Giving African America’s credit in Hip Hop Fashion:
A film Analysis for Fresh Dressed
by Jennifer Molina
The rap game is fully taken over by the African American community for its hip, coldness, “hardness” and versatility. Hip-hop itself has inspired fashion in massive ways, all from the beginning of rap back in the 70s’ Bronx, New York. But for decades, the black community has not been given the credit they deserve for their part in paving the way for this new area of music and fashion. Author and film director Sacha Jenkins produced a documentary titled Fresh Dressed (2015) which beautifully tells the story of hip hop fashion through the words of people in the game since the start. In the film, Jenkins interviews many artists, and creators to tell their story, and share their own inspirations. These artists, such as Kanye West, Pharell Williams, Nas pioneered hip hop and influenced fashion, giving credibility to the story of hip hop fashion. Jenkins also includes anecdotes from Andre Leon Talley, and Dapper Dan world-renowned fashion designers, and many more individuals within the industry to shine a light on where hip hop fashion emerged from and to showcase the rich history it has. Despite it being mainstream now, people of color were ostracized for this style of dress in the past. And not everyone understands the truth of where these trends emerged. Sacha Jenkins’ Film “Fresh Dressed’’ effectively and credibly delivers the notion that the African American community deserves credit for their creativity in hip-hop fashion through the ’70s-’90s, which has inspired streetwear today.
Director and Author Sacha Jenkins tells the story of hip-hop fashion in a successful way through his own credibility. The film “ Fresh Dressed” is one of many films he has made, along with that he has written books, some that have been on rap and hip hop. And he has in fact made rap music himself in the past. 50-year-olds now, Jenkins uses his own experiences through being a hip hop pioneer to give credit to his community for its creativity and innovation. Like I mentioned previously, African American artists have often been forgotten and not given credit for their work. Even after trends have gone mainstream, they aren’t ever drawn back to the black community. Which is disrespectful because they have such influence through the way they choose to dress and the way they move. Jenkin’s being a part of that community uses his own ethos to effectively deliver the credit to the black artist and community. Being a black artist himself gives him enough credibility to speak on the topic, and being a writer and director makes him the perfect fit to produce this film. And he does. Deliver. The film. Perfectly. Through the way, he tells the untold story of hip hop.
The film gives credit to the pioneer of hip hop fashion in a credible way, by allowing the artists themselves to share anecdotes of their own experiences. Jenkin does this by telling the story of the Bronx, and the upcoming of hip hop through the mouths of the people who experience this era themselves. It includes many anecdote from artists like Kanye West who is a famous rapper and owner of the clothing company Yeezy. He is an African American male who came from nothing- or “made it out” like the film explicitly says. Hip Hop fashion is about making something look nice- with what you got. Kanye is one of many rappers who experience this first hand, which is why it has great logos. Another person that is highly credible within clothing design is Dapper Dan. The man himself, Dapper Dan was one of the first to break the line between designer fashion and casual clothing- thus creating what we know as streetwear or hip hop fashion in our modern era. He grew up, created, and sold clothing in the Bronx to cater to the people who lived there. As rappers needed clothing, they went to him. The rappers rocked his stuff, which was seen by people all over America. Directly, inspiring the generations to come. Both artists sharing their stories give credit to the tale of hip hop fashion. And it allows the message that Jenkins is demonstrating about giving credit to the artist who inspired streetwear to be delivered effectively.
Along with the use of logos to successfully implement Jenkin’s message, he also uses colors, visuals, and music in his film, to help emphasize the story he is trying to tell about the African American community and their right to credit. Photos and videos are an effective mode of demonstrating the African American community's creativity in the past. And by incorporating these photos and videos of real people, he alludes to the feelings of the views and makes his message more apparent. He shows photos of random people in real-time in the 70s, 80s, 90s, rocking their outfits. There are videos of artists performing on stage as well, which really depicted the vibes and the style that the African American community expressed through their clothing at the time. The use of visuals helps tell the story of hip hop and fashion in a way that words wouldn’t be able to because of the art of fashion. With this, Jenkin’s is able to effectively portray the way hip-hop fashion really came about, and give credit to the rightful creators.
The film does a wonderful job at depicting and showing what Hip Hop fashion truly is, opening my eyes to who are the creators of the industry and why that is so important. It is a combination of people coming together, that is people of color and experiencing themselves in unique ways. At the time, it was new and fresh. The black community in the Bronx used customizing to elevate their looks. I think the important takeaway is just how crucial it is to see all sides of history. Time and time again we are only shown a one-sided story. And people like Dapper Dan and everyone else who contributes to hip hop fashion is criminalized and forgotten. Leaving many without knowledge of the truth, and the creators without credit. This film shines light and gives the credit that the African American community deserves. Especially because many trends were in fact criminalized and called ghetto, and it’s not until recently that stigma is beginning to change due to the media. But without the deserved credit it just becomes culture appropriation and is disrespectful to the community who made it what it is today.
To summarize, the Film “Fresh Dressed” by Sacha Jenkins, is a short documentary that aims to tell the truth behind the streetwear fashion genre. Hip Hop fashion was directly influenced by the African American community in the Bronx as hip hop was emerging. Many people are unaware of the true impact that the African American community has had on modern-day fashion. This is why it is important that the pioneers and creators are given the credit they deserve. The author Jenkins uses logos and pathos to strengthen his claim and effectively tell the story so views are educated on the topic. He uses interviews and anecdotes from famous rappers and designers who contributed to hip-hop fashion and experience the rise of rap, making the film highly credible. He uses visuals, photos, and videos of real people to allude to the appeal of emotions of the views and make his argument more effective. Jenkin effectively tells the story of hip hop fashion giving the credit where it has been needed for years- in the arms of the black creators, to demonstrate the significance of the black community.
