The 50 Greatest Streetwear Brands
By Bobby Hundreds | Jun 21, 2011 | 12:09 pm | Permalink
Written by Bobby Hundreds (@bobbyhundreds)
When Complex first asked me to select the Top 50 Streetwear Brands of All Time, I thought the following:
1) This is gonna get me into a lot of trouble,
2) but I wouldn’t want anyone else to write this,
3) so, sure.
As Co-Owner of The Hundreds, it’s a catch-22 for me. Anyone I leave off the list is gonna be peeved, and anyone on the list who’s not #1 will be pissed they’re not higher. Anywhere I place our own brand on the list is gonna be scoffed, and I’m gonna look like I’m playing favorites, hating competitors, or riding bias.
Worst of all, streetwear, more than any other industry or scene, is overrun with ego and insecure males, so friends and rivals alike will take issue with this list (and me). It’s gonna be an awkward MAGIC. But I’m okay with that, as long as streetwear is properly upheld.
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The first challenge in creating this list is defining streetwear. True traditional streetwear is a genre of contemporary apparel, united between sportswear and military looks, and is one that speaks to a spectrum of subcultures (skateboarding and hip-hop mostly). Vision may have coined the term “streetwear,” but Shawn Stussy was the one who created its modern embodiment. So to all the misled who think streetwear is an urban expression, having to do with the literal streets, you gotta remember streetwear was instituted by a surf company. Stussy took a multi-faceted, subculturally diverse, Southern California lifestyle-based T-shirt brand and mimicked the limited feel of a high-end luxury brand. And those are the two most integral components of what makes a brand streetwear: T-shirts and exclusivity.
Every line on this list, with a few exceptions, has built their brand off T-shirts, not catering specifically to just an urban or skate audience, and initializing their distribution through selective channels. Sales distro and image are what ultimately constitute a brand as streetwear, not the art or design.
The final requirements to being one of the "Greatest of All Time" are influence and longevity. Streetwear is an endurance game. It’s easy to make a hot T-shirt, show up on the back of the newest rapper, blow out in mall doors; but nearly impossible to last for 10 years, let alone 30.
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The second challenge to writing this article is personal, and that’s staying unbiased. I promise I’ve done my best to maintain journalistic integrity and objectivity throughout this list. There are close friends of mine that didn’t make the cut, and some brands on here (especially in the higher ranks) whose staff and owners I outright despise.
I hope you can find some value in the list, and remember, just because I said it, doesn’t make it true. And just because you don’t believe it, doesn’t mean it’s not.
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Clay Rochemont June 21st, 2011 at 12:36 PM
A very well thought out list. Some I dont agree with, but all your core brands, and placements are dead on. Very well done.
Re-Posting >Randy June 22nd, 2011 at 04:33 PM
via Culturist June 22nd, 2011 at 03:01 AM>>>>>>>> I get it. Bobby's defining what "streetwear" is now. The thing is, the definition of "streetwear" now isn't what streetwear is. Exclusivity isn't a choice for true streetwear, it happens by default. Selling tees out of your trunk isn't because you choose to, it's because you don't have any other choices at that time. For example when Supreme doesn't sell to other doors, and keeps their distribution highly filtered, that has nothing to do with their brand being skate/street/contemporary. Supreme is street because they were born in the street with messages that speak to those that grew up in the street. I agree with most of Bobby's list. But taking a step back, and feeling his opinion as a whole - makes me feel as though he doesn't really come from this culture. It appears that he is a great learner, and that he learned alot about the businesses targeting this culture, but it doesn't seem like he is truly a part of street culture. What the fuck does internet social merchandising have to do with street culture? This isn't "WEB-Wear" , this is about clothing that is made by urban creatives that use garments as expression. Reading about each brand that he chose, and the reasons make sense from a business standpoint, but I don't feel any connection to his cultural standpoint. How do you know about a culture you aren't a part of? Does Bobby skate? Does he write graffiti? Does he emcee? Does he make beats? Does he fucking hate cops? Does he ever just chill on the street and get