Ray Petri's Buffalo look was one of the defining styles of the eighties. Drawing inspiration from street style, new romantics, Jamaican culture, native Americian imagery, punks and rude boys, Petri styled editorials for The Face magazine from 1983 to 1989. Buffalo wasn't just a look but an attitude and creative collective of designers, models, hairstylists and pop stars.
Petri's aesthetic vision created a new form of masculinity in fashion, and soon crossed over to mainstream street style thanks to commercial success of pops stars like Nick Kamen and Neneh Cherry. MA1 flight jackets, Dr. Martens and Levi's 501s became the standard uniform for young British men in the 80's.
Petri inspired many stylists in the way he mixed street/sports wear with high fashion. Buffalo style blurred boundaries, it was stylized but tough, androgynous and multi-cultural. Names associated with the Buffalo movement included Jamie Morgan, Nick and Barry Kamen, Neneh Cherry, Judy Blame, Jean Baptiste Mondino, Mark Lebon and Naomi Campbell.
Photography by Jamie Morgan
Styling by Ray Petri