Hence the ephemera collection, Oh So Pretty: Punk in Print 1976-80 (Phaidon Press) arrives as refreshing as a mid-mosh bar break. Instead of the sometimes vague reach for historical context, Toby Mott is first and foremost an ultra-fan who just started grabbing fliers on the way out of shows as a wayward teen in 1970s England – and kept it all. His collection remains focused around that era, the center folds and corner tears still there. And his recollections throughout the book are peppered with stories of the shows and the bands like only such a fan can express – extra interesting, considering he eventually went on from punk kid fandom to helm a globally successful fashion brand. One of the most rare and comprehensive collections of punk artefacts and graphic artworks in Britain."— Hero

Toby Mott: In 2010, I was invited to show my collection at an art museum in Spain – “Loud Flash: British Punk on Paper,” The Mott Collection at MUSAC, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León. And during the process of archiving it, it became apparent how important this material was. An unrivalled collection of rarely seen, visually fantastic ephemera from the punk era... [Toby Mott's] collection has been described as 'raw, messy and seething with life'. We couldn't agree more."— Tatler.com Emma Silvers, 35 Years Ago Today, Jello Biafra Came In Fourth In the S.F. Mayoral Race. SF Weekly, November 4, 2014. Forty years on from the birth of punk [...] it can be difficult to gauge the impact that the movement's visual language had in its early days. Which is where something like The Mott Collection comes into its own... These examples [...] show the emergence of a dynamic and participatory movement in its purest form."— Creative Review online Toby Mott: My memories are that of having two sisters, who were also punks, and we were all on an equal footing.Toby Mott: As with most things it started with a conversation over a period of months, and it developed into what is on show today. I think it looks amazing.

An unrivalled collection of artefacts and ephemera... The graphic anarchy and DIY spirit that caused a seismic shift in UK culture."— i-D online Toby Mott: My favorite zine is still Sniffin’ Glue, as it got the whole thing started. Sniffin’ Glue #3½, 28 September 1976, Courtesy of The Mott Collection

Some flyers, like Biafra for Mayor, are both absurd and sincere at the same time. Jello Biafra (a name derived from a combination of the nutritionally void dessert and the region of Nigeria which had just experienced a devastating famine) was frontman for punk band Dead Kennedys, and did in fact run for mayor of San Francisco in 1979, playing a benefit show at the Mabuhay to raise campaign funds. 3 Biafra’s platform included the silly (forcing businessmen to wear clown suits) and the sincere (requiring police officers to run for election in the neighborhoods they patrolled). While he lost to Dianne Feinstein — coming in 4th, with 3.79% of the vote — he went on to become an active member of the Green Party and ran for President in 2000 with VP candidate Mumia Abu-Jamal. 10 Winston Smith, Paste-up for Dead Kennedys at Mabuhay Garden, San Francisco, 1980. This original artwork was part of Letterform Archive’s collection long before the new flyer collection arrived. Smith’s collages helped define San Francisco’s punk art style. Smith and Biafra took another shot at decorum with the album In God We Trust, Inc., whose cover shows Jesus on a cross, covered in dollar bills. It was a response to the money-hungry televangelists that had become popular at the time, but it also poked fun at the recording industry and capitalism in general. The early 1980s was one of the least profitable periods for large record companies. Sales were declining rapidly, thought to be due to home record taping and music piracy. 3 Released as a cassette, In God We Trust Inc. poked fun at corporate music’s panic. Purposely made with a blank side B, it read “Home taping is killing record industry profits. We left this side blank so you can help.” 3 A flyer with a similar line, “Home Taping is killing the record industry…and it’s about time!” may have also been designed by Smith.

Toby Mott: For the book we edited from my archive of posters, fliers, political material, and punk exploitation. We tried to tell a visual story using material from distinct sources. An unrivalled collection of artefacts and ephemera... The graphic anarchy and DIY spirit that caused a seismic shift in UK culture."― i-D online PKM: Do you have a memory or story of a moment when you thought, “Oh, the mainstream squares are jumping on punk like it’s a trend?”

Content warning: some items in this collection contain strong language, nudity, and depictions of violence. Toby Mott: I remember clearly leaving a UK Subs gig before the end, as I became disenchanted with punk and it had developed into a cliché of itself.