The Deadhead Style Archive is a project led by Annabelle Walsh.

This archive is the product of a longstanding fascination with the ways in which Deadheads construct, perform and negotiate their identity through the fashioned body. Although it may be true that “it doesn’t matter what you wear, just as long as you are there,” to renounce the role of clothing neglects the reality that there is a rich visual (and sartorial) history within this scene that deserves to be documented. With this project, we hope to not only preserve this history, but also—in the spirit of this scene—allow Deadheads to participate directly in the construction of this archive.

Annabelle Walsh teaches in the School of Art & Design History & Theory at Parsons School of Design in New York, where she also received her Master of Arts (MA) degree in Fashion Studies in 2023. Her research broadly explores the role of fashion within subcultural contexts and considers how fashion and dress inform processes of identity construction and group belonging among fans and followers of the Grateful Dead.