How the 80s Buffalo Movement Changed Fashion Forever

Buffalo. The name alone conjures a near-mythical creature whose presence commands respect. Moving as part of a group with a distinctive blend of power and grace, the buffalo was nearly driven to extinction by the US government in order to subjugate Native Americans. It would ultimately prevail and become a symbol of freedom, inspiring visionaries like Bob Marley, Malcolm McLaren – and Ray Petri, the man widely considered to be the first modern fashion stylist.

Although Petri’s name may be unfamiliar, and his life was cut short by AIDS in 1989 at the age of 41, his work has become a blueprint for our present age. More than a look, Buffalo was a movement across fashion, music, art, magazines and nightlife that took root in early 1980s London among a collective of young photographers, models, stylists and designers, and was later popularised by Neneh Cherry’s hit song, Buffalo Stance.