fucked up? Can he roll blunts? Has he ever gotten jumped? I wan't to know if he partakes in the culture he is claiming is his market. Because I am a part of this culture, and none of The Hundreds clothing has ever been in my closet. Not because I hate it, but because I never felt a connection to it. Much respect to his blog, or his level of journalism - but again, that has nothing to do with street culture. As for LRG, I don't care what Jonas wanted it to be or if he hated streetwear, or if he made triple digit millions, no matter what - LRG is one of the originators of true streetwear. From the artists and musicians LRG supported, to the connection they made with the culture through their designs... LRG just oozed authenticity. If you are a part of the culture, you will be able to recognize one of your own, and The Lifted Crew is one of our own. Hip Hop started streetwear. Period. Skateboarding too, but if you are a skater you probably - actually scratch that, you have some or mostly Hip hop in your headphones. I'm not talking about Hip hop in only it's audible form - but in all of it's elements. Graffiti / Street art, Beatmakers, Deejays, B-boys, Emcees, etc. All of this spreads its way out to mesh with Skating, Basketball, Snowboarding, Surfing, etc. But deep within streewear's core - is hip hop. And deep within Hip hop - is rebellion. All this shit is a rebellion against rules and grids and guidelines to how life should be lived. I can type on and on about why I think something is missing on this list. Simply put, I guess it's because some of the MOST influential parts of streetwear are not present. I wouldn't feel this if a few minor contributors didn't have a spot on this shelf...but brands like: TRIPLE FIVE SOUL, OBEY, L-R-G, UPPER PLAYGROUND, PNB Nation, ECKO, even fucking CROSS COLORS is more street than some of these brands in this Top 50 list. Don't tell me fucking Invisible Man, Primitive, or Fucking Awesome influenced us more than any of the labels I listed above. Straight trippin. You can try to explain why they are not on the list, but your reasoning will not make sense. Sales and Distribution? Even if your in malls like OBEY, (Shepard) still gets up. You know when someone is still putting up 10 foot tall stencils or posters and getting arrested after being on the cover of Time magazine and owning a huge brand, is not doing this for different reasons now than when the brand started. He gets up because he wants to. That is authentic. It doesn't matter if it's sold from a trunk or Zumies. Exclusivity isn't from streetwear, thats from the LV's, The Fendi's, and Coco-fucking Chanel. Ok I'm done.
Don Julio June 22nd, 2011 at 11:18 PM
well said...half of these brands are very from being street...they just latched on the culture to make some cash...I dont own a brand but I do know where to give props where props are due..
TL June 24th, 2011 at 06:57 PM
Beautifully said, and I definitely agree.
Seldom One June 29th, 2011 at 06:12 PM
Bobby you dont know what ur talking about!! U left out Tribal the biggest supporter in the b-boy scene, Mecca ,Enyce, Triple 5 soul,Ecko even though they are wack now, PNB Nation, phat farm,Wu Wear...U must of not been part of the 90's underground hip hop scene, I think you were one of does dudes that would see me and my homies break and you would be standing in the back with ur hands in your pockets saying wow thats soo cool! I mean judging from your brand it seems like you didnt contribute anything to hip hop as a youth growing! So if your going to claim and break down the meaning of "streetwear" know what the fuck you are talking about!!!!
joepitts July 6th, 2011 at 10:39 AM
To: Seldom One Mecca, triple 5 soul? ecko? what are you a hoodrat low life wannabe gangster? This is 2011 buddy. Those brands won't get any bettre because their shit never improves. To: all Johnny Cupcakes is cool to the underage/people who are getting into clothing brands.
SELDOM ONE October 19th, 2011 at 10:08 PM
@JOEPITTS If you new how to fucking read you would know that what i was trying to say is that they were some of the originators of the streetwear scene u faggot not that they are the best brands at the moment u fuck face! The brands that are running shit at the moment ine the streetwear industry are croocks and castles,10 deep, akomplice,lrg,obey,Forn6iks!
Ron Stud September 22nd, 2011 at 04:05 PM
I totally agree! I came up in NY when Mecca and even Karl Kani were the ONLY street brands you could get. Not saying they should be on this list but I see LRG as an extension of that movement. Very well written reply.
streetwear blog January 14th, 2012 at 07:30 PM
Great post. To be fair he was gonna get shit whatever the order but there's definitely some brands missing here!
