Global Hip Hop Fashion
Many people have gone crazy over hip hop; be it the culture, the music, the fashion, or all of these combined. Despite the fact that hip hop has been a trend for decades, many people still love this genre, especially when it comes to fashion.
Whether they understand the beginnings of hip hop culture or not, many people love to wear hip hop fashion. Going around the world, one can see that it has spread across cultures, and among a variety of people. With its beginnings in New York, people across continents are now enjoying hip hop fashion, as it has already entered mainstream fashion, thanks to several artists who have started their own hip hop clothing lines, as well as top brands in the fashion industry who have taken on this genre as inspiration for their lines.
In England, France, India and Japan, hip hop is a complete hit. The appeal of hip hop lies in the fact that it gives one an avenue for self-expression; highlighting independence, individuality and a strong spirit. However, there are many critics of the phenomenon; many people say that there are those who simply ride on to the fad, without properly understanding what it is, and taking it simply as another fashion trend. Still, there are those who have integrated the genre to their own situations, or in this case, their localities.
It might be unsettling for a New Yorker to fly all the way to Japan, and find many young people decked in hip hop fashion. However, on a closer look, this hip hop fashion in Japan, or any other place, is not quite the same as the one in New York. They have borrowed and adapted it to fit their own local customs and even peculiarities, making it highly-dynamic.
For example, “rap” has been adapted in different ways, by different cultures. Most significantly, local dialects as well as customs are included, giving rap a highly-specific cultural content. The same goes for fashion. People have taken on the low-slung jeans without belts, the baggy pants and the loose, oversized shirts, while adding their own culture’s style of clothing, or even style of wearing these clothes. Also, climate conditions, among others, affect the fashion style. All of these help each country create a hip hop fashion which becomes unique and custom-fitted for them.
The internet is fast becoming a valuable source of all things hip hop; from clothing to jewelry, web sites offer a wide array of choices, even personalized ones. As more and more people sell on the internet, it becomes easier for everyone to find hip hop related items; making them more accessible than ever. Yet it does not stop in selling items; several web sites have become online hip hop communities, giving people a space to come together and communicate.
Yet the globalization of hip hop fashion does not end there; nor is it always positive. As hip hop becomes more and more an accepted genre or style, so does commercialization of it become rampant. From high fashion to sportswear, food chains and record companies, many have hitched on to the hip hop culture; advertising its lifestyle and including their own products into it, in order for them to reach higher sales.
