Otherlinks - How Hip Hop Fashion Evolved

December 5, 2018

Hip hop has seeped into all forms of entertainment, and it would be crude to limit its overwhelming influence into the realm of the highly influential music industry. Television, movies, cartoons— you name it, they have all been affected by the overreaching appeal of hip hop.

B-Boy Rappers

It all started with the enormous onscreen presence of the B-Boy rappers who created this synergistic link between hip hop and street fashion. In order to resonate well with the audience you needed to have your own signature outfits from different brands like Adidas, Reebok, and PUMA. At the end of the day, it all came down to capitalism, which helped both rappers and the companies endorsing them.

People mimicked what they saw on TV and craved to become doppelgangers of the rappers who they looked up to. And as they say, imitation is the best form of flattery.

The best way to mimic the mannerisms and behavioral quirks of your favorite rapper was to dress just like them. This created a demand like never seen before, and companies like Adidas and Puma made billions from this.It’s partly the reason why urban clothing brands like OtherLinks are gaining ground.

Reebok’s Advertisement Campaign

In order to become a commercial success in the 80s, you had to jump the hip hop bandwagon or get swept away by the speeding tide. This was well reflected by relentless campaigning by the likes of Reebok and Puma. In 1988, Reebok released a very popular ad that showed a group of men all perfectly lined up with one foot above the ground dancing in front of agraffiti wall to a rap tune.

This generated $35 million for Reebok– the people had spoken and hip hop fashion was here to stay. OtherLinks and other urban fashion brands are here to make sure the trend doesn’t die out any time soon.

Rappers Entering into the Mix

Rappers began to realize the power of their influence and made the street wear market more competitive by launching their own fashion lines. This can be observed in the early 2000's when Jay Z set up Rocawar, PDiddy set up Sean John, and Russell Simmons launched Phat Farm. The bustling market was up for grabs if you spoke and talked hip hop.

It would be an error to underestimate the power of tattoos,which were center stage at the time. You couldn’t call yourself a ‘rapper’ if you weren’t rolling around in big trousers, baseball caps, hoodies, piercings,leather jackets, and massive tattoos all over your skin.

Over sized Clothing Was a Thing

Looking back to the mid 2000's, we cringe in horror as athletes, wrestlers, and rappers wore baggy clothes and shirts that were 4 sizes too big. This odd fashion style soon phased out and people moved on.

In 2018, people have switched back to normal sized clothes,and the nerdy style of clothes that was once mocked has become all the rage.It’s common to see hip hop artists walking around in tucked in t shirts and high jeans along with sleek sneakers. OtherLinks has a comprehensive range of outfits available for hip hop fashion enthusiasts.