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Hip Hop Fashion is a very unique and distinctive style of fashion that originated with African American youth living primarily in New York City and Los Angeles. Although African American youth in other cities had some influence, primarily the major influence of the Hip Hop fashion trends and statements came from New York City and Los Angeles.
Each of the two cities contributed various elements to its overall style seen worldwide today. Hip hop fashion complements the expressions and attitudes of hip hop culture.
Hip hop fashion has changed significantly during its history, and today it is a prominent part of popular fashion as a whole across the world and for all ethnicities.
Early 1980s Hip Hop Fashion
Some of the sportswear and fashion brands defined as key in the Hip Hop fashion world in 1980 were created by such well known brands as Adidas, Le Coq Sportif and Kangol, to name a few of the most popular. These three brands were very proactive about linking their fashion to the emerging Hip Hop trends.
Clothing items that were considered at the height of Hip Hop fashion included vibrantly colored tracksuits, rich looking leather bomber jackets, sheepskin jackets, Doc Martens boots and Adidas brand shelltoes with "phat" or oversized laces. 1980s hip-hop fashion icons included Run-DMC and LL Cool J. Other popular Hip Hop fashion items includesd Clarks shoes.
Hip Hop hair in the early 1980s ranged from the early 1980s included high top fades and Jheri curls.
Other popular Hip Hop trends included the gold accessory trends which started with gold necklaces. Other Hip Hop fashion trends included large frame eyeglasses, Kangol bucket hats, name belts, nameplates and lots of multiple rings.
In generaly heavy jewelry is a trademark trend of Hip Hop and it started in the 1980s.
1980s hip hop fashion is considered to be one of the most important periods for the beginning of old school hip hop.
Hip Hop Performers such as Kurtis Blow and Big Daddy Kane helped to popularize gold necklaces and other jewelry. Female rappers such as Roxanne Shante and Salt N Pepa helped to bring in the oversized gold earrings. Heavy jewelry became suggestive of prestige and wealth connected to the Hip Hop period and style.
Hip Hop Fashion Current Trends
After the influx of the early hip-pop influence from the 1980s and 90s, hip hop fashion became less based in actual street wear and more in an idealization of such.
Hip hop clothing is often produced by popular and successful designers, who charge significant amounts for their products.
The main elements of modern male hip hop fashion today are baggy or sagging jeans, gold or platinum chains, boots or a fresh pair of kicks (sneakers), and a bandana or do-rag tied around the head (often with a fitted cap on top).
Large T-Shirts are also standard Hip Hop Fashion street wear.
In the 1990s and 2000s, many hip hop artists and executives started their own fashion labels and clothing lines.
Hip Hop Artists with their own labels & clothing lines include:
Wu-Tank Kang, Russell Simmons (Phat Farm), Wu-Tang Clan, Kimora Lee Simmons (Baby Phat), Damon Dash, Jay-Z (Rocawear), 50 Cent (G-Unit Clothing), Eminem (Shady Limited) and OutKast (Outkast Clothing).
Other prominent hip hop fashion companies included Karl Kani, FUBU, Ecko, Dickies, Girgaud, Enyce, Famous Stars & Straps, Bape, LRG, Sean John, Timberland Boots and Akademiks.
Evolving Trends
Evolving trends in hip hop fashion have geared towards a tighter, hipster-inspired style of dressing (so called "prep-hop"), which is coming to include raiments such as Nike Dunks, polo shirts (often worn with popped collar) sportcoars, large ornamental belt buckles, skull and skeleton decorations, elaborately decorated zip-up hoodies, trucker hats (Von Dutch), fitted caps (New Era Cap Company), tight tee shirts (Dangerous Elite), tighter denim jeans.
Shorter length t-shirts with shorter arm sleeves has become involed in recent trends because of wanting to expose decorated belts. In some circles, the baggy style has faded away, with the growing influence of rappers such as Kanye West, Common and Andre 3000, often sporting such colorful fitted prep-hop and hipster-inspired clothing, and tighter-fitting skater influenced styles in the case of Pharrell.
Baggy style remains active in other places despite recent trends.
WaveKingSup2007-08-06 17:52:36
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