Streetwear enthusiast from around the world have already reviewed and re-reviewed the “50 Greatest Streetwear Brands of All Time” compiled by Bobby of the California streetwear brand The Hundreds.
So of course I’ve read it. Twice actually.
But instead of tweeting a generalized response, like so many others before me, I decided to let the initial rush of idiotic comments die down before I put my intelligent, Southern two cents in (biased much?). This post discusses my most pressing thoughts after reading this list.
If you have any thoughts, whether they be about Bobby’s list or my reactions to said list, feel free to discuss them in the comments section.
24 comments
Citrus Xian says:
Jun 22, 2011
I think Bobby hit the nail on the head…. most of the time.
I’ve gotta agree with KJ and Ben about The Hundreds needing to be hire on the list. BUT, with that said, could anyone really agree that Stussy, BAPE, Supreme don’t belong where they are slotted? That puts them at what 4? maybe 3?Anyway, that is neither here nor there. His list, his brand, he can do whatever he wants.I was going over the article last night with my lady and we came across Hellz Bellz and Married To The Mob and both time she chuckled to herself. That should say it all. A young chick who should be the prime market for both of the aforementioned brands laughed that they made it on the list. Now I’m not gonna say they shouldn’t be included, you know since they fought damn hard to be equal, but take a look at the HzBz and MTTB lines and tell me how many of those things would you want your girl wearing? There were a few brands that I noticed seemed to definitely be missing, if this was my list that is, mainly Rebel 8, LRG, Johnny Cupcakes. Both Rebel 8 and Johnny Cupcakes are textbook definitions of what Bobby describes as streetwear. In interviews with Joshy D he talks about how it all started with a single logo tee and built from there. Johnny Cupcakes is the same, slinging shirts out of the trunk of his car on “bathroom breaks”. Dude hustled from the ground up and has made a HUGE name for himself. Now, JC is certainly marketed to a different scene however you will certainly see a lot of folks stocking there closets full of JC right next to their C&C or The Hundreds.I’ll end it with this.As KJ pointed out, there is a huge lacking of southern based brands in this list. Bobby touches on what could be one of the problems that causes this when talking about Us Versus Them, who took the #46 spot. “I’ve always said that if Us Versus Them were based in a major city, they’d gain a lot more traction” Now he then stated that he was wrong however there are many out there who don’t see it the way he does. We can prove these people wrong, and we’re making strides already. Just recently Stray Rats from Miami was on Hypebest, Fli Pelican was covering up Lil Wayne on the cover of XXL and We Are The Process are getting spotted in the Complex mag as well as all over the net. We’re rising up, and it’s only a matter of time until someone breaks it big…
Anonymous says:
Jun 23, 2011
Damn good points, bruh. You murked these comments! haha
Citrus Xian says:
Jun 22, 2011
Man, I had all kinds of nice line breaks and stuff in there. Sorry for the block of text folks.
Anonymous says:
Jun 24, 2011
It’s all good homie!
Chief Chief says:
Jun 23, 2011
Great post, truthfully I didnt care for or know a lot of the brands on the list but I can respect his list because his brand has been around long enough to know the history. I thought the list was just going to be full of Cali and NY brands but im glad there was variety and also a little disappoint that there were no southern brands but greatest of all time… i mean is there even one brand holding the whole south down? Pretty much complex knew what they were doing with making the list controversy sells , but maybe you should make a list top 20 southern brands….
Anonymous says:
Jun 23, 2011
Hmmm…maybe I will!
Larry Luk says:
Jun 23, 2011
Real talk: Southern “streetwear” has a long way to go to get recognized on any kind of list like this. But, why do y’all even care? Does Southern Streetwear even need to be compared to a trail blazed by people we don’t even know? Why can’t we be our own “streetwear mafia” and write our own story? If we’re proud of the South, we gotta stand up for it AND do things the way WE see fit. With that being said, I’m going to get back to work and stop worrying about what a bro in California is thinking. Get back to work and call me if y’all wanna talk business.
Anonymous says:
Jun 23, 2011
Boom!
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Anonymous says:
Jun 23, 2011
Boom!
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Khoward83 says:
Jun 23, 2011
I totally agree with @Larry Luk.. the whole premise behind “streewear” is to askew from the “norm”. So in that sense we as southern streetwear enthusiasts need to continue down the unbeaten path H1gher Learning is trying to guide us through and come together to celebrate and support our home grown Streetwear delicacies. Plus. “We shoulda never given the South streetwear! They’re ruining it!” And we’ll be like “FUCK YO’ COUCH, NUGGAH!” made laugh out loud. (i refuse to type “lol” anymore)
JBush says:
Jun 23, 2011
Being from South Carolina, I feel everything you’re say about the South. People here dont know what “streetwear” is. They think its man capirs, some fake Jordans, and a XXXL black tee. Its ridicuous. The Hundreds were one of the first brands that I came upon when I took an exodus from the tall tee era. Honestly I dont know of ANY Southern streetwear brands. With that being said im going to keep rockin Hundreds, Diamond, In4mation, Stussy, and Supreme until the South comes to its senses. All you can do is educate those around you and hope for the best.
