<P> Members of this gang wore a signature outfit: tailored jackets, a lapel overcoat, button waistcoats, silk scarves, bell - bottom trousers, leather boots, and peaked flat caps . </P> <P> During the 1890s, the slums of Birmingham were overtaken by violent street gangs who, upon the turn of the 20th century, became highly organised with their own systems of hierarchy . Their violent tendencies led to vast amounts of political control and social power . A gang known as the "Sloggers" were the first major rivals of the Blinders and fought them in "post code battles" over land . The Peaky Blinders held various levels of control of Birmingham for nearly twenty years, largely concluded in 1910, when a larger gang, the Birmingham Boys led by Billy Kimber, overtook them . </P> <P> The name Peaky Blinders is popularly said to be derived from a practice of stitching razor blades into the peak of their flat caps, which could then be used as weapons . Historian and criminal profiler John Douglas asserted that these hats were used as a weapon of choice for members . It is believed that members sewed razor blades into their caps so they could headbutt enemies, essentially blinding them . Reports alternatively issue that members slashed the foreheads of enemies causing blood to pour down into their eyes, temporarily blinding them . Birmingham historian Carl Chinn believes that the name comes solely from the popular usage of "peaky" as a descriptor for a flat cap with a peak . "Blinder" was a familiar Birmingham slang term, used even to this day, to describe a dapper appearance, i.e. striking enough to blind . </P> <P> Members of the gang frequently wore tailored clothing uncommon for gangs at the time . Almost all members wore a peaked flat cap and an overcoat . Their sporting of the flat cap lends itself to debate regarding the naming of the gang . The Peaky Blinders wore tailored suits usually with bell - bottom trousers and button jackets . The weather conditions of the slums prompted members to incorporate leather steel - toed boots into their outfits . Wealthier members wore silk scarfs and starched collars with metal tie buttons . Their distinctive dress was easily recognisable by city inhabitants, police, and rival gang members . </P>

Where did the peaky blinders get their name
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