90s Fashion In Our Streets Today...

The baseball caps and bright neon colours were a hit during the 90s. The caps were mainly worn with baggy clothes, but they are currently worn with whatever works (mainly skinny jeans and heels).

90s...

80s African Theme...

As I said before, the 80s trend was was the african colours and patterns theme. It did not last for long, but it has definitely made a come back in our generation. Queen Latifah made this trend stick back in the day and I think she looked kinda cool. Take a look...

 

Late 80s to mid 90s fashion...

Black nationalism was increasingly influential in rap during the late 1980s, and fashions and hairstyles reflected traditional African influences. Blousy pants were popular among dance-oriented rappers like MC Hammer. Fezzes, kufis decorated with the Kemetic ankh, Kente cloth hats,[3] Africa chains, dreadlocks, and Black Nationalist colors of red, black, and green became popular as well, promoted by artists such as Queen Latifah, KRS-One, Public Enemy, and X-Clan.

In the early 1990s, pop rappers such as The Fresh Prince, Kid 'n Play, and Left Eye of TLC popularized baseball caps and bright, often neon-colored, clothing. TLC and late R&B singer Aaliyah created a fashion trend among women. Wearing over-sized pants and big flannel shirts, they would couple the over-sized clothing with a tight shirt usually a sports bra underneath their big shirts. This was to show their own version of femininity, everything does not have to be form fitting and tight in order to be sexy. Kris Kross also established the fad of wearing clothes backwards. Kwame' sparked the brief trend of polka-dot clothing as well, while others continued wearing their mid-80s attire.

The Nike capture of soon-to-be superstar basketball protege Michael Jordan from rivals Adidas in 1984 proved to be a huge turning point, as Nike dominated the urban streetwear sneaker market in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Other clothing brands such as Reebok, Kangol, Fila, Champion, Carhartt, and Timberland were very closely associated with the hip hop scene, particularly on the East coast with hip hop acts such as Wu-Tang Clan and Gangstarr sporting the look. Gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A. popularized an early form of street Gangsta style in the late 1980s from the African American Gangs and Hustler clicks who were there, consisting of Dickies pants, white T-shirts, Locs sunglasses, Chuck Taylors sneakers, with black Raiders snapback hats and Raiders Starter jackets. Starter jackets, in addition, were also a popular trend in their own right during the late 1980s and early 1990s. They became something of a status-symbol, with incidents of robberies of the jackets reported in the media.

Hip hop fashion in this period also influenced high fashion designs. In the late 1980s, Isaac Mizrahi, inspired by his elevator operator who wore a heavy gold chain, showed a collection deeply influenced by hip hop fashion.Models wore black catsuits, "gold chains, big gold nameplate-inspired belts, and black bomber jackets with fur-trimmed hoods. "Womenswear Daily called the look "homeboy chic. " In the early 1990s, Chanel showed hip-hop-inspired fashion in several shows. In one, models wore black leather jackets and piles of gold chains. In another, they wore long black dresses, accessorized with heavy, padlocked silver chains. (These silver chains were remarkably similar to the metal chain-link and padlock worn by Treach of Naughty by Nature, who said he did so in solidarity with "all the brothers who are locked down. ". The hip hop trend, however, did not last; designers quickly moved on to new influences.

Mzantsi Show Them What You Got!!!!

South Africa's version of hip hop was kwaito back then, but kwaito only came about in the 90s (I'm still focussing on the 70s and mid 80s for now). So basically I found some cool images of current trends that represent the hip hop fashion of the 70s and 80s. The trends now are not identical, but do share significant similarities. Take a look...

#80s #gold hoops #chain #curls #bright colours

#chucks #leather bomber jacket #high-top fade cut #shades (notice that they look almost identical to the pair worn by the kid in the savage skulls gang)

#two piece #bright #fresh prince

#sneakers #nike

#high-top fade cut

Savage Skulls Gang...

As you know, Graffiti was a big part of the hip hop culture. Graffiti is known as the visual expression of rap music by political activists. Savage Skulls gang was a bad-ass street gang in the 70s, and they were known to be the most notorious at the time. They chose a more aggressive way to portray their struggle - using their art and themselves. These rebels didn't follow the fashion trends of the time - sneakers, chains, bomber jackets, kangol hats etc. Instead, they embraced a look we now recognize as the "biker boys" look.

