JORDAN UNCOVERED
UNSEEN PHOTOGRAPHS OF LATE ICONIC PUNK AND GO-TO VIVIENNE WESTWOOD MODEL JORDAN UNVEILED AT COLONY ROOM GREEN IN NEW EXHIBITION
Jordan Uncovered: A Personal Photo Album of Previously Unseen Photographs. To celebrate Jordan’s 70th birthday and mourn her passing. This exhibition revisits her iconoclastic life from childhood to international stardom. With a unique and intimate exhibition at Colony Room Green.
A worldwide icon
During the 1970s Jordan became a worldwide icon. ‘It’s like being in an art movement – someone has to start it.’ Derek Jarman described her as the “first Sex Pistol”, which highlights her prominent role and influence in the punk movement.
As punk’s most-fetishised poster girl. Jordan’s pivotal role in Vivienne Westwood’s and Malcolm McLaren’s riotous world was vital to the image of bands of the time which obviously included The Sex Pistols.
Jordan has been immortalised as a diva of defiance with bleach-blonde-beehived and Cleopatra style eye makeup. To anyone alive at the time, myself included (being only 8 years old in 1977) Jordan was more recognisable than some of the famous band members of that era. As famous and memorable as Sid Vicious himself. Her style was unique then, daring to be different, daring to challenge and just bloody minded daring.
‘A living work of art’ Jordan
Yet there was far more to her influence than straightforward anarchic provocation, topless dresses and German military uniforms. Rebellion was actually a by-product, often describing herself as “a living work of art”. The need for personal expression and a militant desire to champion the underdog were at the crux of her unique perspective.
‘People often refer to the name and the things that I wore as demonstrating bravery and shaking things up, but while I showed off to the best of my ability it wasn’t about bravery because I didn’t care what people thought.’ – Jordan
Jordan Uncovered has been curated by Andrew James and Darren Coffield. The exhibition will be on display from 1 July at Colony Room Green, a recreation of Soho’s notorious Colony Room. The club once frequented by cultural icons David Bowie, Adam Ant, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Shane McGowan, Kate Moss, Lisa Stansfield and Joe Strummer – to name but a few. Colony Room Green can be found in the basement of Ziggy Green. The much-loved David Bowie-inspired restaurant from the Daisy Green Collection.
If you have any kind of interest in the PUNK movement it’s people, music and art then this exhibition is a must see.
Jordan Uncovered: A Personal Photo Album of Previously Unseen Photographs
1 July – 22 August 2025 10am – 10pm Monday – Sunday
Colony Room Green, London, W1B 4BS
Nearest tube: Oxford Circus or Picadilly Circus
Jordan, photos: copyright and by kind permission of Jordan’s family
Share this post
Our editor at large Daniel Syrett, or SYRETT, which the artist is better known as, brings his extensive knowledge of the fashion and art industries to his role here at IRK Magazine. While SYRETT is recognized for his glossy Haute-Couture pieces, Daniel is also the founder and curator of Runway Gallery, the fashion-focused gallery that represents some familiar names from IRK, including our founders, French Cowboy. Daniel may be making his mark on the vibrant London art scene at present; however, his unique style is based on different influences from Daniel Syrett’s past.
After studying fashion at Jacob Kramer College of Art in his home city of Leeds, Daniel moved to Liverpool, where his style was influenced by the alternative creative’s of Merseyside. After successfully launching one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the country, Dan travelled to London to work as a freelance stylist, in a move which saw his career in fashion skyrocket. To date, Daniel Syrett has worked alongside some of the most prestigious names in the industry, including Elle, All Saints, EMI, the BBC, and London Fashion Week. Among his latest collaborations, SYRETT is most recognised for his partnership with True Brit Nail Varnish which is portrayed through his glossy art pieces. SYRETT uses the varnish as a medium to create highly polished, and highly fashionable works of art which expose the intertwining relationship between the fashion and art worlds. This connection is epitomised by his most recent collection in which SYRETT named each piece after some of the most iconic designers, including Alexander, Jean-Paul, Yves and Vivienne, with the latter designer being a frequent visitor to Daniel’s former boutique, Controversy.
As a result of working with these stylish clients, Daniel Syrett has solidified a global reputation as both a fashion stylist and an artist. His work has graced everywhere from New York and Florence, to the pastel-glazed buildings on Miami’s South Beach, where an exhibition of SYRETT’S work is also planned for the near future. It is, however, unsurprising that Daniel Syrett has reached such heights, after seeing his work published in over 200 National and International publications, alongside several other books, including the Booth-Clibborn Edition of the counter-culture book, High Flyers.
Alongside his role at IRK, Daniel continues to make his name in London and beyond, most specifically through Beautalism: the emerging art movement which is shaping the art scene across the capital. As the founder of the Beautalists, Daniel Syrett aims to bridge the gap between the public and the artist and make art accessible to all. This is all in a days work for Dan, who balances his Runway Gallery empire with his work as an artist. With other exciting partnerships launching with the W Hotel, Soho’s Century Club and ROOME, the future for the head of Beautalism looks beautiful indeed.
Biography by Megan Slack, Contributing Editor at Magazine by Runway Gallery.
Read Next
