British photographer Derek Ridgers has been snapping social scenes and youth culture for over 40 years, including five years of documenting skinheads.
His pictures were taken between 1979 and 1984 in London and nearby seaside towns and published in his book, 78/87 London Youth.
Tuinol Barry, Chelsea, 1981
"In 1979 I had been documenting this nascent scene in the Soho nightclub Billy's and, one evening, a group of about half-a-dozen skinheads turned up. They saw me taking photographs and one of them asked me if I'd like to take some photos of them too. They seemed pretty friendly and not at all camera-shy and so I took a few snaps. That was what led, eventually, to five years of photographing skinheads." – Derek Ridgers
Babs, Soho, 1987
"I was a very low-rent skinhead for a short while but I didn’t have the money to buy the proper gear and, what with wearing glasses and not being too keen on fighting, I didn’t make a very good skinhead." – Derek Ridgers
Chelsea, 1982
"There was no self-censorship, I always wanted to remain objective. I didn't want either to glorify the skinhead lifestyle or become an apologist for them. And I still don't. My political and social views were not the same as most of the skinheads of that time but I hope the photographs can now speak for themselves." – Derek Ridgers
Chris, King's Road, 1982
"My approach to skinheads was a respectful and non-patronising one. I was genuinely interested in them, and I suppose the skinheads felt they were being seen and being listened to seriously." - Derek Ridgers
Dawn and Becky, Putney, 1980
"All the skinheads that I spoke to seemed to have very similar political and social views. Of course, it could have been that the more moderate ones simply kept their opinions to themselves. So I really can’t say that all skinheads were politically and socially extreme, just those that chose to voice their opinions to me." – Derek Ridgers
Donna, Leicester Square, 1982
John and Dave, Chelsea, 1981
Soho, 1984 (left); east London, 1980 (right)
Mark, Leicester Square, 1981
"Although, at the time, I found their political and social views very depressing, I was never very sure quite how deeply held those views were. In chatting to ex-skinheads nowadays almost all of them say they were not like that themselves, it was the others. Who would I be to say this wasn’t true? I think it’s great that so many of them now have more moderate opinions." – Derek Ridgers
At the Hope, Southend, 1979 (left); Billy's march, 1979 (right)
June, 1981
Leicester Square, 1981 (left); Smiler, Soho, 1984 (right)
"Mostly the feedback on the photographs was positive but not exclusively so. One can never please everybody and especially not with a difficult subject like skinheads." – Derek Ridgers
Skinheads outside the Last Resort, 1981
Tosh, Leicester Square, 1983
Kevin, near the Last Resort, 1981
Alex, Hounslow, 1980 (left); Leicester Square, 1981 (right)
78/87 London Youth. https://www.damianieditore.com