Rocawear, Apple Bottoms, Sean John, COOGI, Baby Phat, Dereon and LRG are all wildly popular brands of clothing. At the risk of pissing off the clothing Nazi’s I have a question. When will urbanwear for plus sizes and big and tall evolve beyond an embellished jean and t-shirt combo for men and micro-mini dresses for the ladies?
Don’t get me wrong I know that there are dressy casual and dress wear among these brands but they are not widely advertised nor are they available in all markets. When you can find them they are expensive as all get out. It is almost like buying clothing based solely off the celebrity endorsement and nothing more.
I like the fact that urbanwear designers actually pay attention to larger individuals especially men. I don’t know to many big men that have not heard of or own , one of the few big and tall men’s wear clothing lines that carry casual wear, but has nothing to offer men that want to get more than just fancy jeans and a screen t-shirt.
I have always loved how urban wear designers stay on the cutting edge of fashion and are not afraid to take risks, but I think that only focusing on the fans of the latest hip hop acts has made them lazy and forget that eventually these same individuals are going to grow up and their clothing tastes will change.
Another question with Father’s Day around the corner would big and tall Dad’s out their really want to wear the same clothing that their teenage sons are wearing? I my case the answer is no. Being trendy is one thing but trying to dress like the kids is just not something that older larger individuals like myself are willing to concede to.
As a fan of hip hop dating back to 1977 I am glad to see that there is a such thing as urbanwear to make the designers wealthy individuals, but just like I do not dress the same way I did 30 years ago I would expect urban fashions to grow up as well to meet the needs of a wider range of individuals.
Congratulations go out to all urban wear designers for having the guts to actually make trendy clothing for larger sizes. My only wish and desire is that one day urban wear will be viewed as a type of clothing that encompasses all areas of fashion while staying true to its hip hop inspired roots.
