Urban wear has now been with us for a number of years. It is an outgrowth of the hip-hop culture, and by extension, of the “extreme” sports universe. If you are a fan of hip-hop or are into extreme sports, then you know exactly what is is meant by urban wear.

Urban wear is bold, fresh and expressive of the hunger and in-your-face fearlessness of the hip hop generation. Urban clothing is distinguished by trendy looks, controversial designs and an up-to-the-minute look.

Urban Wear Goes Designer

From the very beginning designers of urban wear have been concerned with creating “designer” fashions. Just looking “urban” is not enough. New designs must be aggressive, flamboyant and in your face. Of course urban clothing must always look youthful, but at the same time most urban clothing designs have been serious in their own way and always conscious of projecting an “I got my issues” image.

More recent trends in urban clothing have been a bit more lighthearted with an acknowledgment that it is all a bit of a put on. As designs have migrated from the rapper-inspired and often rapper-owned design shops to more mainstream labels this is an inevitable transformation. It is difficult and disingenuous for mainstream labels to make out as though they are disadvantaged and unhappy with the status quo. They are the status quo.

Brands such as Akademiks, Rocawear and Ecko are identified with the urban clothing trend and are known for designs inspired by the street culture that gave rise to both rap and urban clothing designs. In fact many of these labels were founded by rappers themselves, in an attempt to cash in while translating their image and notoriety into their clothing designs.

Meanwhile newer companies such as Vokal have expanded the urban clothing label to include high end velour, fleece loungewear, denim, and vividly colored athletic jerseys. Another company, Baby Phat aims at creating a blend of hip hop style with more sophisticated metropolitan fashion to create a refined urban look.

This is nothing new. Co-opting fringe trends is what the fashion industry does best. It is simply trying to cash in on the way different groups of consumers follow different trends. And it only makes sense to go after people with the time and money to pay high prices to make a suitable impression.

Wholesale Urban Clothing

On the other hand, the fact that the urban clothing market is changing rapidly has resulted in the development of a significant market for wholesale urban clothing. Since urban wear designs turn over quickly and manufacturers have to stay ahead of the curve, they are quite prepared to move large volumes of last month’s designs for cut rate prices.

As a result enterprising clothing merchants can buy up sizable lots of over stocked items and sell them in large quantities – often on the internet. These items go for much lower prices than you can find in most retail urban wear specialty stores.

For consumers interested in buying five or six items at one time this is ideal. It makes it possible for someone interested in changing fashion trends to replace their entire wardrobe for much less than it might otherwise cost.

By: Rick Hendershot

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