90s hip hop fashion image one of the golden times of fashion. Many of the new trends that appeared during the 90ship hop fashion emerge as one of the expressive.
Most women framed in hip hop movements like Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, Foxy Brown, Aaliyah, eve, and so like that list goes on. These women give 90s hip hop a brand new look. Through their style and magical work, they created a fashion crispy and aesthetic that made the 90s decade hip hop fashion decade. With Hollywood films, the fashion industry, and fan followers.
I put together a guide on 90s rap fashion and hip hop fashion, including information on brands, outfits,s and mainly the trends.
For this list, we may have chosen trends that may have been introduced in other decades but which became so popular in the 90s that may truly define the decade.
- Rachel’s hair
Who would have thought that when Jennifer sat in her stylist chair those two would create such a trendsetting. Everyone we knew who watched friends has tried some variation of the classic but at some point in her life. Since there weren’t too many of us who didn’t watch the show there were Rachel copycats everywhere.
- Bucket hats
Once upon a time somebody put a bucket on their head and said yes this looks amazing. Hats in general were still a very common accessory back then but this rimmed bowl was the style you wanted to be caught wearing.
Kind of like a fisherman hat but with a lot more flair for boys and girls alike wore it. Regardless of the occasion though it was extremely popular in the ever-expanding rap community.
- Overalls
These denim one-pieces designed to hold up your pants were always worn by the farming community. From overalls to baggy pants to mom jeans. It seems as though pants in this decade of 90s hip hop fashion were designed to be as unflattering as possible. When it came to overalls everyone had a pair it came with the responsibility of deciding how to wear them. There were so many options, one shoulder, two shoulders, or clipped but off the shoulder.
- Mood rings
Go into any trinket store or tourist shop and you might still find these babies for sale. It didn’t matter that people’s moods tended to change with the temperature of the room. Teenagers suspended disbelief because mood rings were totally sweet. I guess the rich old ladies were sold on the idea. The rings only became popular when the teen market latched.
- High platform shoes
If you grew up in this era and looking for real 90s hip hop fashion then you immediately associate platforms with the spice girls. Hands down no other 90s group had a bigger influence than these British pop divas. Worn mainly by baby, scary, and ginger spice. These three convinced even tall girls that they could use an extra five inches compared to any other high-heeled shoe these were the most comfortable. You might even remember wearing them to gym class because this was the 90s and that is what we did. Never mind that each shoe weighs at least a couple of pounds.
- Butterfly clips
Because girls and young women everywhere were fed up with not wearing insects on their head, butterfly cliffs were the true solution. In fact, butterflies were pretty much stuck to everything in the 90s hip hop fashion. These plastic hairclips were flimsily broke easily and held approximately five hairs in place. But weren’t they so cute and feminine, they could be worn on their own or with matching butterfly earrings and butterfly body stickers. Eventually, women figured out that it was okay to leave their hair alone, but in an era where basically everything needed to be accessorized butterfly clips were just the tip of the iceberg.
- Floral clothes
In a lot of ways the hippie lifestyle of the 70s had a major influence on 90s fashion and one of these was the obsession with flowers from dresses to jewelry from daisies to rosebuds. These patterns gave flower power a whole new meaning. I am not saying that the feminine motif was invented in the 90s but it kind of felt like this was the trend that a hard time going away which was fine by most of us.
Printed flowers have been around for centuries which means we will likely see that style again and again in our lifetime.
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Plaid /flannel shirts
As ironic as it sounds the grungy plaid look was as much a fashion trend as it was an antidote to mainstream fashion. At the time wearing a plaid flannel shirt, buttoned/unbuttoned or tied around the waist meant that you were likely part of the scene that glorified not giving a ■■■■.
Guys like Curt Cobain and Eddie Vedder immortalized the trend which was probably completely unintended because the style was usually accompanied by unwashed, uncut hair, ripped jeans. It may have gotten a little cleaner but it never really went away. Seattle grunge is locked away in the past but it looks like flannel and plaid shirts are here to stay.
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Chokers
We know chokers have been around a ■■■■ of a lot longer than 20 years. But in the 90s it would have been hard to find a girl not wearing one or two or three of these things. There were so many styles to choose from, one for every type of girl the soft and feminine velvet ribbons with teardrop beads the sporty shell and ■■■■ versions, the edgy spider webby tattoo ones for the ■■■■■■■■ spiked dog collars. Some of these have recently made a comeback and since chokers are actually kind of flattering it is likely they will never completely go away. -
Crop tops
No other item of clothing in this decade single-handedly drew a line between girls who were comfortable with their bodies. How else 14 years old supposed t show off their belly button rings. By today’s standards showing off a little tummy especially without the added coverage of high-waisted Levi’s won’t even scandalize grandma. But back then there was a line that didn’t get crossed at least for a little while. We have Britney and Christina to thank for that of hyped-up sexuality that made the crop mark the end of teenage naivete but ultimately we owe them for making it the most defining fashion trend of the 90s hip hop fashion. -
Tracksuit
During the 90s and also the 80s various sportswear brands were very famous such as Kappa and Fila were greatly famous for the tracksuits. These tracksuits came in many types of fabrics that hip hop artists took a liking to from silk, velour, cotton, and polyester.
Branded tracksuits became very popular and artists like them because they provide comfort for most activities like during interviews and photoshoots.
