25 Clothing Brands That Placed Their Stamp On Hip-Hop

In terms of clothing brands that have captivated the hip-hop audience, Polo is king. Founded by Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifshitz), the brand was spawned in 1967 when Lauren's necktie store. With the help of clothing manufacturer Norman Hilton, Lauren started selling his own personal neckties of his own design under the name "Polo."

Later acquiring the rights to use the trademark Polo, Lauren expanded the brand in 1971, opening a boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and has dominated the fashion industry ever since. Due to its penchant for innovative logos and its aspirational aesthetic, Polo would become the go-to brand for urban youth in America, inspiring iconic crews like the Lo-Lifes out of Brooklyn, who made their name boosting coveted pieces of the wildly popular brand from retailers in New York City. Championed by legendary artists like Raekwon, rappers gave the brand an added level of street cred.

The iconc Snow Beach jacket is forever a part of history because of the Wu. 

The entrepreneurial spirit in hip-hop was in full-bloom by the late '90s. Rap moguls were beginning to diversify their portfolios with all kinds of business moves. Jay Z was among these artists to branch out from music, and he founded the clothing brand Rocawear with partner Damon Dash in 1999.

Mr. Carter debuted the line on the red carpet at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, Hov would quickly make Rocawear a hot commodity among rap fans, grossing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, all the while establishing him as a reputable business man.

From tall-tees and denim jeans to parkas and bubble jackets, Rocawear catered to all ages and sizes, making it more than just a glorified side hustle, but a full-blown operation. But after Dame Dash and Jay Z parted ways, Hov sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to his stake in the company for 

One of the most pivotal clothing lines in the history of hip-hop inspired fashions is FUBU. Started in 1992 by Daymond John, J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carlton Brown, FUBU (an acronym meaning "By Us, For Us) began as a line of hats made in Daymond John's home in Hollis, Queens.

The brand expanded to include t-shirts, jeans, rugby shirts and other apparel a few years later. FUBU would go on to unexpectedly blow up after LL Cool J wore one of their hats in a high-profile ad for Gap. The commercial pushed the brand into the spotlight, resulting in FUBU grossing $350 million in worldwide sales in 1998.

Holding the title for the most popular clothing line during the late '90s, FUBU started to lose its luster by the early aughts. The brand began to focus its efforts on strengthening their presence overseas --  in addition to acquiring other apparel brands. FUBU's more recent attempts to recapture the magic of their time as the hottest hip-hop clothing line in America haven’t panned out yet, but it remains an integral piece of hip-hop history.

If you were looking to add a little flavor to you arsenal of fresh outfits during the '90s, Tommy Hilfiger was definitely high on the list of brands you were checking for. Founded by Tommy Hilfiger in 1985, the brand aspired to modernize the Ivy-League, prep-school look -- and managed to accomplish that feat by the mid '90s, when Tommy was one of the more popular clothing lines among American youth.

The massive success would result in Hilfiger being named Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1995. They also introduced women's clothing in 1996, with the late R&B singer Aaliyah serving as the spokesperson and face of the brand -- a testament to its stronghold on the pulse of pop culture.

Tommy Hilfiger has seen resurgence in recent years, racking 6.7 billion in global sales in 2014. Once championed by the likes of former Brand Nubian member Grand Puba and many other hip-hop luminaries, Hilfiger is undoubtedly one of the memorable clothing lines to come out during the '90s and remains an iconic name in fashion circles.

Russell Simmons has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to the direction of hip-hop. The co-founder of Def Jam Records helped mold the culture of hip-hop into a viable industry during the '80s, but spent the '90s pushing the boundaries of what hip-hop was viewed as with his first major expansion being a clothing line named Phat Farm.

Launched in 1992, the brand was birthed after Simmons partnered up with a Soho shop owner named Marc Bagutta. He thenhired two former graffiti artists turned inexperienced fashion designers. Raking in $2 million in sales during its first year of operation, Phat Farm was quickly picked up by specialty stores and boutiques across the country. It soon became one of the more popular clothing lines catered to the hip-hop crowd. While Phat Farm's success would be eclipsed in the face of steady competition, its standing as one of the influential brands to the hip-hop community is far from understated.

In the early 90s, Hip-Hop was beginning to influence the fashion world with their own clothing lines which were cultivated to represent the aesthetic of urban culture from our own point of view. One of the earliest being Cross Colours.

