13 Influential Gothic Fashion Brands

Surprising as it may be, fashion brands are a significant part of the Goth subculture – they inspire new looks, allow artists and designers within the subculture to make a living from their talents, and help Goths to establish an identity. Below I’ve featured 13 brands that are particularly well known in the movement…

13. Spiral

Via spiral.org.uk

Starting out as record company producing Gothic/New Age music in the late 80s, Spiral went on to make their own brand jewellery and incense. Spiral’s jewellery (which is all made in the UK with high quality British pewter) is all based on Celtic and historical designs, and they’ve worked with some big names in Celtic and Gothic fashion, including artist Courtney Davis and Alchemy Gothic. They have loads more goodies beside their own brands on their website (including some really unusual antiquities), so have a look!

12. Spiral Direct

Via spiraldirect.com

Not to be confused with Spiral! A much more recent company that has quickly become a main supplier of Gothic fashion stores in the UK, Spiral Direct make t-shirts and other clothing aimed at the Goth and Metalhead crowd. Their strength comes from their sheer output; they’ll come up with lots of new designs every month or so, all of which pay attention to trends in alternative fashion.

11. Kreepsville 666

Via kreepsville666.com

Another relative newcomer to the Gothic fashion scene (established in 2006), Kreepsville 666 is now known internationally as a leading brand of original and brilliantly fun designs with a strong Deathrock influence.

10. Doc Marten

Via store.drmartens.co.uk

One of the oldest brands here (est. 1960 in the UK) that started out as a popular, practical boot for working men, Dr Martens (or Docs) eventually became the staple brand shoewear for punks and grunge fans. Plenty of goths like them too.

9. Raven SDL

Via ravensdl.com

One of the most famous names in Camden, Raven have been staying on the edge of Gothic, Industrial, Cyber, Punk and more recently Steampunk fashion for years now. The photos on their website don’t really do them justice; go and see them in real life in one of their outlets. The designs are original, elaborate and the high prices more often than not justified.

8. Moi Meme Moitie

Via moi-meme-moitie.shop-pro.jp

The Japanese Lolita and Visual Kei scenes have made a massive contribution to worldwide Gothic fashion, and so one of the many Japanese labels have to be mentioned. Moi Meme Moitie is a brand founded by Mana of the Visual Kei band Malice Mizer, and their designs are beautifully dark and original.

7. Demonia

Via demonia.co.uk

You’ll love browsing Demonia’s huge range of shoes, as there’s something for everyone – sexy boots, cyber-style platforms and creepers with Deathrock/Rockabilly designs.

6. Vivienne Westwood

Via viviennewestwood.co.uk

Although more closely associated with punk, Vivienne Westwood has been such a big name in alternative fashion as a whole that she cannot be left out. And creations such a this dress demonstrate that the brand’s still got a lot to offer the alternative crowd (who can afford it, that is).

5. Lip Service

Via lip-service.com

One of the original 80s brands, Lip Service clothes are defined by their sexiness - there’s plenty of clubwear here. They play around with a lot of different styles too – punk, industrial, steampunk and there’s even a Tribal Bellydance-style top in their current collection.

4. Cyber Dog

Via shop.cyberdog.net

A trip to Camden, the UK’s spiritual home of Gothic fashion, isn’t complete nowadays without a visit to Cyber Dog’s HQ – they’ve got dancers, android sculptures and UV lighting everywhere. Cyber Dog is indisputably the no.1 brand for Cyber fashion; their designs are innovative, exceptionally creative and extremely futuristic.

3. Kambriel

Via kambriel.com

Kambriel has been making exceptionally beautiful Gothic clothing since the early 90s, and her client list includes some big names including Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer. When you see her designs, which are as original as they are gorgeous, you’ll understand why.

2. Alchemy Gothic

Via alchemygothic.com

Since their establishment in the 1970s, Alchemy have become less of a fashion brand and more of an institution – they have their own community and even mythology surrounding their mascot, The Alchemist. You will almost certainly have seen Goths wear their jewellery, which is bold, chunky and very artistic. Like other successful and long-running Gothic fashion brands, Alchemy are highly prolific (they create new designs and retire old ones more quickly than almost any other alternative jewellery designer out their) and stick with the times carefully – the minute a trend catches on in the world of subculture, they’ll pounce on it like vampires on jugulars.

1. New Rock

Via newrock.com

I don’t think any brand (no, not even Alchemy) has become such an identifier of Goth affiliation as New Rock boots. Their distinctive look is instantly recognisable, and it’s used as something of a flag among Goths – no matter what other clothes you happen to be wearing, New Rock will instantly reveal you to other Goths as one of the tribe. You may think that their bulky, aggressive, biker-inspired appearance would only give them appeal among the Industrial and Cyber crowd, but bizarrely enough you’ll see plenty of Trad and Romantic Goths sporting these boots rather incongruently (but marvellously so) with their long velvet skirts and poet shirts. They’re perhaps one of the few brands that have almost universal appeal among Goths, which is quite an achievement.