GForce: the Hockley label remembered as a forefather of UK streetwear

Ask anyone who shopped in Nottingham in the 1980s and 1990s about GForce, and you are likely to get a smile. Behind an iron door of sculpted shapes and forgotten objects in Hockley, this home-grown label built a following that stretched from the Lace Market to Paris and Japan, and LeftLion has described it as one of the forefathers of the UK streetwear scene.

GForce was founded by Robin Kerr, who studied fashion at Nottingham Trent University. He began by turning chenille curtains from a vintage shop opposite the university into fitted jackets, and the business grew from there. At its height it had a factory in the Lace Market employing about twelve people and stores in London, Nottingham, Paris and Brussels, producing around 500 garments a week for customers across Europe and Japan.

Crucially, everything sold in the shops was made in-house. The look was built on denim and oversized shapes, knitted jackets and heavy-duty stitching, mostly using British and industrial fabrics. Famous fans included Cher, who was pictured in a GForce knitted jacket, the Stereo MC's, who wore the brand constantly in the nineties, and Eric Cantona, who bought a piece while playing for Manchester United.

The Nottingham store closed in 2006, as making clothes in the UK at competitive prices became increasingly difficult. Yet the designs have lasted. "The silhouettes and shapes are right," Kerr told LeftLion, adding that the pieces "are timeless." He has since returned to making small runs of knitted jackets himself, each with a numbered collar and limited to ten pieces per style.

In 2025 GForce took its place in the spotlight again, as one of the labels featured in Nottingham Subcultural Fashion in the 1980s at Bonington Gallery. Co-curated by gallery director Tom Godfrey and Nottingham Trent University professor Dr Katherine Townsend, the exhibition gathered garments, magazines and photographs from people who lived through the decade. "It was a very vibrant and expressive scene," Townsend said.

GForce's influence can still be felt in a city where streetwear and vintage thrive, a reminder that Nottingham has long been a place where bold, independent fashion is made, not just sold.

News of GForce's limited-edition pieces is shared on Instagram at @gforce_nottingham.