If you want to rock in a 90s hip-hop tracksuit, select your Adidas matching jacket and pants, Kangol bucket hat, and superstar or Jordan sneakers.
- Bomber jacket
Positive fashion pieces are synonyms and connected to subcultural movement. As the culture is started to connect with sports the bomber jackets became incredibly popular. 80s baseball bomber-style jackets became trendy in 90 and after that, it took other styles also.
A styling bomber jacket can be done effortlessly and is very easy. It can be styled casually smart with a t-shirt and trousers. The bomber jackets also come in different shifts from 100% cotton to 100% polyester. Cotton made bomber is typically used in the colder condition, and polyester is for more sports athletic ■■■■■■■.
- Bandana clothing
Another trendy fashion item on the list is the bandana, which is particularly associated with gang culture and coast rappers. Los Angeles was full of crisp and blood who wore blue and red bandanas which then typically transitioned to artists from LA.
The bandana can be styled in many ways from a headband, headscarf, over the wist, hair band, and neck gaiter.
- Double denim
During the 90s urban brand such as Rocawear, Karl Jani, Johnny blaze, and Ecko Unltd from denim being worn from workwear into a fashionable item. The urban spin came in the design of jackets and denim pants being oversized and baggy.
Usually styled in lug boots and timberland boots the denim looks in the 90s became the inexpensive easily affordable look for black kids in the inner cities.
If you are going for a 90s double denim style ensure both pants and jackets are baggy and should be the same shade to match.
- Puffy jacket
Puffy jackets are for east coast hip hop fashion as plaid jackets are considered to west 90s hip hop fashion. The puffy jacket was worn by the east coast as similar to the Timberland boot as a reply to cold winter. Designed big and puffy for practical reasons as it was made popular by black youth and hip hop artists. These puffy jackets can be paired with hoodies, boots, and trendy with NY Yankee caps.
Puffy jackets can be styled with joggers or jeans. If you want a sporty look pair with the puffy jacket with sneakers and joggers, for casual go with sneakers and jeans.
Late 90s hip hop fashion
Many brands start working with hip hop culture back in the mid-90s. Nautica, Calvin Klein, and Donna Karan new york were some of the less. Famous artist and actress Aaliyah was known to be always wearing Tommy Hilfiger.
Her outfit includes matching pants with tube tops. Tommy Hilfiger is clever and smart when it came to marketing; in advertisements and campaigns, they feature spokespeople and African Americans.
Additions to womenswear trends included thick black sunglasses, baggy working pants, and stomping boots. In the late 90s, silver jewelry became more favored as compared to gold jewelry. Hip hop trend was planted on the idea of showing off your belongings; both economical and physical.
Modern hip hop
Modern hip hop fashion is very different from those seen during the 90s. The concept has changed due to the appearance of many contemporary, high-end streetwear brands. These consist of brands like Rick Owens, Yeezy, and Louis Vuitton.
Womenswear hip hop fashion includes casual minimalistic, casual sportswear, loose overalls, dark denim, crop tops, oversized hoodies, bomber jacket and bear style jackets, and multiple piercings. Spanish singer Rosalia and American rapper Cardi B are known as some of the biggest taste likers of hip hop womenswear in modern trends.
Types of clothing
This type of clothing shows hip hop styles are usually oversized, loose, and comfortable. Garments like basketball jerseys, both vintage and modern, were a staple of the size. Various tanks and t-shirts, usually featuring graphic designs and unicolored were normally seen worn by musicians.
Pants were baggy and low waisted. Baggy overall was a big trend of the hip hop singers. Through hip-hop clothes, female singers are known to show sex appeal through the clothes they wear, and they did that by wearing highly comfortable garments.
90s hip hop fashion brands
As there are numerous brands that made up hip hop fashion during the 90s. Part of the most exemplary were British hat company Timberland and Kangol lace-up boots.
Designers like Ralph Lauren Polo and Tommy Hilfiger worked with the idea of logomania and made it very popular.
With the launch of Air Jordans, Nike was also an ideal brand, maybe the sought after shoes in modern fashion.
90s hip hop fashion trends and styles
There are many shifts and variety to hip hop as a fashion style within the hip hop subculture. Preppy attire involves the use of Capri cut pants, button-up collared shirts, and alluded towards an American socialite attitude.
Lauren Hill was popular for linking elements of classic hip hop styles with American style elements of preppy style. Her style was described as both hip hop and classy.
Elite hip hop style
The most effective people in fashion were singers and musicians. Female rap singers became the symbol of the 90s. The elite hip hop was massively affected by the party scenes of celebrities, away from the public eye.
Urban hip hop style
The urban hip hop style of the 90s contain hip hop aesthetic elements with sporty elements. Famous brands like Adidas, Nike, Reebok, and many others worked with this concept. These brands eagle eye merely on the hip hop market segment and focused on specific people who loved to wear the combination of streetwear with hip hop.
Faqs
What is 90s hip hop fashion?
90s hip hop fashion is a unique style linked with hip hop culture during the 90s. Over the 10 year period of 1990 to 1999 multiple states and cities provided the various styles which would be regarded as hip hop fashion such as sneakers being linked to the west coast and timberland boots being widely linked to the east coast.
Where can I buy 90s hip hop clothes?
Nowadays there is a huge range of brands and retailers selling 90s clothes such as ASOS, urban outfitters, TopShop, and topman. Amazon, Levi’s, and Etsy marketplace.