MikeTeezy February 22nd, 2012 at 10:22 PM
Mad props for that post. For the most part I agree. Although I am a fan of The Hundreds shoes and clothing I don't feel what they are about as a whole. LRG is tops on my list. Shame it's missing.
ybbob June 23rd, 2011 at 04:01 AM
I think that he got this list mostly right. Cant argue with stussy at 1, preme at 2 and bape at 3. Not much of a difference in terms of "greatness" with brands ranked 4-50 (with the exception of a few of the brands that he listed). To elaborate, on a scale of 1-10, primitive at 50 would have a raw score of 2 and the hundreds at 5 would have a raw score of 2.1 or so (so again, there's not much of a difference). But he has to take taps, nbhd, and bxh off of this list. Ranking these brands on this list is like ranking the top 50 sushi restaurants in america and including some of the best sushi restaurants from Japan into the list.
SUAN STEWSSIE June 24th, 2011 at 06:06 PM
THE HUNDREDS IS 3 SPOTS AWAY FROM SUPREME???? LOL YOU HAVE NO WHERE NEAR THE FOLLOWING SUPREME DOES, YOUR CREDIBILITY IS LOST! FUCK THIS LIST, FUCK YOU, FUCK THEM CHEAP ASS SHOES, FUCK BEN, FUCK YOUR CORNY ASS STORES, FUCK YOUR GAY ASS T-SHIRTS, AND FUCK YOUR COUCH. POSER LOL. POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSER. HAHA POSER
Dreadz June 24th, 2011 at 06:13 PM
Wait? did he say the hundreds is better than crooks? diamond? black scale? 10 deep? mishka? and LRG? wow what a dick head. Last time i checked primitive just started making clothes and their not one of the "GREATEST OF ALL TIME", Bobby must owe alot of people money.
MJ June 30th, 2011 at 12:57 AM
missing too many top players. LRG, BBC, Exact Science, Rocksmith, Sixpack, Play, Supreme Being, Milkcrate.
Dusty June 21st, 2011 at 01:13 PM
Great list, but no Rebel8?
jay too short June 21st, 2011 at 10:38 PM
I agree. Where's Rebel8?
Tob June 22nd, 2011 at 02:47 AM
I would also agree that Rebel8 should have made it.
Nems June 25th, 2011 at 01:07 AM
Word! No Rebel8? Union?
Jay Miller June 21st, 2011 at 01:13 PM
wrong wrong wrong. ohh how success has ruined your taste smh. ever heard of triumvir? or 5TH COLUMN? ORISUE? DTA/ROUGE STATUS? im king? or akomplice? dope couture? November red? beta unit? bloodbath? LRG? imperium? I mean c'mon especially lrg, what your better than them beacuse you haven't sold out (yet, I'm sure its coming) not to mention you put all your friends and past collaborates in this list. Way to go, I guess your a liar and a retard if feel deadline is better than BLACK SCALE, Cause your not better than black scale and you "Humbly but your self in the top 10" wow fuck you. Lost all respect for you and your brand.
Kanye East June 21st, 2011 at 01:43 PM
Triumvir? Sure, mediocre designs that can be found on a high school photoshop project. Let's throw in a few 'fucks' and breasts and see how far the brand will go? Don't get me started on how often they milk the Street Fighter franchise. Rogue Status does not belong on the top. The Gun Show tee was a one hit wonder that hasn't been relevant in ages (see Rob Dyrdek). IM King? What a joke; the brand primarily satisfies suburban asian kids.
Roberto Vincenzo June 21st, 2011 at 04:35 PM
Damn Jay you know your brands!! Most shocking one for me was LRG.
DjSNAKE June 23rd, 2011 at 06:57 AM
no LRG... wow LRG kills the game especially with no flagship store... yup im hating on your list
WestIsBest January 31st, 2012 at 12:22 AM
LRG... it's a Jersey thing. Douche-central.
really June 21st, 2011 at 05:18 PM
stfu and quit your bitchin. its his list. how do you know this isnt how he feels? and most of the companies you listed are pretty well known so he is no idiot. LRG is already a sell out company now if you havent noticed.unless being sold at zumies doesnt count. These are all high quality brands and for the most part are way more exclusive and expensive than most shitter companies on your list. You dont like the list? well you start/design clothes for a major company, have complex ask you to write a major list and have it nationally published. UNTIL THEN complain to yourself
nept June 21st, 2011 at 09:46 PM
@ Jay Miller: ??? why would u even put November Red on this list? they barely came out with anything and dont have nearly as many followers as these people on this list. you also said im king, bloodbath and Imperium? GTFO ur an idiot
Nick June 22nd, 2011 at 12:28 AM
Geez sounds like Jay is really angry. He is probably 16 and onviously still has a lot to learn. It's just an opinion man. THIS IS NOT A LEGAL DOCUMENT. Just do yourself a favor read each story. You will probably learn a lot.
