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Nazi chic is the use of style, imagery, iconography, and paraphernalia associated with Nazi Germany in high fashion. Nazi chic originally emerged through Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's designs, sold at their boutique Sex, which became influential in the development of punk fashion. The style was later adopted by the wider fashion industry and partially inspired the leather subculture. Although the trend originated in the West, it later became popular in Asia.
During the 1960s, Surf localism formed loose Gang that surfed in a certain break or beach and fiercely protected their "territory" from outsiders. These surfers were known as "surf punks" or "Surf nazi". The term "surf nazi" initially arose to describe a territorial, aggressive, and obsessive surfer. Some surf clubs in the 1960s, particularly at Windansea in La Jolla, embraced the term by performing Nazi salute, wearing swastikas and Stahlhelm helmets, and painting swastikas on their surfboards and on the Windansea pump house. American artist Ed Roth sold plastic Nazi stormtrooper helmets to surfers in the 1960s, and told Time magazine, "That Hitler really did a helluva public relations job for me." Surfer Miki Dora was noted as a pioneer of surfer "localism" by The New Yorker and would be known to spray paint swastikas on his surf board, while surfer Matt Warshaw later stated, "We’d paint a swastika on something for no other reason than to piss people off. Which it did. So next time we’d paint two swastikas, just to piss ’em off more."
In the mid-1960s, some filmmakers looking for edgy and controversial ideas incorporated Nazi themes into their works for shock value, which became known as Nazi exploitation films, with the 1965 film Censored described as having "the dubious honour of being the very first skinflick to mix Nazis and naked women". Additionally, musicians such as Keith Moon of the Who, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, and Vivian Stanshall of Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band would wear Nazi uniform in publicity photoshoots. Guitarist Ron Asheton of the Stooges collected Nazi memorabilia and wore a swastika armband along with an Iron Cross on stage during live performances with the band.
In the early 1970s, glam rock acts incorporated Nazi symbolism into their works, often for the shock value and outrageousness, or for comedic effect. Ron Mael of the American band Sparks adopted a signature toothbrush moustache which was compared to that of Adolf Hitler. Steve Priest, of the glam rock band the Sweet, wore a Nazi uniform and fake toothbrush moustache in a December 1973 live performance of "Block Buster!", on Top of the Pops. David Bowie would also later appropriate Nazi iconography with his persona "The Thin White Duke" as well as during his Berlin Trilogy. Between 1973–75, Cleveland proto-punk band the Electric Eels drew swastikas on their concert posters, with the early Cleveland punk scene's live events being nicknamed "Extermination Nights".
English heavy metal musician Lemmy of the band Motörhead collected Nazi memorabilia and had an Iron Cross on his bass guitar, but stated that he collected these memorabilia for aesthetics, historical purposes, and interests only. He considered himself "an atheist and an anarchist" and that he was "anti-communism, fascism, any extreme".
In 1984, two T-shirt designs featuring Adolf Hitler were produced in West Germany. The more famous of the two was the "Adolf Hitler European Tour" design, which featured a picture of Hitler against the backdrop of a map of Europe, with conquered territories shaded; a less popular T-shirt featured Hitler giving the Roman salute, and a yo-yo hanging from his hand. The text read "European yo-yo champion 1939–1945". Sale of the apparel led to a legal case in Germany, in an attempt to have it banned as "glorifying genocide". In 1988, Ralph Engelstad was criticized for a party he held at his The Linq hotel-casino in Las Vegas featuring bartenders wearing the "European Tour" shirts. In 1990, the ACLU represented a high school student on Long Island who was told to remove the shirt or face suspension by school officials who claimed the shirt was Antisemitism.
In an interview with Welt am Sonntag, Bryan Ferry, the English singer and musician, acknowledged that he calls his studio in west London his "Führerbunker". He was quoted as saying, "My God, the Nazis knew how to put themselves in the limelight and present themselves". ... Leni Riefenstahl movies and Albert Speer buildings and the mass parades and the flags – just amazing. Really beautiful."
In 2005, Prince Harry was criticized for wearing a costume with a swastika armband causing considerable embarrassment to his family. Harry's impromptu costume resembled the Afrika Korps, rather than more political units such as the Schutzstaffel. Writer Moyra Bremner commented on BBC News 24 that no one had stopped the prince wearing the costume.
Nazi chic fashion can be seen in the music videos for Madonna's "Justify My Love" (1990), Marilyn Manson's "The Fight Song" (2001), and Lady Gaga's "LoveGame" (2009). In 2011, alternative hip hop group OFWGKTA was described by the HuffPost as using nazi iconography for shock value, stating "they brandish the swastika and call themselves Black Nazis".
In 2013, The Guardian published an article on the Danish post-punk band Iceage's controversy regarding their appropriation of Nazi imagery.
In South Korea, an area generally isolated from Nazi cultural influences during the Nazi era, Time magazine observed in 2000 "an unthinking fascination with the icons and imagery of the Third Reich."
In Indonesia, the SoldatenKaffee, a café featuring Nazi decoration and memorabilia closed in 2013, due to controversies and critiques by international media as well as death threats and hate mail to the owners. The SoldatenKaffee reopened in 2014. The owner claimed that his establishment never aimed to promote Nazi ideology, explaining that in Indonesia, Nazism was only seen "from a historical perspective". The SoldatenKaffee closed again in 2016 due to lack of local demand. Six months later, the owner's lawyer announced that the cafe would open in a new location with more space.
There is an ongoing interest in Thailand in Nazi symbolism, particularly among young people. The fascination with such imagery is considered to be based on a lack of understanding of the Holocaust rather than political leanings or hate crime. A Nazi-themed restaurant in Ubon Ratchathani was opened in 2011 called Hitler Fried Chicken, which gained considerable social media traction after an image of it was posted on Twitter. At this point, the restaurant had already changed its name to H-ler Food and Drink and censored Adolf Hitler's face on its store-front branding.
In 2006, a restaurant named Hitler's Cross was opened in Mumbai, India. It was later renamed after protests by the Indian Jewish community. 'Nazi Collection' Bedspread was launched, by a Mumbai-based home furnishing company in 2007. In 2007, in Gujarat a men's clothing store named Hitler was in the news. After the outrage, the owners claimed they did not know Adolf Hitler. In 2011, a pool parlour named Hitler's Den was opened in Nagpur. It included the Nazi swastika and insignia. The Israeli embassy in India expressed displeasure with the naming. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organisation, called for the parlour to be renamed. However, the owners refused.
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