Feeling rebellious? Well, here’s a practical anarchist gift: the famous A and O symbol daubed onto a rather hastily painted red and black background – let's face it, if you're an anarchist you don't stand on ceremony.
That’s not to say anarchism is without tradition though. These colours were used by Italian anarchists as early as 1864, and diagonally divided red and black flags were popularised as anarchist symbols during the Spanish Civil War. The letters signify ‘anarchism’ and ‘order.’ Together, they stand for the notion that ‘society seeks order in anarchy.’ Although the symbol first gained currency in Spain in the late 19th century, it became particularly well known when it was taken up by the British anarcho-punk movement in the 1970s and now features on our crossbody bag!
