Hip-Hop clothing has taken the styles of the street corners and adapted it with the spread of hip-hop culture until it is so ubiquitous that it influences the entire spectrum of fashion from urban fashion to haute couture. Items like heavily starched chinos and plaid work shirts from brands such as Carhartt were adopted by those involved in the early days of the culture since they were cheap and worn daily.
Artists such as LL Cool J were regularly seen in Troop clothes and Kangol hats, Run DMC championed Adidas in publicity photos and on wax, and the Wu Tang Clan were regularly seen singing the praises of Clarks Wallabees and Tommy Hilfiger clothing. As Hip-Hop entrepreneurs began to knock on the door of corporate America through stratospheric commercial success, producers and artists began t capitalise on the links between music, art and fashion and create their own branded Hip-Hop clothing lines which would further boost their earnings from loyal fans.
Urban clothing brands such as Sean John by Puff Daddy, Wu-Wear and Phat Farm from Russell Simmons and Rocawear from Damon Dash and Jay-Z. With the spread of the internet, these brand as well as many other urban fashion brands have become available to fashion conscious celebrities fans adn aficionados worldwide. Trainers, or sneakers as Americans call them, are also a mainstay of hip-hop culture and many artists have either put their name to special edition trainers by brands such as Nike or Adidas or designed their own sneakers for mass production.
Clothing, music, graffiti art, break dancing, cars and cribs have all blended into a vibrant culture which has its roots in the streets but now influences the catwalk, the suburb, uptown and the boardroom. In fact, fans of Jamaican urban music will be aware that fashion remains an obsession of dancehall culture because of the recent worldwide smash hit ‘Clarks’ by Vybz Kartel where he pays homage to his favourite footwear. You can find urban fashion retailers online and in every city nationwide which just goes to show the extent to which hip-hop has permeated global culture.