Everything about Hip Hop Fashion totally explained
Hip-hop fashion is a distinctive style of
dress originating with the
African-American and
Latino youth in
The Bronx (
New York City), and later influenced by the
hip-hop scenes of
Los Angeles,
Chicago,
Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh,
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), and
The Dirty South among others. Each city contributed various elements to its overall style seen worldwide today. Hip hop
fashion complements the expressions and attitudes of
hip hop culture in general. Hip hop fashion has changed significantly during its history, and today it's a prominent part of popular fashion as a whole across the world and for all ethnicities.
Early 1980s to Mid-1980s
In the early 1980s, established
sportswear and fashion brands, such as
Le Coq Sportif,
Kangol,
Adidas and
Nike Inc attached themselves to the emerging hip hop scene.
During the 1980s, hip-hop icons wore clothing items such as brightly colored name-brand
tracksuits,
sheepskin and leather
bomber jackets, or Gazelles), Kangol
bucket hats,
1980s hip hop fashion is remembered as one of the most important elements of
old school hip hop, and it's often celebrated in
nostalgic hip hop songs such as
Ahmad's 1994 single "
Back in the Day", and
Missy Elliott's 2002 single "
Back in the Day".
Late 1980s to early 1990s fashion
Black nationalism was increasingly influential in
rap during the late 1980s, and fashions and hairstyles reflected
traditional African influences. Models wore black catsuits, "gold chains, big gold nameplate-inspired belts, and black bomber jackets with fur-trimmed hoods." including baggy
pants,
Mafioso influences, especially and primarily inspired by the 1983 remake version of
Scarface, became popular in hip hop. Many rappers set aside gang-inspired clothing in favor of classic
gangster fashions such as
bowler hats, When
Snoop Doggy Dogg wore a Hilfiger
sweatshirt during an appearance on
Saturday Night Live, it sold out of New York City stores the next day.
Modern Hip Hop Fashion
In the 1990s and beyond, many hip hop artists and executives started their own fashion labels and clothing lines. Notable examples include
Wu-Tang Clan (
Wu-Wear),
Russell Simmons (
Phat Farm),
Kimora Lee Simmons (
Baby Phat),
Diddy (
Sean John), Apple Bottom Jeans (Nelly),
Damon Dash and
Jay-Z (
Rocawear),
50 Cent (
G-Unit Clothing),
Eminem (
Shady Limited),
2Pac (Makaveli) and
OutKast (
OutKast Clothing). Other prominent hip hop fashion companies have included Karl Kani and
FUBU,
Ecko,
Dickies,
Girbaud,
Enyce,
Famous Stars and Straps,
Bape,
LRG,
Timberland Boots, and
Akademiks.
Today, Hip hop clothing is produced by popular and successful designers, who charge significant amounts for their products. Hip hop fashion is worn by a significant percentage of young people around the world, with a significant number of retailers that are dedicated to the sale of hip hop inspired fashions. Several web sites are dedicated to hard to find hip hop sneakers and apparel.
Recent trends
Recent trends in hip hop fashion have geared toward a more hipster-inspired style of dressing (so-called "prep-hop"), which may include items such as
Nike Dunks,
Nike Air Force 1 (shoe) (footwear),
polo shirts (often worn with
popped collar),
sportcoats, woven button
shirts, large ornamental belt buckles,
cufflinks,skull and skeleton decorations, elaborately decorated zip-up
hoodies,
trucker hats (such as Von Dutch), fitted caps (
New Era Cap Company), tighter-fitting "vintage style" t-shirts with shorter arm sleeves (Dangerous Elite),Lumberjack button ups or plaid designed shirts, Snow Inspired Fashions (Kooter Brown) and
tighter denim jeans. Shorter length t-shirts have become involved in recent trends, in order to expose decorated belts and belt buckles and
biker chains. Although the "baggy" style of dress remains relevant, some hip hoppers forego that particular style, opting for colorful fitted prep-hop and hipster-inspired clothing as exemplified by the growing influence of rappers such as
Kanye West,
Common,
will.i.am, and
Andre 3000, as well as the tighter-fitting
skater influenced styles in the case of
Pharrell. 80's trends have reemerged, such as
Members Only jackets, huge oversized chains and large eyeglasses such as
Oakleys.
Criticism of hip hop fashion
Commentators from both inside and outside of the hip-hop community have criticized the cost of many of the accouterments of hip hop fashion. Hip hop fashion is also often
satirised by comedians such as
Ali G.
Chuck D of
Public Enemy summarized the mentality of Hip hop fashion and some low-income youths as "Man, I work at McDonald's, but in order for me to feel good about myself I got to get a gold chain or I got to get a fly car in order to impress a sister or whatever." In his 1992 song "Us",
Ice Cube rapped that "Us [African-Americans] will always sing the blues / 'cause all we care about is hairstyles and tennis shoes." Some fans have expressed disappointment with the increased amount of advertising for expensive hip-hop brands in hip-hop magazines. In fact, there were many highly-publicized robberies of hip-hop artists by the late 1990s.
Further Information
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