Pelle Pelle jackets, iconic pieces that have defined the brand’s legacy in urban fashion for over four decades, are known for their luxurious leather craftsmanship and bold designs. These jackets exude a sense of confidence and style that has made them a staple in streetwear culture. With roots in the hip-hop community and a history of being worn by celebrities, Pelle Pelle jackets remain symbols of individuality and self-expression.
The Allure of Pelle Pelle Jackets
Crafted from premium leather and other high-quality materials, Pelle Pelle jackets are built to last while offering a refined, yet rugged aesthetic. The jackets often feature standout details such as intricate embroidery, custom patches, and bold color schemes, all of which contribute to their distinctive look. Whether designed as bomber jackets, moto styles, or classic leather coats, each piece is a testament to the brand’s commitment to luxury and craftsmanship.
As a brand that has continually evolved while staying true to its roots, Pelle Pelle jackets offer a versatile addition to any wardrobe. Perfect for those who seek an elevated, street-inspired look, these jackets can easily transition from casual to more refined outfits.
The Significance of Supporting Black-Owned Businesses
As consumers, the dollars we spend every day make a huge impact on the businesses we see tomorrow. The protests against systemic racism and police brutality spurred by the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 led to many major brands and companies to invest more money into Black-owned businesses. This led major fashion retailers and brands such as Kith, Moda Operandi, Gap, and Matchesfashion to take the 15 Percent Pledge-an initiative which calls on major retailers to commit a minimum of 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses.
While these efforts are well and good, there are still a countless number of fashion brands that profit off of Black culture but lack diversity in their offices or have failed to speak out on these issues head-on. While the influence the Black community has on streetwear and fashion is undeniable, independent Black creators are still often overshadowed by others in the space.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Granted we have seen some notable strides forward. The late Virgil Abloh was appointed as the first Black creative director of Louis Vuitton Men’s in 2018. Brands like Abloh’s Off-White and Heron Preston’s eponymous label received investment from New Guards Group. Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God has been the face of the streetwear-meets-luxury fashion metamorphosis. Tremaine Emory now leads the creative direction for Supreme.
Although these are some of the names at the forefront, there’s a lack of Black ownership in streetwear. So it’s up to us as consumers to celebrate and be aware of the work of Black designers. Even if the 15 Percent Pledge is targeted towards large corporations, individual consumers also have the purchasing power to dedicate at least 15% of their own monthly budget to supporting Black-owned businesses. Consumers could also familiarize themselves with resources such as Black Fashion Fair to find even more Black-owned brands to discover.
Spotlighting Black-Owned Fashion Brands
Here are some Black-owned fashion brands that you should know:
10 Deep
Founded by Scott Sasso in 1995, 10.Deep is a pioneering New York City streetwear brand that influenced many of your favorite streetwear brands today. Sasso’s label is well-remembered as being one of the premier brands that led the wave of streetwear during the Karmaloop era in the late-2000s and early-2010s. Never forget that 10 Deep hosted Kid Cudi’s debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi in 2008. Although Sasso announced that he was moving on from 10 Deep to start a new label in 2022, we salute him for holding down one of streetwear’s greatest labels for over 25 years.
4Hunnid
Relaunched in 2017, YG’s clothing label is more than just a line of rapper merch. The assortment offers seasonal collections that showcase everything from cut and sew jackets to graphic T-shirts.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
All Caps Studio
All Caps Studio is an emerging streetwear brand founded by Saeed Ferguson, who was formerly the creative director of the Ps and Qs boutique in Philadelphia.
Wata
Jasmine Plantin, a Haitian-American designer who formerly worked for Nike, started hand-dying shirts during the Covid lockdown in 2020. For Plantin, water is what bridges together her upbringing on Long Island and her Haitian roots. From that, she developed Wata, which is known for its hand-dyed, long sleeve cotton T-shirts. Plantin’s brand was previously highlighted in ComplexLand’s Brands To Watch space.
Walker Wear
After being inspired by Dapper Dan’s atelier in Harlem, April Walker went on to open her own custom clothing store, Fashion in Effect, out of her house in Brooklyn in 1987. Following that, she opened a clothing store that was also located in Brooklyn, and introduced her line, Walker Wear, in the ‘90s. Walker Wear was one of the first streetwear lines to have mass distribution in major retailers and it was worn by celebrities including Tupac, Biggie, and Aaliyah. The line is still active today.
