What's Happening in Hip Hop

Sept 2, 2008

South Pole is an up-and-coming name in hip-hop apparel. This men’s T-shirt combines plastisol screen printing with a welded vinyl decal. Many hip-hop apparel buyers love flash, big designs and special effects.

By Morey Mayeri

Hip hop is more than a style of music — it’s a way of life. It is a distinct culture unto itself, one whose roots are in African American and Latin communities in New York City, with key elements including rap music, graffiti, DJs, break dancing and, perhaps most importantly, fashion.

Hip-hop fashion — now embraced by mainstream society, thanks to the popularity of countless movies and songs that convey the culture — traditionally has included baggy jeans, gold chains, sneakers, and oversized T-shirts. Like any fashion movement, though, hip-hop styles are always changing. As of late, the look has branched out to include tighter, more colorful, preppier styles sported by hip-hop stars like Kanye West and Andre 3000; and skateboard styles that blend hip-hop and skater punk, dropping the jewelry, or “bling,” in favor of fitted caps, tighter shirts, and hoodies. Here’s a quick primer on everything else you need to know about the hip-hop world:

Customers. Hip hop’s denizens are mostly male, and generally in their teens, 20s and early 30s. Not surprisingly, females don’t tend to gravitate toward hip-hop’s unflatteringly oversized T-shirts.

Brands. The movement has inspired a slew of popular clothing labels, including Sean John, Rocawear, Akademic, South Pole, Ecko and Enyce. Despite the fact that some hip-hop customers aren’t necessarily affluent, the style tends to be relatively expensive, with apparel selling for $28 to $46 at retail — a price hip-hop enthusiasts are apparently happy to pay if it means wearing the coolest items from the hottest brands.

Sizes. Oversized styles are still popular in the hip-hop world, however, they’re not quite as large as they used to be. They still go up to 6XL, but the T-shirts aren’t cut as wide and large as they were in the past. Basic short-sleeve crew T-shirts are big sellers, as are ringers, raglan, and fleece up to 4XL. Lately, customers also are asking for thermal-lined, full-zip, fleece hooded jackets.

Colors. Bright, outrageous colors remain popular, including pinks, lavender, orange, lime and lemon, while heather colors are popular with the skater subculture.

Designs and decorations. Generally, when it comes to designs for hip-hop apparel, the flashier the better. Customers love huge prints and multimedia designs that combine several flashy techniques into an over-the-top design, often in multiple locations. Popular designs include skulls; gold chains printed in glitter and foil, large brand names emblazoned across T-shirts; and “Benjamins,” or $100 bills. Special effects also are extremely popular — everything from foil, high-density and flock (for lettering accents) to rhinestones, nail heads and studs. High-frequency welding and gels have apparently lost some of their luster in hip-hop fashion. 

Now that you know the 411 on hip-hop fashion, you’re ready to make lots of Benjamins, right? Fo sheezy.

Morey Mayeri is president of Royal Apparel, a manufacturer of American-made sportswear specializing in cutting-edge styles for juniors and young men. Mayeri also owns Summit Apparel, a full-service decorating operation that offers screen printing and embroidery among other decorating techniques. Contact Mayeri at (212) 239-9016, e-mail sales@royalapparel.net or visit royalapparel.net.

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