Godmother of the punk movement with several strings to her bow: poetry, music, literature, painting, photography...Patti Smith is the woman who inspired us, as you will have understood, our Patti glitter socks.
Just a kid
Born in Chicago in the mid-1940s, Patti Smith turned to the artistic field at a very early age. Having graduated with the equivalent of a high school diploma, she began working in a factory to finance her higher education. Not convinced by this way of life, she then left for New York , frequented the high places of the underground and punk scene and took her first steps as an artist.
First a critic for Creem and Rolling Stone , she began her career by adapting her poems into songs. Thanks to the attraction of those around her for her talent, she created her own rock group in 1973: " Patti Smith Group ".
The artist put his concerts on hold following a serious accident and then returned to the stage at the end of the 90s with new albums, continuing, even today, to bring his art to life through concerts, exhibitions and public readings .
Committed icon
Patti Smith has always been a committed woman , whether through the words she writes or the messages she conveys. A true pacifist activist , she condemned the war in Iraq, the Chinese influence on Tibet and the policies of George Bush.
The only iconic woman in rock with Janis Joplin, she has become, more or less in spite of herself, a symbol of feminism , cultivating a certain androgynous look and not hesitating to appear, on album covers, with unshaved armpits and moustache.
Fashion icon
So, Patti Smith created a look all her own . Sporting a white shirt and suspender pants on her album cover, she literally changed the way women were supposed to dress in the music industry .
It is also this white shirt that defines her the most, generally associated with a tie, a black coat, a jacket and rangers. A sober look but which breaks the codes (in the manner of our Patti ) and which she has managed to make timeless .
I hope you enjoyed this article, I'll leave you with my favorite Patti Smith song, enjoy listening 🎸