Hip-hop fashion (also known as rap fashion) refers to the various styles of dress that originated from Urban Black America and inner city youth in American cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Being a major part of hip-hop culture, it further developed in other cities across the United States, with each contributing different elements to the overall style that is now recognized worldwide.
History
Late 1970s to mid-1980s
During the late 1970s, sportswear and fashion brands such as Le Coq Sportif, Kangol, Adidas, and Pro-Keds became established and attached themselves to the emerging hip-hop scene.
In the 1980s, hip-hop DJs were known for wearing brightly colored name-brand tracksuits, sheepskin and leather bomber jackets, backpiece jackets, Clarks shoes, Britishers (also known as British walkers) and sneakers. DJs would wear sneakers from brands such as Pro-Keds, Puma, Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars and Adidas Superstars often with oversized or "phat" shoelaces. Popular haircuts of the time ranged from the early-1980s Jheri curl to the early-1990s hi-top fade, which was popularized by Will Smith (The Fresh Prince) and Christopher "Kid" Reid of Kid 'n Play, among others. Another trend in hip-hop clothing, pioneered by Dapper Dan in the early 1980s, was the adaptation and brandishing of high-net-worth fashion house brands such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci and logos on custom-designed tracksuits, jackets, and mink coats.
Trending accessories of the time included items such as large eyeglasses (Cazals), Kangol bucket hats, nameplates, name belts, multiple rings and heavy gold jewelry.Keyes, p. 152. Men's jewelry typically focused on heavy gold chains, while women's jewelry consisted of large gold earrings. Hip-hop performers like Kurtis Blow and Big Daddy Kane helped popularize gold necklaces and other types of jewelry, while female rappers such as Roxanne Shanté and the group Salt-N-Pepa helped popularize made oversized gold door-knocker earrings trend. The heavy jewelry was seen as a symbol of prestige and wealth, and some even connected the style to Africanism. For instance, MC Schoolly D claimed that wearing gold "is not something that was born and raised in America. In the rap genre, artists would engage in battles. As the leading warriors, we must rise and proudly proclaim our victories, while also sharing the methods that helped us achieve them."Quoted in Keyes, p. 152 (quoting Schoolly D. "The Meaning of Gold." Spin (October 1988), p. 52).
The fashion of 1980s hip-hop is widely regarded as one of the key components of the old-school hip-hop culture. It is often celebrated in nostalgic hip-hop tracks such as Ahmad's 1994 single "Back in the Day" and Missy Elliott's 2002 song of the same name.
As per Gwendolyn O'Neal, author of African American Aesthetics of Dress (1997), "The African-American aesthetic of dress is not exclusively African or American, but rather is influenced by distinct 'cultural' experiences that stem from being of African ancestry and living in America." In an interview with Black Book Magazine, rapper Jay-Z supported this view and defended the preference for luxury fashion brands in hip-hop culture as a way of "living on our own terms, rather than trying to imitate an elite lifestyle." The use of high-end fashion products in the hip-hop lifestyle is not necessarily driven by conspicuous consumption.
Preppy In the 1980s, the first wave of hip-hop influence, preppy fashion also gained popularity among the youth. This group of young, upwardly mobile black individuals, known as "buppies", embraced 1980s hip-hop music and wore clothing items from brands like Polo, Timberland, and Tommy Hilfiger. They were particularly drawn to the exclusivity and aspirational appeal of Hilfiger, with its all-American, WASP-y, and country club aesthetic. The brand's immense popularity among the hip-hop subculture community eventually led to its global expansion.
Late 1980s to early 1990s Black nationalism was increasingly influential in rap during the late 1980s, and fashions and hairstyles reflected traditional African influences. Blousy pants were popular among dance-oriented rappers like M.C. Hammer. Fezzes, kufis decorated with the Kemetic ankh, Kente cloth hats, Africa chains, dreadlocks, and Black Nationalist colors of red, black, and green became popular as well, promoted by artists such as Queen Latifah, KRS-One, Public Enemy, Native Tongues and X-Clan.
In the 1990s, hip-hop fashion underwent a gradual evolution from the 1980s, as the community began to draw inspiration from traditional African-American dress. The style of dressing in the early 1990s was influenced by elements such as bright colors, oversized pants, and headwear. The character portrayed by Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air serves as a notable example of the classic style and fashion trends of the 1990s. He is consistently dressed in bright and colorful garments, throwback jerseys, and baseball caps. Similarly, rappers such as Kid 'n Play and Left Eye of TLC also popularized the use of bright-colored clothing and baseball caps. Among women, TLC and the late R&B singer Aaliyah created a fashion trend by pairing baggy pants with crop tops or sports bras, and occasionally adding an oversized flannel shirt to their looks. This style represented their own version of femininity and conveyed the idea that not everything needs to be form-fitting and tight in order to be considered sexy.
Kris Kross established the fad of wearing clothes backwards.
Kwamé sparked a brief trend of polka-dot clothing.
