For something that began as an anti-fashion statement from the streets, hip hop clothing and it’s related style that is often called urban clothing has become big money and is right in the center of today’s fashion house styles.
History of Hip Hop and Urban Fashion
It began in the 80s on the streets when groups of young kids were break dancing in loose baggy clothes that allowed them the freedom of movement they needed. Soon, it spread to other urban scenes and many of the truly cool hip hop stars of the time like Run-DMC or LL Cool J started wearing the big glasses, “phat” shoelaced shoes and other hip hop streetwear. Because much of this clothing came from break dancing, the clothes were often oversized and comfortable and gave the wearer the ability to move. This outsized look came up from the streets where many of these men (and some women) started their careers. But nothing stays the same, and soon the simpler urban clothes began to give way to fashion bling and more.
Much of hip hop clothing, like the huge gold chains and other flashy jewelry was homage to the gangs that were dominating the streets and taking over the culture of the time. The jewelry was a way that many young gangsters would show off their wealth, and their ability to hang onto it in the street. Young men would also wear the low-riding baggy pants that gang-bangers adopted in order to hide guns on their body. For many young African American men, the need to show pride in their culture and their roots was often displayed by dreadlocks, the hi-top fade haircut or wearing clothes that incorporated the black-green-and-red that was a growing emblem of both Black Power and the emerging Hip Hop culture. Bomber jackets were a part of this trend, as well. The music was all about taking back the streets and began in the streets, often with gang affiliations worn proudly as badges of their street cred.
Singers like Fresh Prince and TLC began to influence some changes in the fashion at the beginning of the nineties with a colorful neon look and the introduction of baseball caps as part of the new statement in urban clothes. Because prisons and prison clothing was a part of the whole street scene, baggy pants without belts (because in a prison they were always confiscated) became yet another statement of urban wear solidarity with “the bros inside”. Another show of affiliation was the wearing of car badges, often stolen. The more expensive the car, the more valued the badge. A Mercedes-Benz emblem worn around the neck as part of a group of chains was a popular look of the time.
There were regional flavors that began to crop up amongst the hip hop trend. In eastern urban areas like New York City, layering hoodies and Timberland boots became the flavor. On the west coast, particularly in places like Los Angeles, Converse sneakers became an urban wear statement along with big flannel shirts. The sudden appearance of gold teeth on a number of hip hop stars, an old trend of the South from even before the days of Hip Hop, added to the bling movement. Considering that this was something that only ten years earlier would have been considered “Southern Hick”, it is a statement of the strength of the movement that soon became a big part of the overall hip hop clothing fashion trend.
While the eighties saw the prevalence of “Gangsta Rap” and the look that went with it, the nineties were a return to a sort of elegance with Mafiosi influences beginning to take hold. Fedora hats, alligator shoes and the stylings of artists like The Notorious B.I.G. brought a glamour to the hip hop fashion and streetwear became something you began to see on the runways of many fashion houses.
Today’s Hip Hop Clothing Styles
Today, many of the rappers and such have their own line of urban clothes that could be considered hip hop clothes or urban fashion. Performers like Jay Z and P Diddy have become trendsetters in urban streetwear as they bring to market their own line of inventive and cool fashion forward concepts. Even performers like Beyonce have gained street cred with their own line of hip hop clothing. Staying on top of the game has become a full time job for many, as the rappers of yesterday try to stay on top of the urban fashion of today.
Another trend in today’s hip hop fashion is the emergence of graffiti artists as the new urban streetwear kings. Folks like Nylon, and Street Level Nine have emerged as leaders in this trend for hip hop clothes. It isn’t really that surprising when you stop to think about the connection between gangs, urban life and graffiti art. The look also fits perfectly with the street cred style of so much of hip hop fashion.
For many, skateboarders are still a big part of the hip hop fashion trend. What began for many of the current companies as a venture to find their own voice, has become an integral part of the urban clothing scene. Companies like Zoo York (named after the tunnel in New York’s Central Park where skaters like to congregate) and Element began in the 1990s and have grown to be major voices in the hip hop and urban fashion scene.
With the emergence of the internet as a way to market to the young, it is no wonder that there are now hundreds of little hip hop fashion companies that sell directly to their market. With the ability to print up new styles and graphics at will, many of today’s kids are looking at hip hop and urban fashion as the way to create their own fashion statement. Companies like Pop Junkie and AlwaysSuburban are now serving up hot new styles on the net and elsewhere.
A good example of where this is all going is the movement towards small local brands. It is not uncommon to see locally owned hip hop and urban clothing brands being sold at your local urban clothing shop or skate store. These brands often are owned by young adults and kids and consist of t shirts, caps, and maybe some hoodies or sweatshirts. They are often sold locally, sold to friends around town and sold via easy to setup webstores.
So check it all out, from the local kids with their own fashion designs to the latest thing from Galliano and Boudicca on the catwalk, because hip hop wear and urban fashion is here to stay. It may have begun with some street-smart kids practicing their break dancing moves on the corner, but today it is everywhere from the kid down the block to the center of big fashion news and mainstream’s hottest music scene.