You could point to any number of workwear brands as an exemplar of this one facet of hip hop style: Timberland’s wheat-coloured boots have been an enduring New York staple – dating back to the days of Notorious BIG and a young Jay Z, who would who would buy a fresh pair every Saturday and sign his old ones for the sales assistant to keep – while on the West Coast, Dickies have long been the go-to choice of workwear for rappers, an extension of the style favoured by the gangs of Compton and LA.

Rap has always maintained a glut of figures who value such qualities, specialising in a particular brand of steeliness. It has a purpose and a grit about it, projecting these values through tough fabrics and utilitarian pockets. Workwear has almost always provided the latter. But most rappers are not Young Thug, and could only dream of being 3 Stacks, leaving others to tread the tightrope between flamboyance and a sense of street-level authenticity. There are, of course, outliers – from Slick Rick to Andre 3000 to Young Thug, these are exceptions that prove the rule, who have created their own spaces in which to exist. Much of its aesthetic has been defined by this tension, a subtle push and pull between fierce individuality and not pushing things too far and leaving artists vulnerable to derision. Hip hop has a vast, complex and nuanced sartorial past, but one of its most common and recurring motifs is tension. In The History of Hip Hop Style in Four Brands, which coincides with the A/W18 men’s shows, we look at those brands whose wares or influence continue to resonate. But some brands have left a lasting impact, either stylistically or on how we have come to view hip hop as a driving force within contemporary fashion.

To chart each one – often specific to regions or neighbourhoods, or trends with limited lifespans – would be impossible. Each epoch of this subculture turned de facto pop culture has come with its own host of styles and labels.

Whether it’s Gucci and Louis Vuitton riffing on the work of Dapper Dan, or the contemporary streetwear labels building on the foundations of early pioneers like Stüssy and X-LARGE, hip hop’s influence on how we dress in undeniable, and fittingly, impactful.

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