In 1984, Nike collaborated with Michael Jordan to create the well-known basketball shoes, the Air Jordans. Even though the price point ranged from US$100 (which was considered a high price point then), it did not stop people from lining up for hours just to get their hands on a pair of these shoes. To date, Air Jordans are still widely worn by basketball players, and with Nike releasing retro versions from time to time, which sell out globally within minutes of the release date. Adidas had a large role in sneaker culture, helped by Run-DMC when the group's single "My Adidas" released in 1986. Other clothing brands such as Reebok, Kangol, Fila, Champion, Carhartt, and Timberland were closely associated with the hip-hop scene, particularly on the East coast with hip-hop acts such as the Wu-Tang Clan and Gang Starr sporting the look.
Gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A popularized an early form of street style in the late 1980s from the African American gangs and hustler cliques who were there mimicking cholo fashion. This included khaki Dickies work pants, white T-shirts, Locs sunglasses, Air Jordan or Nike Cortez sneakers, with black Los Angeles Raiders or Kings snapback hats and Starter jackets. These jackets were also a popular trend in their own right in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They became something of a status symbol, with incidents of robberies of the jackets reported in the media.
Hip-hop fashion in this period also influenced high fashion designs. In the late 1980s, Isaac Mizrahi, inspired by his elevator operator who wore a heavy gold chain, showed a collection deeply influenced by hip-hop fashion.Wilbekin, p. 280. Models wore black catsuits, "gold chains, big gold nameplate-inspired belts, and black bomber jackets with fur-trimmed hoods." Womenswear Daily called the look "homeboy chic". In the early 1990s, Chanel showed hip-hop-inspired fashion in several shows. In one, models wore black leather jackets and piles of gold chains. In another, they wore long black dresses accessorized with heavy, padlocked silver chains. (These silver chains were remarkably similar to the metal chain-link and padlock worn by Treach of Naughty by Nature, who said he did so in solidarity with "all the brothers who are locked down.")
The eight-ball jacket, created by designer Michael Hoban in 1990, was trendy during the 1990s, particularly in the East Coast hip-hop scene of New York City. The style is characterized by bright color-blocking and large black and white decals on the back and sleeves, made to look like the eight ball used in some cue sports.
Mid 1990s to late 2000s
Fashion among "hip-hop" elites On the East Coast of the United States, members of the hip-hop community looked back to the gangsters of the 1930s and 1940s for inspiration.Wilbekin, p. 281. 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, double-breasted suits, silk shirts, and alligator-skin shoes ("gators").
This look transcended into the R&B world in the mid-1990s when Jodeci came onto the scene, who were crooners but with a more edgy and sexual look. By wearing gangster-style clothes along with the bad-boy attitude and being a R&B group, they appealed to both men and women. They were particularly known for their baggy clothing, symbolizing a hand-me-down from an older relative with a bigger build, as a sign of toughness.
On the East Coast, "ghetto fabulous" fashion (a term coined by Sean Combs) was on the rise.
Urban streetwear
Tommy Hilfiger was one of the most prominent brands in 1990s sportswear, though Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Nautica, and DKNY were also popular.Wilbekin, p. 282. Snoop Dogg wore a striped Hilfiger rugby shirt during an appearance on Saturday Night Live, and it sold out of New York City stores the next day. Furthermore, Tommy Hilfiger tube tops were also a big hit within the hip-hop community. It was considered a "must-have" piece for every girl influenced by this music genre. Artists like TLC, the late Aaliyah and so on were commonly seen in events dressed in it. Hilfiger's popularity was due to its perceived waspiness, which made it seem exclusive and aspirational. Hilfiger courted the new hip-hop market: black models featured prominently in the company's advertising campaigns, and rappers like Puffy and Coolio walked during its runways shows. As of late, Tommy Hilfiger launched People's Place, a program designed to amplify the brand's efforts and dedication to increasing opportunities in fashion for underrepresented communities.
Karl Kani was another influential designer who merged hip-hop with fashion.Karl Kani
Other brands, such as Nike, Jordan, FUBU, Southpole, Reebok Pro-Keds, Adidas, Eckō Unltd., Walker Wear, Mecca USA, Lugz, Rocawear, Boss Jeans by IG Design, and Enyce, arose to capitalize on the market for urban streetwear.
Throwback clothing
One sportswear trend that emerged was the rise in popularity of throwback jerseys, such as those produced by Mitchell & Ness. Sports jerseys have always been popular in hip-hop fashion, as evidenced by Will Smith's early 1990s video "Summertime", and Spike Lee wearing a throwback Brooklyn Dodgers jersey in the film Do the Right Thing. The late 1990s saw the rise in popularity of very expensive throwbacks, often costing hundreds of dollars. Hip-hop artists donning the pricey jerseys in music videos led to increased demand, and led to the rise of counterfeiters flooding the market with fake jerseys to capitalize on the craze. The mid-to-late 2000s saw a decrease in popularity of throwbacks, with some hip-hop artists even shunning them.