BlqJuneGem77 :
No disrespect, but Willi Smith didn't "invent" streetwear. He is definitely one of its pioneers though, and is specifically credited with pioneering STREETWEAR COUTURE/STREET COUTURE, which is an important distinction.
I'm also pissed that they're trying to erase Black Americans from our own history yet again by claiming streetwear comes from surfer/skater culture and only mention hip-hop's influence as an aside. They're literally trying to rewrite history and claim some white surfer/skater dude from the West Coast named Shawn Stussy, whom I never heard of until today, is the "godfather of streetwear" because in the early 80s he made some t-shirts screen printed with his graffiti logo. Meanwhile, streetwear had already existed on the East Coast for years by then.
I swear I never in all my 48 years of life heard anyone ever refer to skater/surfer, punk, new wave, or Japanese fashion as streetwear. And I grew up in Jersey directly across the river from Manhattan. Was there some cross-cultural influence between Black American streetwear and those other styles? Absolutely. But streetwear has ALWAYS been a Black American creation. We might as well credit the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, FIFA, MLS, etc for creating streetwear since Black Americans have been wearing their jerseys, caps, etc. for decades purely for fashion.
They really tryna make it seem like all casual wear and comfort fashion is streetwear the same way folks is tryna claim all Southern food and all comfort food is soul food. The attempts to erase us is getting out of control.
Sorry for the rant, but that ish got me heated.
2026-02-11 21:35:45