2010 saw Team McKee traveling to Tokyo to exhibit ‘Teenage Kicks’, a show at Paul Smith’s flagship store in the city. Pete was approached by Sir Paul to collaborate on an exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of the brand in Japan and the inextricable link between music and fashion. The show featured paintings exploring musical subcultures and those that follow them- from goths to punks to teddy boys. Coiffed quiffs, winklepickers, mini-skirts and mopeds- the style statements that defined a generation- were Pete’s inspiration for the work, and he had plenty to draw on from his own life experience.
To commemorate the show, exclusive t-shirts and tote bags designed in collaboration with Paul Smith were available at the store, along with ‘Teenage Kicks’ the book- a beautifully produced limited edition book written in English and Japanese and featuring work from the exhibition, sketches and writing. The book comes complete with a very special 12” etched piece of white vinyl and a foreword by Phil Oakey of the Human League, and is a must-own for any musical McKee fan.
You can view the work from this collection here.