Defining what the Kustom Kulture: Past and Present

Kustom Kulture is a US neologism used to describe the artwork, the vehicles, the hairstyles, and the fashions of those who drove and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today. In the early days of hot rodding, many fashions and styles developed. Over time, each of these distinct styles of customizing have blended and reshaped our everyday life. Artists such as Von Dutch (Kenny Howard), custom car builders such as "Big Daddy" Ed Roth, hot rod and lowrider customizers such as the Barris Brothers, along with numerous tattoo artists, automobile painters, and movies and television shows such as American Grafitti and Happy Days, have all helped to form what is known as Kustom Kulture.Kustom Kulture is usually identified with the greasers of the 1950s, the drag racers of the 1960s, and the lowriders of the 1970s. Other subcultures that have had an influence on Kustom Kulture are the Skinheads, mods and rockers of the 1960s, the punk rockers of the 1970s, the metal and rockabilly music, along with the scooterboys of the 1980s, and psychobilly of the 1990s. Each separate culture has added their own customizations to the cars, their own fashions, influenced the music, and added their own ideas of what is cool, of what is acceptable, and what is not. Everything from wild pinstriped paintjobs, to choptop Mercurys, to custom Harley Davidsons, Von Dutch Kustom Cycles, Triumph Motorcycles, to metalflake and black primer paintjobs, along with music, cartoons, and monster movies have had an impact on what defines anyone and anything who is part of this automobile subculture .

In the 1990s and 2000s, Kustom Kulture had taken on a rebirth of American subcultures from the 50's and 60's with DIY activities. Each style is distinct, and has its roots in American automobile history. Many styles that would not have been acceptable in one place now have come together in large shows. Many styles have been blended into a homogeneous mixture, mixing what in the past had been forbidden to now being an accepted new way of doing it. Many vehicles with styling from completely different eras can be found parked next to each other with no hostilities or qualms about the differences.

Check out Von Dutch Kustom Cycles http://www.vondutchkustomcycles.com/ and see what the Principle of Kulture, Mardikian, and his crew of misfits and greasers are fabricating in tribute to an era of black suede.

Von Dutch……the LEGEND LIVES!!!
The Von Dutch sensation in more than just a “trucker cap”, paying homage to the late Kenneth Howard and honoring the Counter Culture Lifestyle, Von Dutch Kustom Cycles is passionate to share the experience, the way of life and the companies’ essence of freedom, style, sex, power and motion. Von Dutch Kustom Cycles first rule is, there are no rules when it comes to design. The unorthodox creations of kustom motorcycles, hotrods, clothing and accessories redefine the rebel lifestyle, melding new world chop shop technology to the origins of the passion, performance and flavor of what motorcycling and hot rodding is really about. Simply put, becoming one with the open road and oneself… the answer to the infinite identity question of soul searching.