A groundbreaking new photo book is bringing together some of the most influential images from London's legendary Buffalo movement, capturing the creative collective at the height of its cultural impact in 1985. The book, titled "1985" and published by IDEA, features previously unseen photographs by Jamie Morgan, including early shots of supermodels Kate Moss during a go-see and a teenage Naomi Campbell, then just 15 years old.

The Buffalo movement emerged during a period of underground creative revolution in 1985 London, when dilapidated squats housed artists, anarchic club nights were hosted by performers like Leigh Bowery, and designers like Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano were redefining style boundaries. Buffalo was founded by photographer Jamie Morgan and the late stylist Ray Petri, later joined by notable figures including Nick and Barry Kamen, Mark Lebon, Judy Blame, and musician Neneh Cherry.

The collective adopted the name "Buffalo" from a Caribbean phrase describing rebels or rude boys, reflecting their disruptive approach to fashion imagery. Unlike traditional Vogue-style shoots, Buffalo prioritized their own vision of beauty, casting diverse models found on London streets, putting men in skirts, and dressing children as mobsters. Their work combined the wit of the underdog with the sophisticated reverence of Richard Avedon's photography.

Published primarily in The Face and i-D magazines, Buffalo's work fundamentally changed these publications, which previously focused mainly on music profiles and straightforward street photography. The collective put fashion front and center while transcending traditional fashion boundaries. Their signature MA1 bomber jacket aesthetic influenced music and nightlife scenes, inspiring generations of future creatives including Ibrahim Kamara, Campbell Addy, and Martine Rose.

The creation of "1985" began when Naomi Campbell requested Morgan to find an early photograph of her for her Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition. "I had to go back to my archive to find it," Morgan explains. "I discovered a box labeled 1985. It was a lightbulb moment. I thought, I wonder if there are enough images in there for a book. Lo and behold, there were contact sheets and all these unseen negatives."

The book focuses exclusively on Buffalo's black-and-white images from 1985 and surrounding years, creating what Morgan describes as "a thing of tactile analog beauty." Painstakingly sequenced by Morgan himself, it combines scanned contact sheets, restored lost negatives, and some of the studio's most iconic shots from their peak influence period.

Morgan and Petri's partnership began in the early 1980s after Morgan had worked at Magnum Photos in Paris, developing prints for masters like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Don McCullin, and Elliott Erwitt. After returning to London and assisting East End legend Terence Donovan, Morgan established his own studio in 1982. "In walked Ray to the studio, with his pork pie hat and penny loafers, just effortlessly cool," Morgan recalls. "Ray was gay and very beautifully dressed. He'd just finished doing an art course at Sotheby's and he wanted to learn photography."

Their first collaboration for The Face, called "Winter Sports," introduced Buffalo's radical new aesthetic. The shoot featured brothers Nick and Barry Kamen in white lipstick, cycling jackets, Puma beanies, and aviator sunglasses, creating an instant sensation that remains one of the magazine's most memorable covers. Scotland-born Petri brought influences from his travels through India and Africa, creating a style that mixed sportswear, pirate regalia, Che Guevara berets, and luxury fashion.

Buffalo's casting approach was revolutionary for its time. When traditional modeling agencies couldn't provide the diversity Petri and Morgan sought, they began scouting on London streets. "We'd find models anywhere – the shebeens of Notting Hill, someone working in a grocery shop, at a garage, or mending their bike on the pavement," Morgan explains. "That sense of being outsiders fueled our relationships with people."

The collective's most enduring legacy lies in their radical redefinition of beauty standards. In contrast to the predominantly white magazine pages of the era, Buffalo created a melting pot of culture, race, age, and gender where traditional boundaries were dissolved. "We found these spaces where men could play with other ideas of masculinity," Morgan notes. "On the other side of that, we questioned why girls had to be pretty."

By 1985, Buffalo had become a living, breathing cultural movement. Their "Killer" story that year exemplified their visual philosophy, casting 12-year-old Felix Howard as a gangster alongside a diverse supporting cast. Morgan shot the series on Tri-X 35mm film with cinematic Hollywood drama, despite uncertainty about public reception. The Face's Nick Logan supported the experimental approach, keeping the magazine's pages open to Buffalo's innovations.

The movement's influence extended far beyond photography. Jean Paul Gaultier designed an entire collection inspired by their "Men in Skirts" editorial, and Neneh Cherry released "Buffalo Stance" in 1988. The name itself carried multiple cultural references, from Bob Marley's Buffalo Soldiers to Malcolm McLaren's Buffalo Girls and Native American symbolism of authenticity and respect.

When Ray Petri died of AIDS in 1989, Morgan temporarily stopped shooting fashion, but Buffalo's influence continued to grow. A 1991 Buffalo book remains one of fashion's most coveted titles, while institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum and National Portrait Gallery have celebrated its enduring impact through exhibitions like 2025's "The Face Magazine: Culture Shift."

The legacy continues through contemporary fashion figures who trace their inspiration back to Buffalo's subversive ideas. "Through the years, I would get a lot of young, mostly Black gay kids from fashion schools, like Campbell Addy and Ibrahim Kamara, reaching out saying, 'When I saw the Buffalo book, it made me realize I have a place in the industry,'" Morgan reveals. Both Kamara and Addy became assistants to Morgan and Barry Kamen before creating their own visionary work.

Morgan sees Buffalo's true power in its authentic approach to diversity and inclusion. "I think the legacy of Buffalo, really, is the diversity that it encouraged," he concludes. "We celebrated people not because they were Black, or not because they were this or that, but just because they were great. I think the authenticity of that still resonates today." The "1985" book, now available through IDEA publishing, serves as both historical document and inspiration for future generations of creatives seeking to challenge conventional beauty standards and fashion boundaries.