Skateboarding Influence on Urban Wear

Although we usually think of hip hop artists as the main people who influenced urban wear and helped to make it fashionable; streetwear wouldn’t be where it is today if surfers and skateboarders hadn’t made being seen in it so cool. In fact, the beaches of California were one of the earliest places where hoodies and vibrant t-shirts paired with colourful sneakers were first spotted. Sports and extreme sports have always had a major influence on fashion with many people preferring to wear only the labels that their favourite sportspeople promote. However, the influence that skateboarders had on fashion was quite profound and soon caught up. Clothes with attitude that stood out, was a must have for them.

In the eighties, it was quite difficult to find clothes that were unique- so much to the extent that many people often dyed their tops or t-shirts in their preferred colors. Soon, designing one’s own t-shirt became a trend. Skateboarders began to show their artistic flair and creative side by unleashing never seen before designs on their clothes, wearing them with pride. It is quite possible that many urban wear brands that we see today drew quite a bit of inspiration from such custom made t-shirts, experimenting with different ideas for a generation that wanted something new. The old technique of simple screen printing made way for better prints such as appliques, embroidery, glow in the dark prints and so on. Skateboarders were among the first to make wearing baggy jeans, or pants with relaxed cuts so hip. Sometimes the jeans had huge pockets, slashes on the knees or the huge buttons stitched by the skaters themselves, for a retro look. These kinds of fits made skateboarding easier to do and it wasn’t long before denim manufacturers latched on to the trend and began to create colors and washes to fill the growing demand of youngsters. Even today, denim with cat like scratches, patches, embroidery and a faded look are very popular.

Hoodies and beanie caps are a must have part of urban wear too. Although the hoodie today has a slightly sinister feel about it, it packs a ton of attitude and is cool to wear. Clothing brands stretch their limits trying to get as creative with hoodies as they can, by experimenting with patterns, prints and colors. Brands like Zoo York and Element, sell hoodies that have hidden pockets in it, for an edgier touch. Element also sells hoodies with single words across the chest and plain hoodies with a complimenting color on the collar and cuffs. Zoo York is a popular streetwear brand which was available way back in the seventies, with a number of graffiti artists who created unique designs on t-shirts. The brand was officially launched in 1993 and even today includes many graffiti artists and features upcoming talents as well. Their clothing is designed to showcase street culture and urban fashion. One can only hope that the influence that both fashion and the skateboard culture have on each other, will never end.