Download - Uk Tribes
Olivia Kelly
UK Tribes
Aspirant Mainstream
Aspirant mainstream is made up of both Rahs and Trendies. They are an open-minded tribe, willing to socialise and interact with other tribes. They
attract a large amount of young girls due to its wide ranging tastes and fashion sense, as money is not a
concern, freely spending it on themselves and others. Aspirant
mainstream kids indulge in big name brands such as Topshop and
American Apparel. Magazines and billboards play a large part in
marketing both their music and fashion. However, social media is
their main source in picking up on the newest trends and celebrities are
a huge influence on the aspirant mainstream scene – jeans, bags and make-up are must have essentials
for them.
Rahs are either loved or hated by other tribes, with icons such as
Peaches Geldolf. Their often upper-class roots have been over-shadowed by the birth of cool in the past, however in
recent years it is something to now brag about. They have a
showy fashion and large, over-powering personalities. They dip in and out of both the indie and urban scene within their
large clans.
Emerging from slightly less upper-classed backgrounds,
Trendies are self-consciously fashionable. Their relatively ahead-of-the-curve fashion
is either admired and bought by others or simply loathed.
Trendies are usually overwhelmed with money,
embracing this lifestyle involves serious spending
power for their well-researched taste and
vintage clothing.
Mainstream
Mainstream has more recently become known for the likes of the Casuals, the Boy Racers
and the Sport Junkies, as more recently, Mainstream is slowly becoming one of the
less popular tribes. Rather than choosing to get along with other tribes, they are quick to judge others and criticize those who wish to stand out from the crowd, they’d rather opt for a well
known sports brand instead. Probably the best ways to appeal to a Mainstream
audience is through TV, radio and the internet, for things
such as socializing and entertainment purposes.
Townies differ to Casuals as they are more likely to be seen where other tribes may be, for instance the high street.
Casuals are more your stereotypical view, such as football and drinking. Chavs are the proudest of the lot, they enjoy their ‘tacky’ sense of fashion and their rowdy behaviour,
whereas Street Rats are the less proud tribe.
Although Ravers are the party-goers, their tribe has become more about the alternative scene. Boy Racers are ‘loud and proud’, they enjoy their fast cars and bass music,
rather similar to the likes of the Sports Junkies. Neither are afraid to let go of the
friends who ‘sell out’.
Urban
There is usually a particular pattern; the DIY-ers who create the image and the ones who buy in to the tribe like
Blingers, Get Paid Crew and Trackies. The Urban scene such as its fashion and music is usually developed into
mainstream publishing and TV, but the primary members of the tribe like to get their inspiration from their environment around them, for instance in clubs and surrounding social
network sites.
Youtube,MySpace and Facebook are
considered essential to
memebers of the Urban
tribe.
Trackies may appear
intimidating from first glance, but
their personalities tend to be much more friendly, laid-back and open minded,
they merely enjoy consuming music and film with their friends. The US scene such as its music and icons
are the main interest for the
Blingers, therefore if this means spending
money on the biggest labels, then they will,
even though they are known to be mocked for their materialistic
attitude.
The traditional working class is represented within the Urban tribe through the Get Paid Crew; their main driving force being money. DIY-ers are said to have more of an understanding of themselves
and their culture, they tend to be more independent and original with both the music
they listen to and movies they watch.
Alternative
Alternatives tend to be rebellious, often conforming with their peers, yet are open-
minded about their music interests and their fashion – they are determined to be different,
interested in Alternative brands such as Converse and Vans, also Kufiyas. Usually the tribe is made up of both working and
middle class kids, they are passionate about music and often their friendship groups, tastes
and general interests are largely defined online.
New fashion trends emerge usually from
outside the Alternative scene, regularly finding
influence from magazines and social media, however peer
influence is also important.
*Leading Edge
Geeks and Hipsters are classic hit-makers in the Leading Edge tribe. They tend to be fairly grown up, it takes time and research to grow into
an expert of the Leading Edge, often sharing this with the younger generation. They often see the wider picture and have an awareness of
cultural influence becomes apparent with age and knowledge, particularly with specific genres of music or fashion.
Leading Edge contains a small sub tribe called the Craft Kids, they are extremely
influential on fashion, food, and creativity usually
expressing their interests through their blogs and
ideas. Making and sharing is important to them, they are keen on recycling, knitwear and art, all of which making them recognisable within the
Hippy tribe.