According to KRS-One’s refinitions of hip-hop, street fashion is a crucial element in order to present and preserve hip-hop’s identity and ideology to society.  The refinitions (redefined definitions) are part of The Refinitions_ 9 elements of kulture, created by rapper Krs-One as a collection of Hip-hop cultural terms and codes designed to ‘protect, preserve and ascertain Hip-hop’s common spirit and raise the self-worth of the true hip-hoppas.’ Street fashion has become a billion dollar industry with multifaceted layers, and many say that fashion houses and labels owe their dues to hip-hop for their major success stories. As the hip-hop industry grows in strides, the lengths that designers will go to, to out do each other is phenomenal. The rhymes that often permeate rap songs describes the wealth and materialism the culture lives by, or is tries to attain, illustrates the importance of fashion in the hip-hop environment. It’s an industry which is undeniably driven by glitz, glamour and materialism. However, when you peel back the layers, it is really a story which begins at its roots; the streets.

Hip-hop fashion and its influence has become so colossal in mainstream America and even in Australia, that it has created small fortunes and opened the floodgates for rapper created brands such as Phat Farm, Rocawear and Sean John. Yet, it is still the original flavours of old-school hip-hop groups such as Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash and the old school b-boys who many admire and consistently celebrate. ‘My style like my music is eclectic. However I will always embody the old school B-Boy style,’ attains DJ Peril. ‘My style icons are anyone from Run DMC to Kool Moe Dee, the old school B-boys from the 80’s period. The ones who started it all.’

Many could say that Peril is one of the trendsetters of hip-hop style in Australia. His collection of clothes, sneakers and jewellery is extensive with an array of colour co-ordinated ensembles and a sneaker collection rivalling Imelda Marcos, with over 100 styles and colours.

‘It’s like I said, I was a sneaker freaker before the term was even invented. I have been collecting everything old -school including sneakers ever since I could remember. I hoard things away, yet I have sneakers that will never go out of fashion, and I will always cherish them,’ he says.

Peril however, is quick to assure that his prized collection is all about quality not quantity. ‘I prefer to have rare quality trainers especially from the ‘84-‘85 eras,’ he says. ‘There are many guys out there with over 500 pairs, most being of poor quality. In my collection, I have maybe 10 or 12 pairs which have never been re-released anywhere in the world, and that’s pretty cool to me.’ One jewel in the crown is a pair of ‘88 original Run DMC Adidas collection trainers, along with matching jacket and hat. Peril admits he is also partial to bright colours with a rainbow coloured spectrum wardrobe of tracksuits, jeans and jackets, original oversized Cazal sunglasses, and original 80s Lee jeans. One of his most prized possessions however, would have to be his limited edition black and red leather Michael Jackson jacket. ‘To have this jacket really shows how passionate I am about this era,’ he says.

Hip-hop fashion transpired from street reputation. In the hoods, if you dressed well, you were notorious in the ghetto and others admired you. This authority and status came from what you had. B-boys like Run DMC assisted with the allure of street fashion to the streets of America, and established cult-like craze with their leather jackets, Adidas sneakers, black bowler hats and gold chains. Their decree and popularity even saw Adidas strike a sponsorship deal, with the group becoming prominent spokesmen for the company.

‘What up and coming artists wore became fashionable because their reputation made it fashionable,’ says Peril. ‘For instance, brothers who did not have much money started buying polo tops and golf looking gear, which looked like the expensive stuff the rich white guys would wear. The difference is that when the brothers wore it they made it cool. They made yuppie fashion street surreal.’

Dapper Dan, was another iconic figure in 80s hip-hop fashion scene.  A B-boy costumier, he designed various outfits and garments, sampling from the significant designers at the time whilst adding distinctive street styles. ‘Dapper Dan would customise outfits for all the rappers. He was like the stylist to the rap stars. When you see many of the album covers from that era, they were most likely styled by Dapper Dan,’ explains Peril. ‘In the hood, being fashionable was related to success and wealth. However, when it came to the really expensive brands, it was really the fat cats who could afford them and promote themselves as upper class, yet not removed from the ghetto.’ On the flip side if you wanted something more customised you would go for Dapper Dan.

