Union Jack Tea Towel Cotton

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But while 90s nostalgia is still on the fashion menu, my generation will be looking back, feeling ancient, and remembering how momentous it felt to watch Geri and the gang swing it, shake it, move it and prove that a girl’s place wasn’t in the kitchen. Now, a quarter of a century on, in a post-Brexit Britain steeped in Tory sleaze and royal scandal, the Union Jack is making headlines once more. A new “British invasion” – culturally, at least – that harked back to the swinging ’60s while looking forward to a brighter future. It joined the elite list, alongside Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust hair and Elvis’s Vegas jumpsuit, of pop looks so iconic that even the very worst fancy dress efforts are instantly recognisable.

Union Jack Tea Towels | Zazzle UK Union Jack Tea Towels | Zazzle UK

The Union Jack – which I believe has always been a violent symbol – was arguably at its least toxic in terms of what it represented in the 1960s and the 1990s,” says fashion historian, author and broadcaster Amber Butchart. The British flag had already been a symbol of the far right for decades by this point, having been taken up in the 1970s by skinheads and neo-Nazis as a twisted display of toxic nationalism. But while we might look back and applaud the upcycling efforts, it’s fair to say the flag looks pretty different through contemporary eyes. As a Spice Girls fan, I loved that Ginger Spice made the bold choice to wear something that meant a lot to her, that defied the expectations of the people she was working with at that time.Taking home British Single of the Year and British Video of the Year, and with more nominations than any other band or artist, it’s fair to say the ’97 BRITs crowned Ginger, Scary, Baby, Sporty and Posh as a staggering musical success story – although not everyone was prepared to bow down to the new queens of pop. When the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport released new guidance last year stating that the flag should be flown every day from all government buildings, it inspired a slew of bitter commentary from each side of the culture war. Although the cheeky nod to the CND logo hits differently knowing that Blair would lead us into Iraq a few years later. The same year saw Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell don Union Jacks at London Fashion Week, while Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit reclined on a Union Jack duvet cover on the cover of Vanity Fair. And even the humble tea towel has been given a chic new spin by designer Selina Sanders, whose beautiful upcycled tops sell for hundreds of dollars via Instagram drops.

Tea Towels - Union Jack Wear

If that ever could have been possible – and I would argue it couldn’t, the context of the British Empire is simply impossible to ignore – then it is absolutely not possible now,” she says. Featuring Union Jack, London, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, UK, Cornwall, Devon, Oxford, Cambridge, Isle of Wight and much much more. It’s the dress that launched a thousand drag acts and school talent show routines, the dress that was copied and flogged on market stalls across the land, and the dress that has just been rendered in plastic for the brand new Spice Girls LEGO set. It does the job perfectly and looks good hanging on the shelf behind the bar next to my beloved Welsh flag.

Inspired by African and Iberian art, he also contributed to the rise of Surrealism and Expressionism. But from Welsh tapestry to Harris tweed, Yorkshire knitwear and countless innovative new designers, these isles have a rich fashion history. I use colourful and happy prints that most Nigerians wear to recreate happiness,” founder Yvonne tells me. The indefatigable artist has been the subject of exhibitions at the world’s most prestigious institutions, from the Museum of Modern Art and Centre Pompidou to the Stedelijk Museum and Tate Modern. But it’s the dress that everyone remembers, and the dress that ended up as a kind of sartorial shorthand for years to come.

Union Jack Tea Towel - Etsy New Zealand Union Jack Tea Towel - Etsy New Zealand

I hope for a future fashion industry where we can share each other’s heritage through clothes without unjustly appropriating or making others feel excluded, but rather through appreciation and giving credit where it is due.

They’d already sold six million albums, hit number one in 31 countries, smashed numerous records and broken America with a force not seen from a British export since Beatlemania (platform boots will help with that). No matter how famous they got or how many branded products they shilled (more than 100 were trademarked in the year since their first release), there was still the sense that all we needed to join the gang was courage and a bag full of craft supplies. But virtually every other trend from the 90s and 00s has been resurrected, so is it possible we could see Union Jacks as the new tie dye/polka dots/florals for spring? Just like their endearingly basic dance routines and shambolic interview style, the Spices’ wardrobe made up for in confidence what they lacked in polish – and we loved them for it.

Union Jack dress The complicated legacy of Geri Halliwell’s Union Jack dress

So many of these discussions, whether it’s about flags or public monuments, are essentially anti-history. In the seven months since their debut single, “Wannabe”, was released, the Spice Girls had gone viral the old-fashioned way: through TV screens, magazines and playground dance routines; through an avalanche of branded merch and a barrage of sassy soundbites.

Geri’s solution was to diffuse any negative connotations by emblazoning the back of the dress with a peace sign. but that flag carries with it all of British history, which also includes colonialism,” Aburam adds. Even if you weren’t watching that night – heck, even if you weren’t born yet – there’s a high chance the same visual will spring to mind. It’s the one that was plastered across the front pages the next morning; capturing a moment, a mood, an attitude. We might look to DJ Tara Kumar mixing sarees with vintage streetwear, or sustainable labels like Kemi Telford, which makes contemporary pieces in traditional Nigerian wax fabrics.