Keyword

Liberating Dress

‘A society of ugly people is an immoral society’

‘A society of ugly people is an immoral society’

Bodily beauty in the Kindred of the Kibbo Kift

In 1920, a group of youth leaders walked out of the Boy Scout movement in Britain, disillusioned with the increasing militarism of its methods. Led by the former scout commissioner and artist John Hargrave, the pacifist styled themselves as The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift, adapting a term from archaic Cheshire dialect meaning ‘proof of strength.’ This new, all-ages group promoted creative expression, physical health and fitness through camping, hiking and handicraft.

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Loose Fit

Loose Fit

Politics, Policy and Dress Reform in the 20th Century

Founded in 1929 by radiologist Alfred Jordan, along with a collection of eugenicists, the Men’s Dress Reform Group was formed with the intention of furthering the human race through men’s dress and correcting its various physical and social constraints by addressing the health concerns of highly tailored and un-washable men’s dress of the time, as well as outlining aesthetic reform, that attempted to further the beauty of men.

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