Welcome to the 179th insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode, we discover hip-hop’s relationship with style, explaining how culture shifted from records to runway.
Fashion and music have been symbiotic since the moment a pin dropped. In a scene where image is integral to sales, records deals, and popularity, being fresh isn’t a question, it’s a necessity. Contrasting the era’s punk ideals, which rejected every industry etho, hip-hop embraced it from the jump, swimming in ice, denim and monograms at any given time.
Hip-hop’s influence on the fashion circuit is simply undeniable. Predominantly originating in East coast cityscapes, Dapper Dan’s Boutique single-handedly embedded affluence into the minds of emerging youth. Repurposing designer prints into street classics like tracksuits and bombers, his work would inaugurate those on the come up while redefining swag.
It was around this time brands like FUBU, Coogi and Kangol amassed a cult-like following on the backs of industry leaders like Biggie Smalls and LL Cool J. Said best by Groovey Lew, “If you weren’t Bill Cosby or just a rich mother****** from Australia playing golf, nobody knew about COOGI”. Retailing between $400-600, these heavyweight knits would become a status symbol among Timberlands, Phat Farm denim and sport apparel, with appearances from Carhartt.
In regard to outerwear, Marc Buchana’s Pelle Pelle would introduce leather to the hip-hop world. Debatably one of the most integral streetwear designers of all time, his craft would provoke interest in the likes of Avirex, retaining prominence even in the 2000s era. Buchana’s ‘Renegades’ jacket would be famously worn by Chief Keef in his Chicago mansion, paired with another staple of 2010s drip, True Religion denim.
Gucci goggles became an accessory to Louis Vuitton Evidence’s, in pair with backpacks and, thanks to Ye, a ton of Ralph Lauren and Moncler. While Lil Wayne rocked Bape, Pharrel worked on BBC Ice Cream, influencing a generation of youth, from the suburbs to the streets.
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