Better Badges

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Better Badges was a London,UK, button-badge manufacturer, started in 1976 by Joly MacFie. During the years 1977-1984 BB became the leading publisher/merchandiser of 'punk badges' - exporting millions worldwide from their offices at 286 Portobello Road. Better Badges was a major player in the punk and postpunk scenes from 1976-1983 - a pioneer viral marketer, fueling the independent labels' fan-based promotional successes of the time.

A short walk from Rough Trade, at the far end of Portobello beyond the Westway, stood the former premises of Sixties underground paper International Times. By the late Seventies it was occupied by a company called Better Badges. Wearing your allegiances--political or musical--on your lapels was the thing to do in those heady days, and Better Badges was the market leader. But the guy behind Better was no "breadhead." An original hippie who had worked as an editor at International Times and legendarily hadn't cut his locks since 1968, Jolyon McFie started an idealistic "print now/pay later" scheme to help fledgling fanzines like Jamming get off the ground. The editors could then lug the copies down the road to Rough Trade, whose burgeoning distribution network would get them into independent record stores across the nation. Simon Reynolds [1]

[edit] Brief History

1976

July 4, First punk badges sold at The Ramones and The Flamin Groovies show at The Roundhouse, London. The Better Badges stand went on to become a fixture. MAil ordwer service started, Slogan; "Images as virus, diesease as cure"

1977

May, First mass-production of punk badges fro Mont De Marsan festival in France.

MacFie purchased a process camera, used by Jamie Reid on Sex Pistols art.

1978

Better Badges published sets of badges for both U2 - their first ever commercial product [2], and Joy Division.

1979

MacFie purchased printing equipment, which he used to produce many fanzines which BB also distributed. Titles included Jamming!, and Panache. Promotional material were also made for budding UK labels such as Mute Records and Rough Trade. Some artists, such as The Raincoats and Young Marble Giants used BB to publish small books.

MacFie bought an AM radio transmitter. Pirate radio broadcasts of mainly reggae eventually led to the formation of the Dread Broadcasting Corporation, which, under the leadership of Lepke, became the first major London urban pirate radio station.

The Victoria and Albert Museum asked for, and received a practically complete set of the badges to date.

1980

Fanzines published included i-D^[1], Kill Your Pet Puppy, and Toxic Grafity, which included a flexi-single "Tribal Rival Rebel Revels" by Crass

MacFie bought a cassette tape-duplicator and started offering a cheap tape publishing service which was utilized by pioneering DIY labels such as Fuck Off Records.

1983

MacFie sold the business to the staff and left for the USA.

In 1985 the staff, in turn, sold it to the current owners, who ceased publishing, restricting activity to manufacturing only.