Graffiti Clothing & Fashion

Origins

The art of graffiti has been around for thousands and thousands of years.

The ancient Romans and the ancient Greeks all used wall art as a form of communication and decoration, and that’s exactly what graffiti is – it’s a form of self-expression that was born out of something quite simple.

Graffiti has a long and solid history, and for decades, modern graffiti has existed and will be around forever.

Graffiti artists are also known as ‘writers’ are, arguably for some, community orientated artists who have formed this sub-culture that has otherwise been seen as a form of vandalism.

In the late 1960’s, youths in the United States took to covering walls with images and text using spray paint. This urban art often took place over subway trains and would often be carried out at night where they would be less likely to be caught.

Originally, the anonymous person in the States would ‘tag’ his name ‘Taki 183’ wherever he went. All over New York was evidence that the guy doing this was well travelled! The mysterious figure was eventually found. He interviewed by one of the largest newspapers in New York City, who reported the story of this anonymous figure. The report in turn brought Taki 183 fame and a new craze was born.

Whilst youths eventually realised that, after the 1971 interview, there was opportunity to find that fame, they followed his example and formed competitions that were meant to plant names and tags in as many places as possible.

The popularity for graffiti grew and grew and the amount of graffiti throughout the States increased hugely. The youths would use markers just like Taki 183, however it became obvious that using spray paint also worked well, and with that the simple tags dwindled and colourful artsy creations appeared in their place.

Competing against each other, youths would make their tags bigger and better than anybody else’s. In trying to outdo each other, specific methods were developed and the craze eventually formed its own types of follower, using their own techniques and even using their own forms of vocab.

In the 1970s graffiti exploded and groups would form to compete with other groups. Gathering in subways, they would get together to talk about previous work and what everyone else had already done. New forms of graffiti would turn up overnight, with crews developing and getting together to create larger more elaborate pieces of art whilst they avoided being caught by the police.

As a form of self-expression, hip hop, MC, DJ and dance culture based graffiti as one of its elements and from the Bronx to the rest of world, it emerged as a way for youths to express themselves by visually combining the music with the ‘writers’ art.

Hip-hop is celebrated by all ethnicities, perhaps this is why it’s so openly accepted as a real culture among kids of all colours and backgrounds. It brings people together, and is proof that graffiti and the music it bases its culture on really does consider itself a community orientated art.

And that leads us through the years of graffiti to today.

Evolving and Fashion

It’s been clear over the years where graffiti and music cross. With examples being clear on CD artwork and in music videos, hip hop artists have tried to continuously feature it.

With a strong music culture, hip hop brings a mixed group of people together. Many people in the hip hop world don’t stick to a rigid form of clothing. Taking pieces from many designers, it’s about in your face urbanism that looks good.

Hip hop fashion is firmly rooted to where it originated. The aggressive edgy feel is still very apparent. It’s a strong look, and it has to be worn that way – with sheer confidence.

Clothing collections are inspired by a casual culture yet it is flexible enough for the wearer to make their own choices on which brands to wear and what apparel looks best.

Not being forced into fashion is key. Hip hop fashion is a way of individualising your personal style, and not being afraid to wear it.

So try taking inspiration from DC clothing in the form of a shirt, or try Rogue Status for hats that help you stand out from the crowd, after all skaters don’t have to stick to wearing shoes from DC, so in the same respect hip hop fashion doesn’t have to follow a particular text book trend.

Check out some of our Graffiti Brands