Anonymous says:
Jun 24, 2011
“They think its man capirs, some fake Jordans, and a XXXL black tee. Its ridicuous.”
-- Funny stuff, but how could they misconstrue the concept of Streetwear of they didn’t understand it in the first place. Things that make you go “Hmmmmm…”
Oprah Spinfrey says:
Jun 23, 2011
you pretty much hit the nail on the head. i agree with bob’s list for the most part. i think hellz & married are way too high on the list though. i have always looked at diamond as a skate line first. the thing that really got to me, is mishka at 30? c’mon son. mishka is steadily crushing shit. year in year out. 3 flag ship stores. collabs galore. putting out records. i dunno man, i always feel like the hundreds biggest competition is mishka. both are pretty much carried in every shop, sharing shelf space. for bobby to keep them that low is kinda suspect. i respect his opinion but at the same time, dude has to be shook & salty or tasting sour grapes.
i too am from the south [fla, stand up!] im a little older than some of these new kids on the block. i wore phat farm in the 90s. i wore mecca. i wore pnb. i wore triple 5 soul [also not on the list, for shame bob!] & for the longest time, all the stuff i wore was picked up on vacation, calling store after store, hoping someone would ship me tees its like people thought the south was just a bunch of slack jawed yokels wearing over alls & boots.
i think with more and more shops opening down here, people will get inspired. people will see streetwear as more than just a fad. peace to the kids at stray rats. i picked up a tee from the first run & its held up & its good to see a line come outta south florida thats not cocaine related.
in the end, my hats off to bobby. he didnt have to do this. i cant even imagine all the hate hes taken. cause you know the hate outweighs the love ten fold. in the end, its an opinion. nothing is definite & in the end, this article helps everyone, cause it gets discussions forming, opinions shared & brands who werent know, will now get some shine
Anonymous says:
Jun 24, 2011
To speak on your Mishka point…you may be on to something there. I personally thought they should be higher but it didn’t matter enough to me to make a fuss about it during this post. But again, to your credit--I agree that they should be higher.
Jamie Cruz says:
Jun 24, 2011
I really bummed on Mishka being so low
You don’t tell someone that they’re the most original brand in the game then put em at 30
It just makes 0 sense
wilt.210 says:
Jun 24, 2011
YO…. you always hit the fuckin nail on the head!! this is by far the best responce to bobby’s article i have seen!!
keep doin your thang homie!!
wilt.210 says:
Jun 24, 2011
…. im just wondering why soooo many people give a shit about what bobby thinks??? i could care less!! like, “oh shit… so and so is 7… they should be 5!!” <-- who fuckin cares!! design some doope shirts.. get your market and promo game up…. and if you really care what ol' buddy thinks, get out there and make some fuckin noise… then maybe you will be on that list!! me personally, as long as i can pay my bills, ride a fresh whip, and can keep my shoe game proper…. fuck a list!!!
Tre of Rising Giant says:
Jun 24, 2011
what you speak is the difference between wolves and sheep. the list is for the sheep the wolves can give a f*uk cause they are too busy doing their own thang.
The Dirty Dozen says:
Jun 25, 2011
Nice post… the south has a long way to go in terms of becoming national and global players in the streetwear market. Especially one that is dominated by california and east coast (NY) brands, but we broke into (and eventually took over) the hip-hop market, which was also once dominated by california and the east coast, so it’s possible the same could happen with streetwear too. As someone stated before i saw Fli Pelican on the cover of XXL, Big Boi of Outkast was wearing Chilly-O on MTV and Martha Stewart, and the guys over at PROCESS are putting in work and releasing consistently good product drop after drop. Someone’s gonna eventually break through.
But as Larry Luk said, who cares? He’s right… we should all get to work, write our own story, burn our own damn path to success… We did it with music, it’s only fitting that we do it with fashion and art too.
Anonymous says:
Jun 27, 2011
Preach!
Joff says:
Jul 1, 2011
It’s your turn to make a SOUTHERN Streetwear list. Just make sure you put us last or a honorable mention for flaking on the BIG MIX(my bad homez….#inner voice = How yo gonna design the logo and flake on the show?!)
Anonymous says:
Jul 2, 2011
Thanks homie!
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