Urban clothing got its start in the Five Boroughs and comes from the distinctive styles of the African-American, Caribbean-American, and Latino youth living there. A style that is noted for its easily recognizable and highly noticeable components, urban clothing is popular style among today's youth and hip-hop stars.
Urban clothing got its start in the early 1980s when many sportswear items were worn as urban wear. Often, the easier it was to recognize the brand, the better. The word most often used to describe this fashion movement is bold. The colors are bold, the wording is bold, and the accessories are bold.
The base for typical urban wear is typically a tracksuit, or jeans with an urban shirt that has large writing, bold writing, or both. Some of the African-American influences included the blousy parachute pants, like those worn by M.C. Hammer, and a predominance of black, red, and green in the color schemes.
Urban wear shoes for men are typically name brand sneakers, like Puma or Adidas, with oversized laces. The shoes, the laces, or both tend to have bright colors or bold patterns. For women, urban wear shoes can be sneakers with oversized laces and bold colors like the men's or sandals with elaborate strap patterns, high heels, or both.
Urban clothing accessories for both men and women tend to be large and flashy. Often referred to as “bling”, these accessories tend to be gold or silver in color, often have rhinestones embedded on them, and usually is a depiction of something that has meaning to the person wearing it. When it comes to urban clothing, the jewelry is worn by both men and women.
Urban clothing makes a bold statement from shoes with vibrant colors and oversized laces, to urban shirts with large writing and bright colors, to the jewelry that flashes with rhinestones. The styles of the youth in the Five Boroughs combined with the influences of hip-hop have created an easily identifiable genre. Many people wear urban clothing as a way to express ideals, membership to the hip-hop culture, as well as their own creativity.
