outfits disrupted the British fashion landscape and resisted the expectation to assimilate.
“Black contributions to Britain’s sartorial canon are as extensive as the existence of Black communities on these isles, with dressing long serving as a crucial means of resisting against and rising above diminishing perceptions- and defiantly asserting an empowered, dignified sense of identity”
Mahoro Seward for British Vogue
In the 1950s, many of the wives who had been left behind in the Caribbean joined their husbands in the UK, working as talented seamstresses who used their skills to design clothing for the community, bringing Caribbean influence to the British fashion landscape. Trousers became more tapered with pleated waists and the influence of American cinema continued, with knitted pullovers, bomber jackets and the rise of denim jeans.
The 1960s marked a cultural shift in the fashion scene within the UK with the emergence of the rocker, hippy and mod scenes. Ska, a genre of music with Jamaican influence, took hold of cities in the UK where Caribbean migration was most dense. Ska musicians Prince Buster and Desmond Dekker became British menswear icons. Their influence was seen in the rise of large-collared jackets, porkpie hats and wide-flared trousers amongst the UK’s Caribbean population, far removed from the crispy tailored suits worn by the passengers of the HMT Empire Windrush.
The rampant racism of the 1970s, seen through the rise of The National Front, was met with resistance in many forms, including fashion. The Black Panther Movement of the US began to open in the UK, seeing young Black people styled in leather jackets and military boots in solidarity with the cause. Clothes were used as a political statement and continued to be a means of showcasing pride in one’s identity.
“[We] differed significantly from the 1948 Windrush arrivals. We not only wanted to live and work in Britain but we also wanted our voices to be heard through political channels to enforce change”
Lorna Holder, fashion designer and author of 'Style in my DNA'
Throughout the decades following their arrival, clothing for the Windrush Generation was not just for utility, but a means of asserting dignity and resistance in the face of discrimination or pressure to assimilate. Whilst fashion is often used to reflect the spirit or unrest of its time, the style of the Windrush Generation and their descendants simultaneously expresses celebration, pride and defiance. Its enduring influence, as seen at the 2025 Met Gala, continues to demand visibility.
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