Within the counter-culture, b-boy culture (a breakdancer) had a huge influence with b-boys often donning matching tracksuits, gold chains and Kangol hats - which quickly impacted and brought an exciting new dynamic fashion culture to the thriving New York hip-hop scene. Rapper KRS-One infamously said "Rap is something you do! Hip hop is something you live!" Much like it still is today, hip-hop in the 70s was an attitude that overcomes the limitations and boundaries society tries to enforce - it could be said that the wearer makes his clothing hip-hop. Hip-hop here was so much more than a style genre but a holistic lifestyle, blending music, DJ-ing, dancing and graffiti art - providing a much-needed escape from a myriad of societal, economic, political and cultural forces. Later down the line, this led to the practice of sampling existing music to create something fresh and new. Dj Kool Herc, and Grandmaster Flash were some of the first pioneers of the a 'breakbeat', a repetitive drum pattern, that essentially formed the backbone of hip-hop music. Iconic Dj Kool Herc DJing in Blackpool, UK, 2000Įarly pioneers started practising using two turntables to extend the dance break in funk and soul records - which created a seamless sound loop ideal for dancing to endlessly. Baggy oversized clothing was worn, largely due to inner-city hand-me-downs. They typically wore bomber jackets, tracksuits and sneakers with oversized laces. People in New York would dress up in their finest outfits for the disco clubs, and the young people of low-income neighbourhoods adopted this mentality at block parties, showcasing their finest fits. Boroughs like the Bronx in New York City largely made up of Caribbean immigrants and young African-Americans began coming together for block parties - which is how hip-hop was born. In 70's New York, a time when disco culture ruled the roost, hip-hop was first conceived as a reaction to this. Hip-hop has not only had a monumental influence on fashion culture, informing countless wider and micro fashion trends but is so much more than just style and music genre - its a lifestyle! But to celebrate streetwear, we must first recognise how it was birthed - and pay homage to its hip-hop roots, which (unbeknownst to so many) has shaped everything we wear today whether we realise it or not. In just a few decades, streetwear evolved from being predominantly a fringe sub-culture to one of the most significant forces in pop culture today.
In 2022, we live in a streetwear-obsessed society.
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