The Pan-African flag, created by Marcus Garvey in the 1920s, and kente cloth became a motif in the color schemes and prints of t-shirts, jackets, hats, and accessories. Part of the consciousness-raising element of hip-hop was urging a return to African roots and aesthetics. Rapper Queen Latifah (Dana Elaine Owens) poses for photos backstage at Mosque Maryum in Chicago, Illinois in June 1989. Though Southern hip-hop burst into national consciousness toward the end of the ‘90s and early ‘00s, the sexy, country, afrofuturistic, and larger-than-life elements of New Orleans, Houston, and Atlanta were present in the style of Outkast, UGK, No Limit and more. West Coast rappers were mutually inspired by the lowrider culture of Chicanos, adopting the ease of khaki pants, white vests, and plaid button ups.
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For example, in her book, Free Stylin’: How Hip Hop Changed the Fashion Industry, Elena Romeronoted how b-boys tapered their track pants and jeans for easy dancing. This is why trends from the ‘80s remain foundational across generations, and hip-hop remains forward-thinking - because a remix doesn’t just refer to a different version of a song.ĭuring formative decades of hip-hop, each region began developing its own style, but it was always functional and funky. As in, there is a shared sartorial legacy that draws on hip-hop’s ability to bring together streetwear, high fashion, DIY design, African heritage, and its revolutionary and radical roots. Fashion is not only related to the five pillars of hip-hop (emceeing, breakdancing, DJing, graffiti, and knowledge), but it is a testament to the enduring cultural language of the genre.
In the case of hip-hop fashion, the difference between the cyclical nature of trends is more complicated. It’s become a cliche to state that fashion is cyclical - trends from the past always return 15 or 20 years after their initial popularity.
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