Streetwear is a Punk!

Early Punk Fashion

Punk fashion is one of the styles of streetwear that got it’s start in the 1970s. The style has evolved over many years of refinement and change, and is quite different from what it was originally, yet it still retains some of it’s roots. Originally, punk fashion was supposed to be aggressive, confrontational, and shocking. It was the style of rebels, and this was an ideal that has prevailed through punk’s history.

Early punk clothing was designed by Vivienne Westwood, and Malcolm McLaren, and was also inspired by such punk icons as the Ramones, Richard Hell, and the Bromley Contingent. Offensive imagery was important in early punk clothing, with images and phrases placed on clothing that was designed to catch eyes and scare people. Anarchy symbols, fake blood, and inverted crucifixes could be found on clothes in stores like SEX, and early punk clothing store. Often times, punk clothing was intentionally torn, a trend that continues into today, and covered in patches. Another early style was wearing leather rocker jackets and special blazers, patched and customized by the individual. Blazers are still a large part of the punk scene. The inclusion of blazers and the dress shirts that were also common shows that the punk scene was something that was, in it’s essence, a counter culture movement, and these clothes show that.

When it came to foot wear, people wore motorcycle boots, Chuck Taylor All-Stars, and other kinds of boots. Pants were often tight, and often leather, though tight jeans were very common aspects of punk apparel. Hair styles were messy intentionally, and styles like liberty spikes and mohawks were very common. Unfortunately, symbols found on early punk clothing were often racist, such as iron crosses or swastikas, this, however, changed in the mid 70s with Rock Against Racism, a campaign to eliminate racism among the rock and punk cultures. Luckily, the campaign succeeded, and to this day, punk culture is decidedly anti-facist, and anti racist, often containing things like crossed out swastikas in modern punk outfits.

Among women, early punk style could include ripped fishnet stockings, leather, and a large amount of facial piercings, something that men also sported. Also, punks who were women often sported feminine clothing mixed with masculine items, such as tutus and blazers or boots. There were also a large percentage of vegetarian and vegan punks, who did not wear fur and leather due to animal rights reasons. Punk clothing also saw the use of items like safety pins and tape to hold together clothing that had been torn and ripped on purpose, and even saw items like garbage bags being used as clothing.

All of these things moved towards the idea that punks were not normal, and they did not want to be. Also, none of these fashion items would have stuck around if not for the punk culture being supported by the vibrant music scene which fed it originally. Today, punk has changed a lot, but is also very similar, in many ways, to the punk designs of the 70s.

Hip Hop Fashion in the 90s

Hip hop fashion is a huge part of the hip hop culture, and is something that has evolved and changed over nearly 30 years. The 80s saw the birth of hip hop clothing, and the genre was really brought about in the early 80s. It first evolved in the Bronx, an area of New York City. Early on hip hop clothing was dominated by Jheri curls, lots of jewelry, sneakers with phat (wide) laces, and sports wear. Companies like Adidas and Nike were the most commonly worn clothes in the hip hop scene, though bomber jackets also became a part of the hip hop culture. Through the 80s, the genre started becoming influenced by the west coast, and people like Will Smith started introducing things like Flat Top hair styles and high top sneakers. However the core of the hip hop fashion style was still the same. As rappers shaped hip hop as a music genre through the 80s, the clothing evolved with it. Hip hop became more and more popular, and the clothes were becoming less and less counter culture, and before long even high class fashion designers were looking to the hip hop culture for inspiration for their liens of clothing. However old school hip hop and clothing are still a nostalgic and important part of hip hop history, so it is important to learn about it if you are interested in understanding hip hop culture and how it evolved.

In the early 90s, hip hop fashion became influenced by traditional African dress. Bright colors, large pants, and head wear were all heavily influenced by this style of dress. Micheal Jordan also became a big name in the hip hop fashion game, and Nike continued to drive the sports wear side of the culture. Starter Jackets also became popular, and in fact became something of a status symbol among hip hop enthusiasts, as they were stolen from retailers frequently. Who remembers the old school parkas?! Baseball caps also became popular among rappers in the early 90s, and were usually worn backwards or to the side, and were often times brightly colored, as influenced by African dress. Gangsta style emerged, popularized by N.W.A., it featured Dickie jeans, plaid shirts, and baseball caps, often times these clothes would match color wise so as to show support for one’s neighborhood, in which clothing color was important. As the 90s moved forward, gangsta style moved towards styles developed in prison, such as wearing jeans low and sagged, black ink tattoos, and bandannas. The other side of hip hop, or the elite side, went the opposite route, and developed such trends as wearing suits, bowler hats, and other clothes inspired by the gangsters of old. Later in the 90s, throwback jerseys became popular, and the whole style starting moving more and more mainstream, today hip hop culture is one of the dominating forces in the cultural backdrop of America.

Women’s Streetwear Continues to Evolve

HellzBellz, considered by many to be one of the premier designers of women’s streetwear, continues to push the envelope with their edgy designs. Lanie, the driving creative force behind the label, recently debuted her newest line and it is certainly getting a lot of attention. Determined to give women more options than frilly ready to wear, Lanie has created designs that resonate with women everywhere that want their clothing to make a statement about who they are. Lanie commented, “I live my life knowing that I’m a strong woman and I have the ability to create my own destiny.”

