As Black History Month is upon us, This couldn’t be a perfect time to talk about this phenomenal masterpiece on culture and identity formation through style called, Black Ivy: a Revolt in Style, a new book by Jason Jules & Graham Marsh, about the hugely influential but - until now - relatively undiscussed subculture of Black men adopting and adapting Ivy League style - the repp ties, chinos, loafers and oxford shirts of a Waspy elite - as both an armour and personal aesthetic during the tumult of 20th century America.
A time of political, racial and economic disparity and upheaval. "A consciousness of style," he continues, "in essence, emerges when one asserts one's right to self-definition and the right to take control of one's own identity."
A project many years in the making, Jules is a writer, stylist, model, consultant and one of the most popular figures in menswear, someone who is well placed to thoughtfully explore the history and meaning behind a subculture that goes well beyond clothes — what Jules refers to as a "sartorial power grab." With art direction and design by Graham Marsh, the book charts the style and influence of the likes of Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Miles Davis, Martin Luther King. Jr, John Coltrane and Sidney Poitier and what the clothes they wore, and when they wore them, said about them and their place in the word.
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