Uniformity: DJ Blackie, Syndicate DJ

Uniformity is a regular magazine column where we ask Beijing personalities about the various outfits that have defined them over the years.

When we asked The Syndicate’s DJ Blackie to think back over all the uniforms he’s ever worn, we were broadly defining “uniform” to refer to clothes/headwear that:
• He was required to wear in particular situations
• Were not of his choosing and not from his personal wardrobe
• Were either provided to him or that he had to pay for
• Others were also wearing at the same time

Which uniform was the worst fit?
My first cricket uniform. I was only about 7 or 8, and I was playing with the Under-12s (mostly 11-year-olds). The uniform was way too big for me, so much so that my “box” kept slipping down my leg, thus risking the very existence of my still-to-be-born children. It didn’t faze me, though. I came in at number six and batted my way to a quite breathtaking nought not out. True story.

Did you ever feel transformed by wearing a certain uniform?
The Waitrose uniform has the amazing effect of transforming you into a 1950s greengrocer. It was a shirt and tie covered over by a knee-length, brown, buttoned-up jacket.

Did you ruin any of these outfits?
At my high school it was common practice to modify the uniform as much as you could get away with. The black and grey striped tie was the focal point. If you picked some of the grey strings out, it revealed the black underneath, creating a customized tie of sorts that you would then wear at about three inches long. Yep, Harrow is a pretty crazy place.

Which uniform did you most resent wearing?
The graduation one. I think mortarboards are ridiculous. Why, after working your arse off, do you then have to indulge in ritual, communal humiliation? “Oh, it’s the tradition.” So was foot-binding. Times change.

Which uniform do you feel most sentimental about?
The graduation one, as putting it on was the final act of an amazing three years of my life. That day truly felt like the end of an era, more so than any other day I can remember.

Tell us a story about wearing a uniform somewhere where you felt out of place.
Tottenham shirt down Islington High Street. Not for the faint-hearted.

Which uniform were you most mocked for wearing?
Definitely the Waitrose one. My mates used to come in when I was working, for this very reason.

Which uniform would be considered the least fashionable?
Hard to say, really – I wouldn’t call any of them very fashionable. Probably the school uniform. No matter what you tried to do with it, no matter how you tried to change it, you still just ended up looking like a spotty little delinquent. Which, to be fair, is what you are.

Catch DJ Blackie at The Syndicate’s 8th Anniversary Party on July 6 at Lantern.

Click here to see the Beijinger July issue in full.

Photo: Mitchell Pe Masilun