Stores such as FilthyDripped.com can attest to the rising popularity of streetwear in general, and not only for the male market. Lanie’s newest collection is sure to create quite a stir in streetwear culture and the designs are truly unique. She commented, “When designing a collection, I basically make what I want to see in my closet. This didn’t fall short for my Holiday ‘07 collection, which is set to deliver mid-October to early November. I’ve always had an interest in the early 60’s mod/punk scene in London so I developed a collection with a mod influence but gave it a military twist through the cuts, details and graphics. The military-mod theme isn’t completely literal but its influence is apparent.”

Long ignored by traditional fashion, women who are interested in streetwear often have to settle for wearing men’s trends. HellzBellz has been working to change this since 2005 and the reception has been tremendous. She has been traveling to shows on both costs and her work is certainly in demand, proving that streetwear is still on top, no matter what sex you are. According to Lanie, the type of woman interested in streetwear is, “A forward, non-conforming woman who lives life to the fullest and understands first and foremost that individuality is key. She’s also a strong female who isn’t afraid to speak her mind or express herself freely.”

Wildchild Nation Goes Hollywood

Wildchild Nation, one of the most popular designers of streetwear recently announced that they were chosen to provide costuming for the latest production of Step Up 2: The Streets, a film in the works from Touchstone. Their Love Understands All Music Line came to the attention of the costume designer there who commented, “street cool, fashion colors and striking styles converge in ‘Love Understands All Music,’ a vibrant, fresh and hip collection.”

Streetwear has maintained its popularity since it got its start in the 1980’s and can be found in special boutiques throughout the country. FilthyDripped.com is one of the most popular stores in California, offering numerous lines from designers and all of the latest trends. The streetwear market has managed to avoid falling into the same trap as traditional designers in the current economy, a fact that is attributed to its edgy design and appeal.

The new collaboration with Wildchild and Touchstone illustrates that streetwear is at the forefront of what is on the minds of the nation. Many of the designs are inspired by music and Wildchild is the perfect illustration of what happens when clothing and music come together. Business partner and co-founder of Wildchild Traci Copeland agrees stating, “Everyone loves music. It sets the tone for much of what we do, and our designs are a reflection of that. Music can be colorful, vibrant, and thought-provoking. This movie is a great platform to showcase that.”

You can see Wildchild Nation’s designs in Step Up 2: The Street, which will be directed by John Chu. As the company’s release pointed out, “Step Up 2: The Streets” proves to be a high impact ride down hip hop street dance culture and fashion.”

Streetwear Manages to Buck Economic Trends

The economy may be hitting the skids, but streetwear designers are managing to keep sales figures high. Stussy, and many other streetwear brands are experiencing an increase of sales, and they continue to release new lines to take advantage of the resurgence of interest in streetwear.

For twenty-eight years Stussy has managed to stay on top, continuing to offer their fans innovations and old favorites. Their new menswear line, Stussy Deluxe was rolled out at the recent Project Global Trade Show in Las Vegas to thunderous applause. Even though many other clothing manufacturers seem to be scaling back in this time of economic uncertainty, Stussy, and even boutiques such as FilthyDripped.com are holding their own.

Scott Terpstra, Stussy’s sales director commented on the increases stating that streetwear is deemed a “must have,” by their customers and has managed to stay liquid because it is “on trend.” Customers would certainly agree and many labels are benefiting from these conditions. Crooks and Castles, a Los Angeles based label has announced numerous plans for expansion and will be debuting new lines throughout the year.

In keeping with what they deem is a changing trend among their consumers, Stussy is changing their lines a little bit and trying to appeal to their core customers that are reaching into the 30’s and looking for merchandise that is not too “youth oriented.” Their new deluxe line featured denim with only a purple dot for the brand logo and they are incorporating much more luxurious fabrics like cashmere into their hoodies. Many claim that they are losing their roots a bit with this switch, but the bottom line may dictate the kind of clothing that the company produces. Despite these changes that have taken the line a little further from its roots, Terpstra commented, “We are an image and brand-integrity company.”

The History of Rap Music

Let’s take the time to learn a little more how the hip hop culture evolved. Before there was the fashion style, there was music.

Hip hop rose to popularity in New York in the late 70s during the height of popularity of the so-called block parties. DJs usually played funk and soul music and later on tried to play only the break beats of the songs. It became a hit among block partygoers and the rest is history, so they say.

One of the famous DJs at the time was DJ Kool Herc, who is widely regarded as the godfather of hiphop. Aside from DJ-ing, he also began collaborating with emcees to supply the words to the music. A lot more DJs followed suit including hip hop legend Grandmaster Flash and helped develop the genre into what it is today.

But what’s hip hop without the emcees? Now popularly known as rappers, they supply the words to the music not by singing them but by rhythmically speaking them along the beat. The themes in the lyrics are varied ranging from partying, sex, drugs and even political ones.

As the music evolved, so did the art of rapping. Freestyle rapping is one popular form wherein rappers spit out lyrics spontaneously. This is also popular with rapping duels wherein two rappers go head-to-head and try to top each other in coming up with the best rhyme.

What could be considered as hip hop music’s golden age was in the 1980s when the genre was just starting to become recognized. Groups such as Run DMC and Beastie Boys, as well as solo acts like LL Cool J helped boost the popularity of the music was then limited to block parties.