SEX, Punk fashion boutique at 430 King's Road, London, England
SEX was a boutique at 430 King's Road in Chelsea, London, that sold punk fashion between 1974 and 1976. The shop presented bondage clothing, leather items, and original designs by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren beneath a large pink foam rubber sign.
The boutique opened in 1974 at the same location as the earlier shop Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die and became a meeting point for the emerging punk scene. It closed in 1976 after influencing the fashion and attitude of an entire generation for two years.
The store employed Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols and sold clothing featuring fetish elements, torn fabrics, and political messages. Its window displays showed rubber accessories and provoking t-shirts that shaped the look of the early punk movement.
The shop was located on King's Road in Chelsea, a neighborhood then known for its alternative fashion stores. Today a different business occupies this address, but the house number remains a reference point for visitors interested in punk history.
The pink foam rubber sign above the entrance measured around three feet (one meter) in height and drew attention by displaying the three letters in oversized form. Vivienne Westwood often sewed directly in the shop and adjusted garments for customers while they waited in the store.
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