On Leisure

 When I was in college, I spoke passionately to my professor about where I'd come from. 

"THE KIDS WHERE THRASHER SHIRTS! WHY ARE BLACK KIDS FROM LOW WORKING CLASS BACKGROUNDS MAKING IT THEIR MISSION TO WEAR THRASHER SHIRTS AND THEY DON'T EVEN SKATEBOARD!"

It wasn't quite like what you see today with Amiri shirts or Gallery Department or VLone. Though I'll speak on those later. 

Now what I did not quite do (idk if it was interest of availability of information, or just knowing HOW to research what I felt so curious about... just google it). 

I just let my curiosity sit. It soon morphed in thinking I wanted a job researching how trends begin and project where they'll head in efforts to cater to groups and their needs better. (I got the idea from that ABC show... about the mixed family that had a new secret come out every episode? The black brother tracked corn trends and made a song about it on parents career day). 

But alas, immediately after college I think I was hungry for knowledge. Or maybe I just really like reading cool books, I don't know. But I read Bobby Hundreds, This Isn't a T Shirt, and it literally explained the trends development. 

West Coast. Surfing in response to the nearby water. Skating in response to an area demonstrating it's receptive to recreational activities. Combine that with NWA, representative of a heavy police state toward Black people, which trickles (or full blown splashes) to others. Yeah. So of course every recreation develops a certain fashion. 

Take me. An artist. I generally enjoy pushing boundaries in effort to explore what I previously had back on for fear of the unknown repercussions (there aren't many, however I am no longer declaring that people be on my body! be gone!). So that'll entail completely oversized clothes to where I don't want the outline of my double d breasts to be shown. Or the skimpiest shorts that I don't think are THAT skimpy because you can't see the where the cup of my ass forms unless I hike em into my coochie. 

And when you see me you think... who cares? Haha know you think I'm beautiful and different and can't quite put your finger on it but okay, who wants to think about a stranger that long.

Bicyclers? Them sweat wicking clothes. 

Nurses? Simple cotton that can easily be replaced.

Oh but the SKATERS. Baby. The skaters make it ALL look good. Cause the purpose is just so... fine? So... intentional? So.. responsive to their environment yet still looks GREAT and personal. 

Baggy, HEAVY FABRIC pants. Why? To protect their knees.

Shoes... that literal LARGE variety being made for them. For the comfort of their movement. 

And they top it with whatever shirt they can grab. Supporting a brand that supports them if they can or whatever they feel looks nice. And I respect them. 

It's passes on to working class black people... because the skaters are generally people of color. Yes they were white at one point. I'm sure that's somewhere still in there. But that language of Black people not swimming (cause they working???) impacted their practice of beach attending. So in skateboarding becoming another recreational option, I believe it was adopted as a replacement. But also, Hispanic and Asian groups... I'm guessing maybe the later picked it up... no shade in an effort to adopt whiteness if it WAS a white think at first. 

I' sure Bobby explains the osmosis more in his text. I do recommend to check it out. 

So skateboard culture diffuses to the different races. And those on the fringe in their races adopt the clothing. And then generally practicing art in any heavy or little way can have you on the fringe... so you pick up what your people do. and everyone know what the artist do others eventually do. Cause art is a way that messages get passed through to masses just a bit easier though maybe with more time. Idk. I've seen an artist start an event... and then slowly that event be morphed across the city scene. Giving others in the city something to do. So. 

Oh, VLONE and Amiri. 

I think VLONE saw what Thrasher did. And said "oh". Emphasis literally being on just a T Shirt. I don't know who owns it. 

Amiri? Capitalizing on what it's scene done. Little thought into it.