Hackers (1995): Roger K. Burton's Timeless Costume Design

While Hackers is now widely celebrated for its iconic aesthetic, what many don’t realize is just how deeply embedded in real 1990s hacker culture the film truly was. During pre-production the filmmakers consulted with real hackers and New York locals to develop a script that while stylized with compromised Hollywood theatrics; echoed real-life subculture practices of the 90’s rising cyber era. Many scenes shown in the movie are directly influenced by the rich stories told by many incredibly interesting individuals. In fact much of the terminology, screen interfaces and “hacking scenes” (including the infamous garbage file monologue and the visualized computer networks) were grounded in what was genuinely possible at the time.

Roger K. Burton’s costumes were deliberately anti-Hollywood. Instead of dressing the characters in sleek sci-fi uniforms, Burton leaned into authentic subculture mashups, blending styles from real-life skaters, ravers, anarchist punks and drag performers - many of whom were actually friends or acquaintances he met while researching in NYC clubs and squats. One example is the character of ‘Cereal Killer’ (Matthew Lillard), whose wardrobe of clashing prints, oversized hand-me-downs & anarchic layering wasn’t just a visual reference; it reflected a real group of East Village squatters Burton had met. Their philosophy: wear everything at once, because your home and closet might be gone tomorrow.

Burton didn’t have references to ‘memes’ or evolving social media aesthetics, but he understood instinctively that this new rising generation of rebels (both from cyber & physical worlds) was crafting their identity in fragments, layers, and code. So while Hackers might have come off as fantastical in 1995, the truth is: its style was more grounded in reality than most cyber-thrillers before or since.

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[Images sourced from the Hackers film and legendary exhibition by Roger K. Burton, originally displayed in London arts venue ‘The Horse Hospital.’]