#art #bootleg jeans #calf boots #waistcoat #long hair #cross #shades

#rebels #unity #boots #bootleg jeans #waistcoats #long hair #bins #badass

#brothers #uniform #unity

#savage skulls gang

#too cool for school

For The Love of Turntables...

Afrika Bambaata - Zulu Nation Throwdown vs Freedom Express - Get Down. This for anyone who appreciates turntables. It's honestly quite a hit and makes me wish I could make my head spin on the ground...NOT! But it does make you wanna move...

Old School Jams...

Run DMC - Run's House. What a jam!!!! The video is INCREDIBLE...the fashion in here is too epic!  

Sugarhill Gang - Rappers Delight. This is just to make you feel nostalgic about the 80s..the video isn't all that important, just a whole lot of white babes in costumes. You're crazy if this song doesn't move you!

The 1970 - mid 80s swazz!!!!

#amazaza #bomberjackets # graffiti #art #sugar-hill-gang #1979

#jhericurl #bomberjackets #amazaza

#gold #chains #80s

#ll cool j #FUBU #tracksuit #bucket hat #gold chain #gold ring

#zulu nation #amazaza #bucket hat #hip hop legend

#big daddy kane #knuckle rings #high-top fade cut #fresh

#dj cool herc #kangol #amazaza #bandana #ice

#roxanne shante' #hip hop sister #80s #door-knocker earrings #leather jacket #nice

#salt-n-pepa #jheri curl #gold #door-knocker earrings #chains #leather bomber jacket #love it

#kangol #grand master flash

#high-top fade cut #fresh prince #chains #hoops #gold #jheri curl

#ll cool j #kangol #bucket hat #gold chain #cool kid

#afrika bambaataa #zulu nation #leather bomber jacket

#taylor gang #converse #all star #chuck taylor #timeless #ultimate swag #love

#who's cathie? #name belt 

#fresh prince #will smith #high-top fade cut

#run dmc #kangol #bucket hats #leather bomber jackets #gold chains #big glasses #adidas #YES!

#salt-n-pepa #bomber jackets #boots #leggings #gold #chains #fly 

Taking It Back To The Late 1970s To The Mid 1980s...

Hip hop fashion, also known as urban fashion is a distinctive style of dress originating with African American youth on the scene of NYC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philly, the San Francisco Bay Area, Detroit, Memphis, Virginia, Atlanta, and St. Louis among others. Each city contributed various elements to its overall style seen worldwide today. Hip hop fashion complements the expressions and attitudes of hip hop culture in general. 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.

This was the time of break-beat deejaying, cutting and scratching of turntables, rapping, graffiti art, b-boying and beat-boxing.

In the late 1970s, established sportswear and fashion brands, such as Le Coq Sportif, Kangol, Adidas and Pro-Keds attached themselves to the emerging hip hop scene.

The 80s were strictly for brightly colored name-brand tracksuits, sheepskin and leather bomber jackets, Clarks shoes, Britishers a. k. a. British Walkers and sneakers (usually Pro-Keds, Puma, Converse's Chuck Taylor All-stars, and Adidas Superstars often with "phat" or oversized shoelaces). 

The Fresh Prince (Will Smith) popularized the high-top fade haircut, which has made a strong comeback today. The Jheri curl was also quite a a hit at the time.

Popular accessories included large eyeglasses, Kangol bucket hats, nameplates, name belts, and multiple rings. Heavy gold jewelry was also popular in the 1980s; heavy jewelry in general would become an enduring element of hip hop fashion. In general, men's jewelry focused on heavy gold chains and women's jewelry on large gold earrings. The heavy jewelry was suggestive of prestige and wealth, and some have connected the style to Africanism.

1980s hip hop fashion is remembered as one of the most important elements of old school hip hop, and it is often celebrated in nostalgic hip hop songs such as Ahmad's 1994 single "Back in the Day", and Missy Elliot's 2002 single "Back in the Day".