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.
Canary Wharf workers, consider this your most important lunch meeting of the week. New pub The Tallyman is celebrating its arrival in the Wharf by giving away 200 free lobster rolls worth £18 each on Thursday 17 September. From midday until 3pm, the first 200 people to visit its outdoor Tallyman Seafood Shack will get…
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…
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.
This new Canary Wharf pub is giving away 200 free lobster rolls
Canary Wharf workers, consider this your most important lunch meeting of the week. New pub The Tallyman is celebrating its arrival in the Wharf by giving away 200 free lobster rolls worth £18 each on Thursday 17 September. From midday until 3pm, the first 200 people to visit its outdoor Tallyman Seafood Shack will get…
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…
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