Hip Hop Clothing

Hip Hop Clothing originated in New York City during the early 1980s. It was pioneered by designers such as Nike and Adidas and drew its inspiration from artists such as Kevin Rudd and Will Smith. With the introduction of bling into the hip hop culture, and the strive towards a rich look, so came designer labels such as Gucci and Prada making their appearances in hip hop videos and films lauching hip hop fashion even higher up on the charts.

Fast Facts

1. Originated: New York City in the 1980s
2. Pioneered by: Nike and Adidas
3. Variations: early hip hop, gansta style, bling, and the new trendy styles
4. Major design labels: Sean John and Rocawear

The Look

Hip Hop fashion can be described as the graffiti for the clothing world, pretty much anything goes, allowing for freedom of expression of ones self and style.

Traditional hip hop style usually consists of comfortable loose-fitting pants (sometimes with suspenders), sneakers (with the laces left undone), or boots, colorful T-shirts and military-inspired outfits, topped off with a layered of bling.

Bling

In the 1990s gold jewelry was out and platinum was in. The jewelry was elaborate and usually embedded with alot of diamonds. Hip hop singers such as Jay-Z, Juvenile, and The Hot Boys, are partially responsible for this trend.

Platinum fronts or Grillz became popular after rapper Brian "Baby" Williams had his entire set of teeth made in platinum. Soon after removable fashion grillz were being worn by the hip hop crowd.

Hip Hop Brands

• Zoo York
• Sean John Clothing Line
• Phat Farm
• Rocawear
• LRG
• Tribal

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