Almost four decades ago, the lens of cult photographer Derek Ridgers captured the island&rsquo;s most wild and wonderful ensembles

Retro, fetish, Roman, pirate &ndash; you name it, in the early 1980s Ibiza had a costume party for every theme imaginable. In the early years of <a href="https://pacha.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacha</a>, weekly nights were always themed, with toga parties, Hula girls and the obligatory half-naked caveman/woman outfit a perennially popular choice. When the young British photographer <a href="https://www.derekridgers.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Derek Ridgers</a> arrived in Ibiza in 1984, it was a rude awakening. &lsquo;I was shocked, to say the least, when I saw the colourful and vibrant nightlife in the island&rsquo;s capital. Although much of the rest of the island was colonised by young British holiday makers, Ibiza Town and the beaches and bars in its immediate vicinity were completely different. It was upscale and more pan-European, and at night the streets and bars around the harbour transformed into a hot and heady version of what was happening in London at places like the Camden Palace, The Batcave, Heaven and The Wag. It was all extremely photogenic.'

A few miles outside Ibiza Town was the fabled nightclub KU (later Privilege) where Ridgers found the scene&rsquo;s most dedicated denizens, for whom freedom, costume and hedonism went hand in hand. &lsquo;KU was vast &ndash; the largest nightclub in Europe - and it stayed open until dawn. With its central swimming pool and dragon's head waterslide, it was more like an elaborate Hollywood film set than a club. There were very few Brits there and the clientele were - to me at least &ndash; extraordinarily glamourous, in leopard print and leotards and outlandish &ndash; usually homemade &ndash; headgear. It was a real eye-opener!&rsquo;

Ridgers knew that his camera had captured something special but was unsure of who else might understand the importance of his images. &lsquo;I didn't think any of the many magazines I worked for at the time had picked up on what was going on in Ibiza. When I got home, I printed the best of my photos and took them into [cult pop culture magazine] <a href="https://theface.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Face</a>. I tried to persuade them that there was a decent story there but Paul Rambali, the features editor at that time, said to me, &lsquo;Why would our readers be interested in what's happening in Ibiza?&rsquo; Those were his exact words and I remember them clearly. I was very disappointed that they couldn't see what I could see. At the time, The Face had a worldwide reputation as trend spotters and style setters which was mostly deserved. They weren't always the first to spot a trend, but they were usually the most visible in doing so. Back in 1980, when The Face was still predominantly a music magazine, they famously ran six pages of my photographs of the Blitz Kids; they called it The Cult with No Name. In hindsight I should have been more persuasive with my Ibiza images. I guess I just thought they weren&rsquo;t good enough.'

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/derekridgers/">Ridgers&rsquo; Ibiza series</a> went unpublished and largely unseen until the collection was unearthed in 2013. A subsequent exhibition at London&rsquo;s Institute of Contemporary Arts &ndash; entitled Moments in Love &ndash; finally brought the portfolio the attention it deserves.
<blockquote type="cite" class=""></blockquote>

<blockquote>
 Derek&rsquo;s imagery will be featured in the forthcoming <a href="https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/the-horror-show">Horror Show at Somerset House, </a>opening&nbsp; tomorrow.
</blockquote>

Halloween: 1984 Ibiza’s classic clubbing costumes

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