In celebration of their 20th anniversary, Placebo’s Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal are selling the clothing that turned them into style icons.
In a bid to raise money for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably, a UK based charity dedicated to the prevention of male suicide) and The Mercy Centre in Bangkok (who care for underprivileged children), pieces of the band’s past – including clothing, records and a guitar – will be up for grabs later this month.
The band, whose highly stylised and androgynous look epitomised late 90s grunge, solidified their rockstar status with the song “Nancy Boy”, which peaked at number four in the UK Album Chart in 1997. With a penchant for women’s clothing, black nail varnish and hair dye, they pioneered a genderqueer look that inspired a generation.
Items resurrected from the depths of their wardrobes include Molko’s Maria Chen jumpsuit, worn whilst navigating a spaceship through the dangers of the “Special K” music video, a Vivienne Westwood jacket worn by Olsdal for the 1999 Brit Awards performance with David Bowie, and the Plein Sud jumper with cut-away shoulders last seen on a Jesus-like Molko as he defied gravity by walking down the side of a ten story building in the “Pure Morning” video.
They’re also selling things that aren’t related to fashion, including a CD single of “Without You I’m Nothing”, featuring David Bowie, that’s signed by Bowie himself; a smashed Fender Jazzmaster guitar; and for the megafans, Molko’s used ear plugs, which are available at a starting price of £20 (very 2004, when chewing gum spat out by Britney found its way onto eBay).
“There just seemed to be an endless list of stuff we’d gathered since that day it all began in a London tube station two decades ago. As the big ’20 Years’ drew nearer, we thought it may be time to sift through it all before the hungry city rats got to it; see what would be worth saving from the proverbial fire,” the band said.
Over three hundred items are being auctioned off in total. The full selection can be seen at their website, with the auction going live on September 27. Take a look at some of the items below.
