The subject of this entertaining documentary – the evolution of hip-hop’s distinctive street style and its percolation into mainstream fashion – could be dismissed as shamelessly superficial. However, director Jenkins ensures that this is no feature-length session of sneaker fetishism. Instead, the film peers beneath the oversized pants and graffiti-sprayed jackets to examine the cultural psyche that spawned them. Evolving from the biker-inspired outlaw garb of 1970s gang culture, the hip-hop look, with its “fresh crispy gear” is described as a status-symbol style, based on insecurity. The film explores how the vivid paint colours of street art infused the style, and how, in designers such as the famous Dapper Dan, who took designer-branded fabric and urbanised it, fashion used sampling in much the same way that music did. Interviewees include Damon Dash, who sheepishly confesses to having had a bespoke shirt made with extra deep pockets in case he needed to carry a gun, and Pharrell Williams, musing the exact moment when baggy jeans took off.
