Mods are subculture that had its origins in post-war London. It began in the 1950s with young men and women gathering together in London clubs to listen to modern jazz. The name ‘modernist’ emerged to identify them. They adopted stylish fashions such as tailor made suits and distinctive accessories such as shoes and hats. Into the 1960s, the subculture spread throughout Britain and the choice of music widened to include soul, Ska and rhythm and blues. British music evolved with groups like The Who, The Small Faces and The Move adopting jazz and blues styles. They favoured the motorized scooter as their means of transport because of its more stylish appearance that allowed them to just step through and on rather than having to throw a leg over the saddle. Also, the painted metal coverings of the Italian scooters such as the Vespa and Lambretta protected their trousers from oil and grease.

Mods gravitated towards the use of amphetamines knicknamed ‘Uppers’ to improve the enjoyment of their jazz club experiences. The market for drugs fuelled an underground gang culture in cities. Small-time dealers became the purveyors of the party drugs that Mods required. But a moral panic was just around the corner as teenage culture began to split into rival groups, each with its own identity, fashions and musical influences.

We have a long tradition of su cultures clashing. The Teddy Boys of the 1950s clashed with the Bikers; Mods clashed with Rockers, Skinheads with Greasers and Punks with all the groups. The Rockers of the 1960s in Britain were the descendants of the Bikers of the 1950. They favoured rock music which gave rise to their name and wore leathers. They rode around on motorbikes and some formed themselves into gangs that they called motorcycle clubs. At the start of the 1960s there were many clashes on bank holidays at popular seaside towns such as Brighton. It was Stanley Cohen who coined the term ‘Moral Panic’ to describe the degeneration of adolescents. He studied the Mods and Rockers and concluded that their behaviour was a “threat to societal values and interests". There would be reoccurrences of such clashes between these groups and later the Skinheads against the Greasers and even against each other.

The origin of the Mod subculture is a contested area. For some, it had roots in the Jewish middle class of the London East End. Others believed it to be a continuation of the London Beat-nik culture that inhabited the new coffee bars springing up in the capital. Others argued it arose from the existentialist group that followed Sartre. Coffee bars were not subject to the English alcohol licensing laws and could stay open long into the night. This attracted the young especially student populations. They became meeting places to listen to music and obtain new recreational drugs. The music was played in juke boxes and usually consisted of Jazz and then R&B.

As we moved into the early 1960s, London started to become a centre of fashion and pop culture. The two played off of each other as the geometrical work of Bridgette Riley was integrated into fashion. New textiles such as nylon and plastic became perfect vehicles for the Op-Art fashions popularized by Mary Quant. Printed mini-dresses in monochrome and large earrings and necklaces made of glossy plastic began to be worn by Mod girls to separate them from the Rocker and Teddy girls in dirndl skirts and bobby socks.