London’s goth history is crawling back out of the crypt – and it has brought some excellent clothes with it.
Cult British label PURE SEX has officially relaunched after more than three decades, beginning its new era with an exclusive collaboration celebrating The Batcave: the seminal Soho club widely credited with helping to shape Britain’s goth scene.
The collaboration was unveiled at ARO Archive in Shoreditch, kicking off a week long exclusive pop-up featuring the new capsule collection alongside rare garments, photography and ephemera from The Batcave archive.
Founded by Dave Darcy in the mid-1980s after his departure from BOY London, PURE SEX drew heavily upon London’s post-punk and DIY cultures. Its Kensington Market boutique became known for vinyl dresses, studded harnesses and serious attitude.
The Batcave, meanwhile, opened in 1982 as a weekly club night for founders Jon Klein and Ollie Wisdom’s band Specimen. Its famous dancefloor would go on to attract figures including Nick Cave, Robert Smith and members of Bauhaus, becoming a meeting place for the capital’s emerging alternative scene before “goth” had settled into a clearly defined identity.
Four decades later, the aesthetic has lost none of its bite, with a fresh flock of young Londoners discovering darkwave music, archival clubwear and kohl-lined eyes afresh.
Arriving during Punk 50, the Shoreditch exhibition marks the opening chapter in a broader cultural and archival programme planned around PURE SEX – watch this space, and don’t forget your eyeliner.
PURE SEX × The Batcave is at ARO Archive, 1–3 French Place, Shoreditch, London E1 6JB, for one week following its July18 launch.
Samsung is teaming up with Star Trek for a 60th anniversary celebration that will turn parts of London into a holodeck for fans. Six decades after Star Trek: The Original Series first transported audiences into the final frontier, Samsung is joining the anniversary celebrations with a UK partnership spanning London, Paramount+, and retail. Samsung’s flagship…
Japan House London is set to turn heads this autumn with Tradition/Rebellion: Coming‑of‑Age Style in Kitakyushu, Japan, a new exhibition celebrating one of Japan’s most flamboyant fashion subcultures. Opening November 11 2026, the show brings the extraordinary style of Kitakyushu’s Coming‑of‑Age Ceremony to Kensington High Street, where platform sandals, fur‑trimmed kimono and gravity‑defying hair will…
Six decades after Vince Guaraldi Trio’s gentle piano and brushed percussion first accompanied Charlie Brown’s Christmas troubles, A Charlie Brown Christmas has become the best-selling jazz album of all time, certified 6X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The achievement marks six million album sales and streaming equivalents in the US. The milestone…
The Luxe Review 
London’s goth history is crawling back out of the crypt – and it has brought some excellent clothes with it.
Cult British label PURE SEX has officially relaunched after more than three decades, beginning its new era with an exclusive collaboration celebrating The Batcave: the seminal Soho club widely credited with helping to shape Britain’s goth scene.
The collaboration was unveiled at ARO Archive in Shoreditch, kicking off a week long exclusive pop-up featuring the new capsule collection alongside rare garments, photography and ephemera from The Batcave archive.
Founded by Dave Darcy in the mid-1980s after his departure from BOY London, PURE SEX drew heavily upon London’s post-punk and DIY cultures. Its Kensington Market boutique became known for vinyl dresses, studded harnesses and serious attitude.
The Batcave, meanwhile, opened in 1982 as a weekly club night for founders Jon Klein and Ollie Wisdom’s band Specimen. Its famous dancefloor would go on to attract figures including Nick Cave, Robert Smith and members of Bauhaus, becoming a meeting place for the capital’s emerging alternative scene before “goth” had settled into a clearly defined identity.
Four decades later, the aesthetic has lost none of its bite, with a fresh flock of young Londoners discovering darkwave music, archival clubwear and kohl-lined eyes afresh.
Arriving during Punk 50, the Shoreditch exhibition marks the opening chapter in a broader cultural and archival programme planned around PURE SEX – watch this space, and don’t forget your eyeliner.
PURE SEX × The Batcave is at ARO Archive, 1–3 French Place, Shoreditch, London E1 6JB, for one week following its July18 launch.
Samsung turns flagship King’s Cross store into Star Trek central as franchise celebrates 60 Years
Samsung is teaming up with Star Trek for a 60th anniversary celebration that will turn parts of London into a holodeck for fans. Six decades after Star Trek: The Original Series first transported audiences into the final frontier, Samsung is joining the anniversary celebrations with a UK partnership spanning London, Paramount+, and retail. Samsung’s flagship…
Wild Coming‑of‑Age Japanese fashion exhibition heads to Japan House London
Japan House London is set to turn heads this autumn with Tradition/Rebellion: Coming‑of‑Age Style in Kitakyushu, Japan, a new exhibition celebrating one of Japan’s most flamboyant fashion subcultures. Opening November 11 2026, the show brings the extraordinary style of Kitakyushu’s Coming‑of‑Age Ceremony to Kensington High Street, where platform sandals, fur‑trimmed kimono and gravity‑defying hair will…
How A Charlie Brown Christmas became the best-selling jazz album of all time
Six decades after Vince Guaraldi Trio’s gentle piano and brushed percussion first accompanied Charlie Brown’s Christmas troubles, A Charlie Brown Christmas has become the best-selling jazz album of all time, certified 6X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The achievement marks six million album sales and streaming equivalents in the US. The milestone…
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