Jay Miller June 22nd, 2011 at 02:02 AM
Couple things your right about some brands i mentioned maybe they don't deserve to be on that list, but are they better than primitive, flying coffin and deadline? fuck yes. Every brand i mentioned has a bigger following than those three over night brands, they have better quality garments and better designs. LRG is missing, mishka to low, the hundreds way to high, black scale to low, c'mon son get off Bobby's cock. Really diamond kills it way harder in any store the hundreds share with them. 4 stores for shitty a brand doesn't make you dope and just because kids in high school wear your stuff doesn't mean your successful. Yea btw guys I didnt make a list, those brands i felt where left out. Thats all most of you dont even know half the brands on that list, you stick to hype beast buying and ill keep buying what i like. The only brand on that list i wear is ORIGINAL FAKE. suck my cock with your poorly made hundred shoes on.
jonesy June 22nd, 2011 at 05:03 AM
just because black scale is getting popular doesnt mean it deserves to be higher. Mishka never made mainstream noise so its place is warranted. Rogue def should have made it on there because their WTC and Gun Show allover shirts set the standard for the allover print craze to come. LRG, unless he has some crazy reason for not including them due to size, makes no sense to not be included. top 10 at least. I would def put the hundreds in the top ten simply for the fact that they changed the game entirely with the concept of letting people into the inner workings of the people behind the brand through the blog and had a large influence in the direction things went during the middle of last decade on. Perhaps 5 is high... but below 10 wouldnt be fair. Deadline is up there because NA works for him.
Lowercase June 22nd, 2011 at 12:18 PM
Damn straight those Hundreds shoes are poorly made. That shit made me laugh (and I'm sure anyone else who bought a pair too). List is pointless but the shoe thing had me cracking up.
fake brands June 22nd, 2011 at 06:35 PM
the hundreds shoes are wack!! they think they know what they are doing, but they dont, biting ass mf's nothing is original from the hundreds, just wait the hundreds distuction is coming soon
DOG June 22nd, 2011 at 08:20 AM
Jay miller... you're a bitch haha.. Why did you just try and flex your knowledge by naming off all those wack ass brand with mediocre designs, surprised you didnt put your karmaloop repcode in at the end. Ive got something to say about each brand you mentioned but I wont waste my time...smh."youse a bitch dog"
Jay Miller June 22nd, 2011 at 12:51 PM
Im sorry i couldn't understand the point you where trying to make with bobby's dick in your mouth? do you work for the hundreds? no you prob. just buy there shitty garments, you are one of those kids that wait outside in line for a warehouse sale for a 12 dollar shirt. Whats your point Im a bitch and your right? "DOG" TOUGH GUY ON THE INTERNET LOL. Again I dont have a list the brands i mentioned ARE BETTER THAN THE FOLLWOING DEADLINE,PRIMITIVE, Flying Coffin, they are not the greatest of all time, c'mon either is IM King or bloodbath, imprm,dope couture,orisue, 5th column. but they are better than those 3. All im saying is those brands should not be there.
costco pizza June 22nd, 2011 at 12:31 PM
blah blah blah your opinions are different than mine so i'm gonna bash you for it blah blah blah
Jordan_Lavery June 26th, 2011 at 10:18 AM
"Selling out" just means putting a well run business structure into place, which I'd say the top 3 companies have and that is why they are top 3. The term "sell out" is such a narrow minded term.
MrJr December 16th, 2011 at 11:43 PM
I can buy lrg, rogue status in a mall I hate it when people tinks that stuff is exclusive
Wan June 21st, 2011 at 01:15 PM
no RVCA?
Jay Miller June 21st, 2011 at 01:15 PM
wrong wrong wrong. ohh how success has ruined your taste smh. ever heard of triumvir? or 5TH COLUMN? ORISUE? DTA/ROUGE STATUS? im king? or akomplice? dope couture? November red? beta unit? bloodbath? LRG? imperium? I mean c'mon especially lrg, what your better than them because you haven't sold out (yet, I'm sure its coming) not to mention you put all your friends and past collaborates in this list. Way to go, I guess your a liar and a retard if feel deadline is better than BLACK SCALE, Cause your not better than black scale and you "Humbly but your self in the top 10" wow fuck you. Lost all respect for you and your brand.
