The Cradle of Punk

Published: 2009-11-05

Sex Pistols - 430 Kings Road

In 1971 Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood opened their first shop at 430 King's Road in London, it was called 'Let It Rock'. In 1974 the shop was moved further down King's Road and the shop name was changed to 'SEX'.

It first began when Malcolm McLaren opened at what was called Paradise Garage, which had a small shop behind it where Mclaren sold records and eventually Teddy Boy clothes: this evolved into his own store, which he ran with Vivienne Westwood, called Let it Rock, selling Teddy Boy clothes. They later moved further down the road to open a rubber and leather fetish wear store which they named SEX. Famously, the Sex Pistols auditioned Johnny Rotten in the shop.

SEX was by no means the only boutique of its kind on the King's Road and by the time British punk rock developed a larger following, there were competitors including; Boy, Granny Takes A Trip & Beaufort Market. SEX received many famous visitors, including Adam Ant, The Sex Pistols, Bromley Contingent; and had their own little following such as Helen Wellington Loyd, store workers like Chrissie Hynde, Jordan, Debbie Juvenile and others. This store became very famous in the punk rock scene and produced such famous clothes as the Cambridge Rapist T-shirts, the shirt featuring cowboys drawn by Tom of Finland, "Destroy" shirts, "venus" shirts, "tits" shirts, fetish wear and others.