STUSSY
It is time for Generic to expand, with the mass of my coursework projects out of the way I now have more time for the blog. One of the things I want to achieve in the next few months is to have something preferably an article discussing most brands work for both reference and accessibility. So I decided to start big with, arguably, the godfather of OG streetwear Stussy. So I went and asked the person I know knows much more than most and certainly more than me. so here is brief overview of stussy courtesy or James "Jam Jam" Watkins:
"So I've been asked to write an article on Stussy for Josh’s blog and of course I was pretty
honoured, as I don’t really consider myself as being particularly up to date
with current streetwear trends etc. But the reason he gave for me doing it was
that I knew more of the back-story and history. And I suppose over the last few
years of having been into streetwear, Stussy have been the brand that I will
consciously have checked upon. The very mention of the name Stussy, the
original brand that kick-started the streetwear trends and culture that are
booming today will be, as of March 2013 into their 33rd year, an
amazing achievement for a company that have had to adapt to a very difficult
market. In March of 1980 a young surfer by the name of Shawn Stussy decided
that surfing was his true passion and he decided to brand his signature all
over the boards he was making and to get the company and his namesake out there
he would print graphic tee’s with said brand name. Summers spent surfing and
winters spent skiing is how he met company co-founder and public accountant Frank Sinatra Jr. (Not in any
way related to the singer!) Frank could see that this was a brand that would
have authenticity, raw artistic talent and totally original character and in 1984
they set-up Stussy Inc. He viewed the people within his company as a ‘tribe’ a
family as such; he also had some people working for him that would go on to
create their own streetwear brands such as:
James Jebbia - Founder of Union;
Founder of Supreme
Eddie
Cruz -
Manager at Union; Founder of Undefeated
Keith
Hufnagel - Stüssy
Skateboarding Team Rider; Founder of HUF
These
people have now forged their own particular style and judging by the companies
they started and founded, have made their own splash in the streetwear world.
In 1991 they opened their first boutique shop in New York’s trendy Soho area,
no one involved in the company quite realized what this had started and what it
would later turn out to be.
So from ’91 onwards the company were doing very well, sales were on the up, the designs were still as fresh and inspiring as ever. Many stores have opened since the boutique in ’91, there are now altogether 15 stores (otherwise known as chapters), not all based in the U.S. either, he went international with stores in Milan, Madrid, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur. He took over the world and it all really stems back to him scribbling his signature on his first surfboard. In this part of the article I want to really go into a bit more depth as to why I think Stussy is the best in this business and why it will still be the best. For starters the list of companies that they have collaborated with over the years; Nike (this is in itself an depth list that I shall touch on later), Converse, Vans, BAPE, UNDFTD, Adidas, Supreme, Parra & Carhartt. It’s also not just the other streetwear brands that the collabs have been limited to, they have worked with companies involved in the comic book industry (Marvel & Real Deal) Musicians (Bob Marley & J Dilla) and even in the world of cartoons and animation (Beavis And Butthead & John K). This is another reason what enhances and pushes them forward, sets them apart form other brands. I feel that other brands can sometimes rely on big flashy designs and bright colours that often distract from any decent design direction, all Stussy need is the signature on a tee and its near perfect and I’m not saying that Stussy haven’t used the above mentioned ideas on their tee’s and clothing in the past, but they can go back to a simple design and they are still miles ahead of the competition. The other thing that I really love about them is that they have instantly recognisable branding, the two versions of Shawn’s original signature, the double ‘s’, very reminiscent of the chanel logo, the bent crown logo, the Rastafarian Lion and the skull with the crossed surfboard and skateboard. It also goes to show that once Shawn had left in ’96 that the company was still successful and that he was happy to give more time to his family and eventually set up S/Double.
Another aspect of Stussy that I like are the adverts, below are a few of my favourite examples:
Yet
again, simple designs, Shawn has taken old adverts and used his unique
handwriting to make it his own. The adverts did their job, they sold t-shirts
and other items of clothing and I believe it was due to the simple yet clever
designs of the early ad’s. Even the more up to date advertisements for current
drops are still doing their job, as is displayed in the link below:So from ’91 onwards the company were doing very well, sales were on the up, the designs were still as fresh and inspiring as ever. Many stores have opened since the boutique in ’91, there are now altogether 15 stores (otherwise known as chapters), not all based in the U.S. either, he went international with stores in Milan, Madrid, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur. He took over the world and it all really stems back to him scribbling his signature on his first surfboard. In this part of the article I want to really go into a bit more depth as to why I think Stussy is the best in this business and why it will still be the best. For starters the list of companies that they have collaborated with over the years; Nike (this is in itself an depth list that I shall touch on later), Converse, Vans, BAPE, UNDFTD, Adidas, Supreme, Parra & Carhartt. It’s also not just the other streetwear brands that the collabs have been limited to, they have worked with companies involved in the comic book industry (Marvel & Real Deal) Musicians (Bob Marley & J Dilla) and even in the world of cartoons and animation (Beavis And Butthead & John K). This is another reason what enhances and pushes them forward, sets them apart form other brands. I feel that other brands can sometimes rely on big flashy designs and bright colours that often distract from any decent design direction, all Stussy need is the signature on a tee and its near perfect and I’m not saying that Stussy haven’t used the above mentioned ideas on their tee’s and clothing in the past, but they can go back to a simple design and they are still miles ahead of the competition. The other thing that I really love about them is that they have instantly recognisable branding, the two versions of Shawn’s original signature, the double ‘s’, very reminiscent of the chanel logo, the bent crown logo, the Rastafarian Lion and the skull with the crossed surfboard and skateboard. It also goes to show that once Shawn had left in ’96 that the company was still successful and that he was happy to give more time to his family and eventually set up S/Double.
Another aspect of Stussy that I like are the adverts, below are a few of my favourite examples:
Simple,
basic printer colours, explaining the products and giving a small history
between Stussy and Nike’s past collaboration’s also educate you as to why these
successful companies do so well together when they collaborate. And I think
this maybe another reason why I love Stussy as much as I do, they have a great
relationship with Nike, which is my favourite trainer brand. The collaborations
that they have had in the past are the best collabs done by any two companies
in the streetwear market, here are my favourite examples of Stussy x Nike:
Stussy
X Nike Sky Force 88, amazing shoe, made even more amazing by the Stussy throw
on it, particularly like the two camo variants.
Stussy
X Nike Dunk World Tour, a stable classic here for Nike, which is given a few
touched which yet again separates it from anything anyone else was doing, the
green/red and purple/black/silver are the best colourways.
That’s all I can really express about Stussy, there are only so many ways that I can really put it, but you’ll find the same with any fan, or fanatic, or connoisseur for Stussy if you ask them the question:
Why
do you like Stussy?
And they’ll simply reply, Just cus!"
So there we have it james' insightful and in depth look into stussy. Stay on it for more.