Start your own then June 21st, 2011 at 02:04 PM
Akomplice sucks. You've just lost any validity you thought you had. Shame on you. Go buy a Hanes and sit the fuck down.
jay miller June 21st, 2011 at 02:56 PM
lol that was funny
Saul Goodman June 21st, 2011 at 04:15 PM
Amazing how you believe your list would be better than the list of anyone else. Hm.
Rick Gee June 21st, 2011 at 01:25 PM
NO LRG!Wooow!
Datasetclothing June 21st, 2011 at 01:26 PM
Interesting read, for those disagreeing with the list, remember that (like he warned at the beginning of the article) is his personal view of the list. There's tons of brands out there that were left out, but there was only room for 50. (although I agree, LRG not making the list was probably a mistake.) Thanks for the inspirational article, hoping that some day we can make it to a list like that!
KLETEWOOD June 21st, 2011 at 01:29 PM
Brands like Obey, LRG, RVCA, etc. are now found at Nordstrom. Last I heard, Nordstrom is not streetwear. I do believe Rebel8 should have made the list. Freshjive seems too high on this list. DTA/Rogue Status should have been mentioned. But, they have been printing the same "gun show" shirt for years now. What about Johnny Cupcakes?
JesusSaves June 23rd, 2011 at 12:45 AM
Johnny Cupcakes, ha ha ha. That was the funniest comment by far.
dkmelo15 June 26th, 2011 at 01:49 PM
lmaooooo! Just played that dude. Idk why JC even came out of his mouth. Streetwear, not even, great brand, yes.
booob June 23rd, 2011 at 03:29 AM
Stussy's at nordstroms too. I heard that they're gonna start carrying supreme too.
abdul June 23rd, 2011 at 10:13 AM
0/10 for that effort
UMtim1990 June 21st, 2011 at 01:33 PM
I too am suprised LRG is not included to say the least. Especially when saying success, longevity, influence and design are the keys to determining this list. I would "sell-out" too for 156 million a year. Bobby even wrote a huge blog post when Jonas passed talking about how much he respected the brand. Overall well put together. The Hundreds has blown up and should be in the top 10-20. Very ballsy to write this article so I give Bob props.
iamdanski June 21st, 2011 at 01:34 PM
I was sure I saw the Mishka logo on the first page, but they didn't show up on the list. I wonder what that's all about...
KLETEWOOD June 21st, 2011 at 01:37 PM
Mishka is #30
Cereal Killer June 23rd, 2011 at 02:37 AM
you are all so gay, stop buying wack "limited" edition street wear no on will care about in 2 years and save up for a good watch.
Realist June 24th, 2011 at 12:01 PM
When you say good watch, I hope you're not talking about some plastic $600 G-Shock x watch.
scum June 26th, 2011 at 05:46 AM
hah, too good.
Dj July 28th, 2011 at 07:03 AM
Haha cereal killer has a point. A lot of this wont even b relevant in just a year. Or at least in a few years when hopefully a lot of people will of moved onto careers and will be arguing more about luxury brands instead of trying to be a veteran hipster/hypebeast. The hundreds isnt very creative by any stretch unfortunately. And therefore the creator of the list should of realized that leaving himself out of it and just getting a shout within the overview of the article was the best publicity possible. And stussy has sold out almost as much as LRG in terms of availability so that should not of been figured into keeping them off of the list. There must of been some kind of negativity between brands for whatever reason. If not then how could LRG, the brand which probably helped to increase overall street brand revenue as an industry ten fold by making people more interested in it in general, be left off this list and furthermore denied the top spot. Without LRG many brands would not of even of made it into their own boutiques let alone online and so on. And you could be sure that almost every street wear brand would be less profitable if LRG would of never existed. RIP to one of its creators Jonas Bevacqua. Hope Bobby figures out his amazing TMI apology/explanation tweet/blog post very soon. I would hate to see his shoes being made out of recycled cardboard and being sold in alleys of smoke shops/liquor stores along Crenshaw Blvd.