Hau and Danielsan from Aussie hip-hop group Koolism, also agree that fashion style in the culture can resonate the particular style of music one plays and produces. ‘Everyone says that image is nothing, but everyone has an image in the way they dress. The way we dress has a certain style which is similar to our style of music,’ says Hau.

‘I agree,’ adds Danielsan, ‘we have those hip-hop roots in our music and that aesthetic, yet we distance ourselves a little from the mainstream and create our own version without copying. We break the boundaries in our music and the way we dress, we set our own trends.’

The boys from Koolism however, keep much of hip-hop tradition alive in the way they dress with Hau regularly donning fresh white Nike trainers, Kangol hats, and a gold chain. Whilst Danielsan is partial to Sergio Tacchini clothing and footwear, and prefers to steer clear of the more popular brands leaning towards brands such as Pro-keds and Pony sneakers which are lesser known. ‘I do like things like Adidas and Nike sneakers, yet I never wear them. I am not all that keen to just promote a brand,’ he says.

Danielsan also admires the styles of hip-hop fashion that not necessarily stem from the innovators, but the styles that were borne out of necessity. ‘I identify with the people who were not so much the innovators, but were accidentally the product of their time or place, which is where I believe everything has developed from in hip-hop fashion,’ he says. ‘These people were not so much doing it on purpose, it was just when the culture evolved the fashion came along with it.’

After time, street styles became fads and then the fads became classics, which is where companies cashed in on popular brands such as Adidas and Nike. While Hau insists his fashion tastes will always revert back to the mid to late 80s and organic street styles, he also admires the fashions of other music artists. ‘I like how bands such as Jet and The Vines dress with their blazers and Chuck Taylors, and also the flair of the reggae singers with the vests and the way they wear their hats. For me it’s not always about just a particular style, it’s about encompassing different ones and making it as one of your own.’

Like Peril, Hau and Danielsan agree that Run DMC were the true icons of hip-hop fashion, pioneering their style with radical impact by breaking from tradition when at the time fashions in the culture were all about leather pants, studded belts and headbands.

‘Their style just came out of nowhere with the black jeans, black t-shirts and white sneakers with the bowler hats. These styles became fads and still are popularised in the culture. All artists have taken a little from their style. I think a lot of these brands such as Adidas and Nike owe hip-hop a lot of money. Hip-hop is at the forefront of popular culture and it has generated a lot of publicity and sales for these companies,’ Hau believes.

With the rising number of entrepreneurs in hip-hop culture and artists such as 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Eminen starting their own labels, today’s fashion in many ways has adapted to the styles that their brands reproduce. Performers who were once devoted fashion fans, now own their own clothing labels, which just exemplifies the creativity that the hip-hop scene cultivates. With so many younger kids admiring and watching these artists and how they dress, it is safe to say these trends will continue to evolve. However, it is really where these figures find their style that truly tells the story of hip-hop style.

‘Many of the kids get this style of baggy pants and backwards caps from the commercial hip-hop culture,’ explains Hau. ‘It starts with the artist; however what they may not know is it starts from the streets essentially. For instance; baggy jeans with boxers showing originally comes from prison where belts were confiscated and prisoners had no choice but to wear their pants low.'

All in all, the fashion surrounding hip-hop culture today is all about fads. When it comes to fashion, brands will always have their time in the limelight and really cannot consistently dominate such an industry. Consumers preferable to types of fashion, who are constantly looking for rare, expensive and hard to get items, are always evolving. Styles that have maintained longevity are ones that will always grace their presence in hip-hop, ones, which have stood the test of time, and ultimately when it comes to this culture, you will find them on the streets.