The first time I saw Mos Def live was on Thanksgiving Eve, 1998. He was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the J. Crew logo and performed a single song, joining The Roots to rock his verse from "Double Trouble." He got off the stage, tossed a peacoat over his tee and bounced.
At the time, Mos' outfit basically represented the least hip-hop thing on earth. As such, it was hip-hop as fuck, subverting all middle-class brand association leveled at the pre-Drexler era. Mos made the lamest possible thing AWESOME and reminded that it wasn't what you wear, it is how you wear it. He foreshadowed a future in which classics weren't just oversized collared items from Tommy or sweaters from Ralph with teddy bears on them. Mos signaled the potential of mature graphic tees and well-fitting staples. He instantly became the best dressed man in rap.
Huckberry's "Explorer's Shirt" (made by Taylor Stitch) has a '98-era Mos Def vibe to it. Some of you might be thinking, "It's got a 2009-era #menswear look too." Perhaps. But, '98 Mos is cooler. '98 Mos rocked pedestrian ass everyman shit with so much swag he might as well have invented #menswear. This shirt has everything an underground rap legend with a penchant for white guy garms needs: hardwearing duck canvas and an interior passport pocket. The images show a guy exploring some forest. Get your mind correct and imagine a real hero exploring the small clubs of Berlin and introducing Germans to "Ms. Fat Booty".
