Footwear - Urban Wear

A classic urban wear or streetwear look is not just about the clothes- it’s about the whole ensemble from the cap worn right down to the footwear. In the early eighties, many hip hop artists started to promote a new trend in style. They teamed up a t-shirt or a track suit along with a jacket and for the final touch, wore sneakers with oversized laces or ‘ phat’ laces as they were fashionably called.

The trend was a huge success and hit a chord with many youngsters who were looking for a new fashion statement to set them apart. Since hip hop traditionally grew on the streets, sneakers were the ideal footwear for performing freestyle hip hop and other street dance forms.



Today, there are many brands which have branched out into designing streetwear shoes for youngsters. Sneakers are a hot favorite and are available in many designs and colors for both boys and girls. Names like Nike, Adidas and Reebok which were associated with manufacturing sports shoes for many years, were actually among the first to latch on to the streetwear shoe trend. Their designs which are very popular even today were a huge leap in style and a class apart from their usual plain white sneakers which were associated with sports.

Artists and designers were actually encouraged to get creative and use colors that were not common in footwear like gold, purple or silver. The idea was to make urban wear footwear unique and stylish on its own to the extent that it could be worn with other fashion styles and still add a clear hip hop touch to the wearer.

In addition to the most popular sports brands, there are plenty of other urban wear footwear brands which carry their own distinctive styles. In fact many of them not only sell footwear but are also known for their range of apparels and accessories. Etnies is one such brand which has a very colorful range of sneakers, guaranteed to blend in well with whatever you’re wearing. Two tone color patterns, tweed, graffiti prints and even loud colors such as blood red or gold are some of their popular designs. They have more than twenty designer ranges with at least five color options each. They even let customers design their own unique sneakers.

Besides footwear, the brand also sells apparels for boys, girls and kids. DC is another popular brand with a footwear collection for men, women, boys and kids which are another favorite. Footwear is available in four options- shoes, sandals, LX and water resistant footwear. The men’s collection comprises of footwear which are mostly in sober shades like black, brown and white whereas footwear for women is much more vibrant.

 Shades like blue, pink and patterns like tweed are also common. DC also has an interesting apparel and accessory range for both men and women. If you are unsure about which brand to buy, then check out websites like DrJays, Karmaloop and UrbanIndustry which offer a wider selection and feature top selling urban wear footwear brands.

The Origins of Hoodies

This particular piece of clothing spells out attitude clearly, and is worn by boys, girls and even babies alike. Rap artists have belted out their songs wearing one of these, to add some style quotient to their image. Wearing one indicates you’re cool. So how did the hoodies come into existence and why is it such an important ingredient in urban fashion wear?

Who was the influence behind the hoodie and when was it first used, is a much debated question in history. Some say that the cowl which was a hood worn by Catholic priests on top of their tunics, was the original inspiration for the hoodie. These cowls were commonly used by them for prayers and during confessions. A more plausible theory is that workers, who used to spend long hours working in frozen warehouses, were the first people to wear the hoodie. Of course back then, the intention was to give the wearer warmth and not to make him look stylish. Soon a few sportswear designers such as Claire McCardell actually developed many collections all proudly featuring the humble hoodie. Not before long, athletes and football stars in particular began to wear them quite often. However, the image attached to the hoodie was one of exclusivity.

People get hugely influenced by the movies and in the late 70’s, the world was raving about Rocky- the famous underdog who was determined to fight back and stay fit. Who can forget Stallone’s workouts wearing his hoodie? Something about the character struck a chord with teenagers and youngsters. It was almost as if the hoodie seemed to say ‘The world is against me, but I will make my place eventually’. Sales of hoodies slowly began to rise. Coincidentally, America was also slowly waking up to hip hop, which was a new refreshing sound unlike rock and other popular music forms at that time. Hip hop for some reason, was seen as music for outcastes and for people who just didn’t fit in. Its lively beats and meaningful lyrics, soon found a place on every street and in the nightclubs. Just as the music itself was different, hip hop artists sought to create an image different from the torn jeans and denim jacket style of those times. The hoodie teemed with a t-shirt, colourful sneakers and bling for style, became the signature look of so many hip hop artists. Graffiti artists, surfers and skateboarders quickly followed suit.

The image of the hoodie itself has changed a lot over time. It hasn’t helped that rebellious teenagers wear it often, or that crimes have been committed by people wearing a hoodie with the hood up. When the hood is worn covering the head, this stylish garment transforms into something darker. However many designers have added a creative touch to the hoodie by including prints on them, adding pockets and zips or simply fine-tuning it. For a garment that has truly changed with the times, the hoodie isn’t likely to go out of style anytime soon.