TARGET SHIRTS - 1973

Target shirts were a familiar sight around Dundee in the mid 70's. "Target" being the brand name. They were first worn in 1973 by skinheads who were kicking around in gangs, and were as popular as Ben Sherman shirts. Shops such as "Robbie's" in the Overgate sold them.
However, it was a rather short-lived fashion in gang circles, because in 1974 the Bay City Rollers had stormed onto the music scene and these tartan shirts became part of the BCR image. Needless to say, the gangs ditched the shirts once teenyboppers started wearing them!

DUNDEE GANG JERSEYS IN THE 70's

Dundee gangs in the 70's came up with a unique way of displaying which housing scheme they came from - by wearing jerseys of different colours.
Most of these high V-neck jersey's were made at the Knitting & Sewing Centre in Victoria Road.
The design consisted of 1 main broad band across the chest and arms, with a pocket on the top left of the chest in inverted colours, and 2 thin bands around the waist, cuffs & collar. As time went by, customised variants would be seen, such as, pockets on the upper arms, initials on the pockets, and anything up to 5 bands around the waist & cuffs. There were also cardigan versions of the concept.
Although this gang knitwear was exclusively Dundee based, the designs were an adaptation of American "Ivy League" sweaters Mods in the UK wore in the 60's.

The jersey's above are Douglas Toddy, Mid (Mid Craigie), Kirkton Huns, Lochee Fleet, Beechie Mob (Beechwood) and Fintry Shams.
These examples are just a small selection of who was wearing what back then.
Click on the image to enlarge or download.

DUNDEE GRAFFITI IN THE 60'S

Way before there was stylized graffiti as it has become today, and even before the abundance of gang graffiti in the 70's, Dundee was still being tagged upon.

In the 60's, chalk and stones were most commonly used for the swift tag, usually by those who were school aged.

For the older and more daring, a pot of paint and a brush were the tools used to get the job done. Gangs like SHIMMY (above), HUNS & COSMO were on the go, and I remember there was a huge MAFIA painted on Gussie Park wall.

Political slogans were also daubed in paint. I recall "NO POLARIS" and the "Ban The Bomb" CND symbol splashed on the walls in Exchange Street and under the rail bridge at Riverside (above).

Another method was to "etch" into a wall with something sharp.

There were examples of this technique along the length of the Riverside wall. Basic stuff like "We luv the Beatles", grooved like gouged tree trunks?

Anyway, by the early 70's when aerosols and felt pens were made commercially available, these took over, and are still the main gear used today.