Kids (1995)
Without a doubt when we think of hard streetwear in films the first film that has to come to mind is ‘Kids’. In this ’90s teen movie, we see the traits of your typical ‘rebellious youth’ pushed to the furthest extremes imaginable. From underage sex to heavy drug use to beating up a schoolmate to the point where he’s near-death, the kids in ‘Kids’ really don’t give a fuck about anything. The garms worn in the film heavily influenced today’s street and skater wear. We see brands such as Supreme and the Independent Truck Company rocked back when they were just worn by the skater minority, and before they hit the big hypebeast scene and sold out every week for big bucks to people across the world.
Almost Famous (2000)
In this timeless ‘70s based drama we get a glimpse of what life was like during the boom of rock n roll in the 1970s and more than anything we get a viewing of the style at the time. Betsy Heimann was behind the costume design in this picture, as she was for many other influential films for fashion, including ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and Mia Wallace’s outfit in ‘Pulp Fiction’. Probably the most iconic item of clothing in this film is Penny Lane’s fur inlined coat, which happened to be made out of an old rug and some upholstery fabric.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Quentin Tarantino films are famous for their style. From Uma Thurman’s iconic pair of Asics in ‘Kill Bill’ to the staple black suit and black tie gangster costume displayed in ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’. However, his 2019 9th picture ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ really took movie style to a new level. Arianne Phillips hit on the LA ‘60s style perfectly with Rick Dalton’s brown Italian leather jacket and Sharon Tate’s black turtle neck and white boots. If you’re going to a ‘60s theme party or just want to rock some ‘60s style garms on your next socially distanced outing, this film will give you endless inspiration.
Forest Gump (1994)
Several of the garms worn by the very innocent Forest Gump, played by Tom Hanks, have become iconic influential items of modern streetwear. Probably the most famous being the Nike Cortez’s given to Forest by his best friend Jenny in the movie. These have become a classic choice of Nike crep which are often now referred to as the ‘Forest Gump shoes’. Another classic item of Nike clothing worn by the man is the white Nike tee sported when going on his endless run across the US states at the end of the movie. It could even be argued that the ‘Bubba Gump Shrimp’ caps have become an iconic piece in the fashion world, often sported to fancy dress parties or just as a quirky accessory.
Dope (2015)
Dope features all types of hard modern streetwear pieces. From brands such as Patta making an appearance to the very icon of the current fashion world, A$AP Rocky, who stars in the film. As we know, if Rocky’s in the film we can expect some decent styles. The film itself is centred around Malcolm and his friends who are seen to be what some might describe as ‘nerds’, however, their life gets flipped upside down when they accidentally pick up a backpack containing drugs at a house party, belonging to a drug lord.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Another ‘94 film which had huge influence on the way we look at fashion in films today. As mentioned earlier, no films quite hold the style standard of Tarantino’s. Pulp Fiction features the timeless chic outfit of Mia Wallace, accompanied by the archetypal gangster outfits of Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield.
Coach Carter (2005)
Though for most of the film, the characters were seen in their basketball kits, when off the court, some peng garms were sported. The film’s costume designer, Debrae Little, obviously took some inspiration from Micheal Jordan and the ‘80s era of basketball fashion for the fits of the Richmond Oilers. This included oversized Nike sweatshirts and jerseys, flat-caps, oversized brown suits and Nike Jordans themselves.
Goodfellas (1990)
Scorsese's Goodfellas really set the blueprint for the way mafia movies style their characters. We can see the influence when we watch mafia films today such as 'Legend', 'The Gentlemen' and 'The Irishman'. However, even Goodfellas' style could be argued to have been influenced by even earlier mafia pictures such as 'The Godfather'. Either way the film presents a timeless mafia clothing style.
Space Jam (1996)
Out of this classic family film starring none other than Micheal Jordan himself, we have got one of the most purchased basketball jerseys of all time. The white ‘Tune Squad’ jersey has become a hypebeast item in itself, selling in thrift stores all over the US. Along with this, vintage and retro Space Jam tees have become a well-hyped item too and a must-have for any die heart Jordan hypebeasts.
WRITTEN BY JEM HANCOCK-TAYLOR