Founded in 1990 by Carl Jones, the label promoted positivity and knowledge of self and included jeans, t-shirts, baseball caps. C.C. helped open the door for other African-American fashion designers like Karl Kani.

Cross Colours might have faded out quickly to become a rap fashion afterthought by the time the mid '90s came around, but it was rebooted in 2014 as a multistyle street-fashion brand.

The brand expanded its target demographic and nows caters to a broader, multicultural group and is available at retailers like Jimmy Jazz, DTLR, Zumiez, and Dr. Jays. 

In hip-hop, California may be known for gangbanging, good smoke, and palm trees, but to the majority of people, Cali is popular for its chill vibes and carefree style of living -- both of which Stussy embodies. Founded in the early '80s by Shawn Stussy, the line began as skate/surf brand with t-shirts, shorts, and hats that Stussy would sell out of his car around Laguna Beach before partnering with a friend and officially going into business.

By 1988, the Stussy brand boasted operations in New York City and had expanded to Europe, leading the company to report $20 million in revenue in 1992. In 1996, Shawn Stussy would resign as president of the company and sell his share of the company, but the line would continue to be one of the signature street-wear brands in fashion and continues to bridge the gaps between hip-hop and surf life.

Around the same time that Russell Simmons launched his first clothing line, Phat Farm, the mogul also created an accompanying women's line in 1993 called Baby Phat. Although it didn’t equal the same success of its counterpart, Baby Phat rose in 1998 under her direction of Uncle Rush’s ex-wife Kimora Simmons.
Eventually, B.P. went on to trump Phat Farm in terms of revenue and ubiquity. It became one of hottest clothing lines for around the way girls during the aughts -- and produced hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue.
Popular for their form fitting jeans, coats, and assortment of accessories, Baby Phat became a staple within the hip-hop community -- and has yet to be surpassed by another female-friendly brand in terms of cache with urban consumers. Baby Phat has taken a bit of a hit in terms of visibility after Kimora Lee Simmons cut ties with the brand in 2010, but its stamp as a landmark clothing brand in hip-hop circles is indisputable and unchallenged.

Karl Kani may not ring many bells to the younger generation of hip-hop fans, but twenty-five years ago, the brand was making its bone as one of the clothing lines that would help change the way the fashion industry looked at hip-hop culture. Born Carl Williams in Brooklyn, New York, Karl Kani would move to Los Angeles in 1989 and open a shop on Crenshaw Boulevard, but wouldn't breakthrough until paying a friend to hold up a sign advertising the brand during a taping of The Today Show. The unconventional move gave his brand a boost and resulted in him quickly becoming one of the hottest designers in the urban landscape. However, Karl Kani would begin to see increased competition from rising brands looking to get a piece of the street-wear boom, eventually causing Karl Kani to lose its stronghold on the market in the late 90s.

The East coast is notorious for its treacherous winters, and it's hard to imagine braving the cold without any apparel from The North Face at your disposal.

Originally a climbing equipment retail store in San Francisco, the brand was founded in 1968 by Douglas Tompkins and Susie Tompkins, its name birthed after a hiking trip on Minnesota's Eagle Mountain. Initially targeted at climbers, backpackers, and other outdoors-men, The North Face would begin to rise in popularity on the East coast for the effectiveness of the brands products in the face of harsh conditions, not to mention the fly designs of the various jackets, coats, windbreakers, and other apparel.

The North Face, like many other clothing lines, has been so popular that its resulted in people sporting the brand being robbed or assaulted for the gear, which is one of the detriments of its power as a status symbol. Nonetheless, The North Face remains one of the most trusted brands in hip-hop and has yet to lose its footing in the outerwear industry.

Just when hip-hop fashion was going into full bloom, a new clothing line by the name of Mecca USA emerged and helped add to flurry of black designers putting their own spin on how clothes should be worn and made. Founded in 1994 by Tony Shellman, Lando Felix, and Evan Davis, Mecca USA quickly became respected as one of the dopest brands out, with rappers like The Notorious B.I.G. and other entertainers wearing the brand during it's peak in the mid-'90s.

While Shellman and company would sell the brand to International News in 1996 and create another pivotal clothing line in Enyce, Mecca USA would continue to be one of the strongest brands in hip-hop fashion throughout the '90s and remains memorable for playing a major part in bringing hip-hop fashion to the forefront.