What we wear is dangerous gear, it'll get you picked on anywhere, though we get beat up we don't care, at least it livens up the air - The Clash, City Of The Dead, 1977

It could be argued that more than any other band of their generation, The Clash's visual image was an integral part of their musical vision that moulded together punk rock, reggae, rock 'n' roll, rap and disco. Their look always mirrored the kind of music they were making at the time, whether it was the Jackson Pollock influenced paint-splattered streetwear adorned with stencilled political slogans and printed urban images during the "White Riot" period, or their mutation into rockabilly rebels with a penchant for military-chic fuelled by their growing passion for Americana on the Give Em' Enough Rope Tour of the U.S. in 1979.
Unlike The Sex Pistols, The Clash didn't have the McClaren/Westwood fashion machine that was the SEX shop behind them, instead, they customised their costumes personally, under the leadership of bass player, Paul Simenon who studied at the exclusive Byam Shaw Art College in Holland Park. They also commissioned independent designers to produce clothes for them. Outfits were never worn exclusively by one person, and it was not uncommon for various band members to swap clothing whilst on tour.