In the burrows of New York City, dress was already playing a big roll in the areas where hip-hop would come to dominate. Hip-hop culture emerged in the 1970s from the streets of New York City. In the early stages of hip-hop, rappers and followers would sport fashions inspired by the dress culture in New York City. The documentary Fresh Dressed, directed by Sacha Jenkins, follows the development of hip-hop culture (Fresh Dressed). Jenkins shows us how in its premature stage, hip-hop fashion involved the “B-boy” style. The B-boy would sport many types of dress, among them: sweat-suits, Pumas, and Kangols. As hip-hop became more popular, rappers began sporting higher-end brands like Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, and even brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
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Some reasons include the over-saturation of urban brands, the renewal of styles in fashion, and that hip-hop fashion moves with what rappers seem to be talking about. These viewpoints are rather brief, however and are not explored further. Other scholars have also joined the conversion trying to explain the change from urban brands: they claim that few brands managed to keep up with maturing styles, due to the aging of customers, and that urban brands that maintained brand equity, by entering the market early on, are still competing in the market. (Tasha Lewis & Natalie Gray). However, while some hip-hop followers did age and adopted matured styles, there are many young hip-hop fans still that have not adopted a matured style. Also, the brand equity of early Urban brands seems to be …show more content…
I will draw from multiple sources to show the the evolution of hip-hop culture and dress. This will set the foundation to examine luxury brands in hip-hop. Then, I will explore the explanations offered by scholars, who explore the reasons urban brands have dimmed down in hip-hop fashion. I will then take a psychological and sociological approach to attempt to explain the reasons luxury brands have stayed in hip-hop fashion. Drawing from scholars’ research I will explore how class relations and poverty affect the way one dresses. I will also use artist interviews to show their view on luxury in
Some reasons include the over-saturation of urban brands, the renewal of styles in fashion, and that hip-hop fashion moves with what rappers seem to be talking about. These viewpoints are rather brief, however and are not explored further. Other scholars have also joined the conversion trying to explain the change from urban brands: they claim that few brands managed to keep up with maturing styles, due to the aging of customers, and that urban brands that maintained brand equity, by entering the market early on, are still competing in the market. (Tasha Lewis & Natalie Gray). However, while some hip-hop followers did age and adopted matured styles, there are many young hip-hop fans still that have not adopted a matured style. Also, the brand equity of early Urban brands seems to be …show more content…
I will draw from multiple sources to show the the evolution of hip-hop culture and dress. This will set the foundation to examine luxury brands in hip-hop. Then, I will explore the explanations offered by scholars, who explore the reasons urban brands have dimmed down in hip-hop fashion. I will then take a psychological and sociological approach to attempt to explain the reasons luxury brands have stayed in hip-hop fashion. Drawing from scholars’ research I will explore how class relations and poverty affect the way one dresses. I will also use artist interviews to show their view on luxury in