The 1990’s era was a defining moment for the hip-hop culture regarding music and fashion. The fashion trends ranging from the 2Pac’s bandanas to Aaliyah’s signature style of crop tops and baggy jeans remain a source of inspiration for the modern day mainstream fashion. Adding gold chains and rings to the 90s outfit completed the casual style of most hip-hop stars while other accessories like bucket hats dominated the industry. It is during this time that most elites in the industry created signature styles and brands for themselves that have since continued to influence the modern fashion industry.
TLC and Aaliyah are among the1990’s female trendsetters in hip-hop fashion with their tendency to combine oversized shirts with tight underneath clothing. They also popularized the big flannel shirts and the over-sized pants, which have now become a favorite for most celebrities in the 21st century such as Rihanna. The male artists such as Kriss Kross are renowned for wearing clothes backward while Biggie Small made Coogi sweaters his brand. John Sean also went a notch higher on 90’s fashion with his signature bucket hat. Some of the favorite 90’s hip-hop wear include:
Bandana
image via Medium
This signature Tupac look hit the 90s with a bang and ended later in the decade. Most rappers and artist used bandanas before, but Tupac’s way of wearing it left a fashion mark in the hip-hop industry. The bandanas have started reappearing in the 21st century with more women wearing them.
Versace Silk Shirts
image via Billboard
You should consider making a visit to the 90’s with a stylish silk shirt paired with a colorful pair of trousers. The shirts came in bold and bright prints such as the tribal designs and graphic prints that depicted luxury and style.
Baseball Caps
image via Fuse
Baseball cap made a grand entry into the hip-hop culture in the early. The rappers and hip-hop enthusiast wore the caps backward or on the side.
Baggy Jeans
image via 20some
This popular 90’s female style highlighted badass boldly. The baggier the pants, the better they were. Aaliyah is one of the hip-hop stars who paired the jeans very well with a tighter crop top. The men, on the other hand, adopted more gangster styles popular in the prisons, which included wearing low and sagged jeans.
Dungarees
image via Lipstick Alley
Anyone up to date with the 21st-century fashion world might think dungarees just entered the fashion market today. However, women and men in the hip-hop fashion industry have been wearing them for more than two decades. The hip-hop enthusiasts looked more stylish by wearing the denim overalls with one strap up and the other one down.
Tommy Hilfiger Brand
image via Good Housekeeping
The Destiny Childs group and Aaliyah are some of the hip-hop stars who spotted the Tommy Hilfiger tube and boxers consecutively. The product surpassed other brands such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren in providing diverse items such as travel bags, sports top, clothes, and socks among others.
Bucket Hats
image via GQ
Not every bucket hat fitted in the 90’s hip-hop culture. It had to be either camo, fur-trimmed, designer, or white leather hat. A bucket hat was a good match for the baggy t-shirts worn by most rappers like Kanye West in the 1990s. The hats are currently making a comeback in the hip-hop industry with artist like Chris Brown wearing them.
Gold Chains
image via Lib Magazine
Wearing gold chains by most hip-hop rappers dates back to 1990s. The 14k chains that came in the form of link chains and rope style chains showed some boldness and social status. A higher number of gold chains indicated a higher social status. The hip-hop enthusiast without enough capital to purchase original gold preferred getting the gold-plated chains.
Coogi Sweaters
image via Coogi
Biggie is renowned for his rainbow designer Coogi sweater that he endorsed severally in his music. This spurred interests in most fans who started picking the brand making it one of the favorite ones in the 1990s.
Crop Tops Paired with Baggy Pants
image via WallpaperCave
Aaliyah always rocked with a combination of a crop top and baggy pants back in the 90s. The dual combo proved that you do not have to wear tight clothes to look glamorous and cool. Rihanna has adopted this exact look on different occasions.
Fur Coat
image via Mashable
You must have seen Cookie Lyon in a fur coat that screams stylish and class if you are an avid follower of the FOX series Empire. The fur coats became popular in the hip-hop culture in the 90s with the most elites in the industry wearing them. They were popular with both men and women.
Nautica
image via TheSource
The bright colored aesthetic Nautica competed well in the 90s with other big brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Polo. Most 90’s hip-hop enthusiasts wore Nautica jackets, shorts, and shirts. The company producing the Nautica was one of the black-owned businesses in the U.S. This might have contributed to their increased popularity in the 90s.
A Bomber Jacket
image via Capitalxtra
A bomber jacket in the 1990’s was a signature mark of any hip-hop star or enthusiast. The clothes came in different fabrics and styles ranging from the durable polyester to the shiny satin. Some people would include a team’s logo while others left it plain.
Teams Jersey
image via Complex
The tendency of the hip-hop artist to wear teams’ jerseys influenced other enthusiasts into adopting them. The female would rock the fitted jersey freely without anything underneath while men wore the unfitted ones. Most of the jersey worn at this time represented teams such as basketball with the popular ones being Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls.
Conclusion
It is therefore evident that the 1990s were years of more possibilities in the hip-hop fashion industry. The 90s trends are slowly coming back to present day fashion industry with items such as chokers, bodysuits, oversized clothes and crop tops becoming more popular. Some of the 90s fashion trends like the fur coat have maintained their popularity in the market even with the developing trends in the hip-hop industry.