Baby Phat
Kimora Lee Simmons started Baby Phat in 1999. It was the sister line to Phat Farm and one of the first women’s lines in the “urban” streetwear space. It helped open up a new market and made the urban streetwear category more aspirational with its extravagant runway shows and celebrity network. In 2004, Kellwood Company purchased Baby Phat and Phat Farm for $140 million. Simmons stayed on as creative director, but in 2010, they pushed her out. In 2019, she reacquired the brand and relaunched it via a collaboration with Forever 21.
Billionaire Boys Club
Originally launched in 2003 alongside close friend and streetwear legend NIGO, Pharrell’s BBC ICECREAM helped define an entire era of streetwear with its bold prints and bright colors in the 2000s. Pharrell reclaimed full control of the brand in 2016 after buying out Iconix Brands Group Inc’s 50 percent stake.
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
Bephie’s Beauty Supply
Beth Gibbs, a wardrobe stylist, creative director, and Union co-owner, introduced her line Bephie in 2017. It later became Bephie’s Beauty Supply, a label that doesn’t just release T-shirts but also serves as a retail platform dedicated to brands by people of color and queer creatives. Bephie’s Beauty Supply recently landed a major collaboration with Jordan Brand in 2022, which included a pair of Air Jordan 7s. Bephie’s Beauty Supply was previously highlighted in ComplexLand’s Brands to Watch space.
Bianca Saunders
Bianca Saunders' eponymous line investigates the nuances of black male masculinity through classic menswear pieces. She received her BA in fashion design from Kingston University and MA from the Royal College of Art. The British Fashion Council selected her line, which is sold on stockists including Matches and SSENSE, as One to Watch.
Bricks and Wood
Based in South Central, Los Angeles, Bricks and Wood was started by Kacey Lynch, whose pieces, specifically his signature beanies, have been worn by Tyler, the Creator and Anderson Paak. The line is informed by his upbringing in LA and Lynch aims to not only produce product, but give a platform to unheard voices. Lynch recently opened his own brick and mortar store in South Central LA and released a collaboration with New Balance.
Brownstone
The brainchild of twin brothers Warner and Waverly Watkins, Brownstone has been making waves within streetwear since launching in 2016. The brand has continued to expand its line of elevated essentials while releasing strong cut and sew offerings like custom-dyed shirt jackets and mohair hoodies.
Carlton Yaito
Queens native Carlton Yaito, who works with his partner Tulie Yaito, started out customizing denim. He customized a pair of jeans for jeweler Mr. Flawless and from there went on to make pieces for Kareem “Biggs” Burke and Aleali May. He’s since expanded to create stand out pieces including cropped jackets pieced together from different fabrics, faux fur coats, home items, and an oversized faux fur bag with Louis Vuitton insignias.
Carrots
Anwar Carrots launched his first brand, Peas & Carrots, after becoming deeply embedded in Fairfax’s booming streetwear scene during the 2000s. After that, he went on to launch his own brand Carrots in 2014. Nearly a decade later, Carrots has established itself as one of the West Coast’s best streetwear brands.
Cross Colours
Long before brands were saying Black Lives Matter, Cross Colours produced “clothes without prejudices.” Carl Jones started the line in 1989 just as hip-hop was establishing itself and then Thomas “TJ” Walker joined. Will Smith wearing the pieces on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air helped kick start the brand and it became omnipresent within hip-hop. Jones and Walker decided to shut the brand down, lost its trademark, but eventually got it back in 2014 and relaunched.
Come Back as a Flower
Esper founded Come Back as a Flower in 2018 and received some early co-signs from ASAP Rocky and Big Sean, who have both worn pieces the designer has tie-dyed. Named after the Stevie Wonder song, Come Back as a Flower is about sustainability and black spiritualism. Esper uses T-shirts made from recycled cotton he sources from Every World, a factory in Los Angeles, and hand dyes each one.
Free the Youth
Founded by Jonathan Coffie and Kelly Foli in 2013, Free The Youth is a rising streetwear brand from Ghana. The brand’s T-shirts have highlighted Ghanian musicians, local skate culture, and cities such as Accra and Tema. Free The Youth is also an non-governmental organization that aims to build shared workspaces for young creatives in Ghana.
Denim Tears
Supreme Creative Director Tremaine Emory originally made a name for himself with his Denim Tears label- a personal outlet for the creative outside of his No Vacancy Inn venture. The brand’s items, which include everything from Pan-African flag rings to Black Jesus trucker hats, promotes what Emory dubs as “positive Black propaganda.” Some of its most notable work to date have been its Levi’s collaborations featuring cotton wreath jeans inspired by the legacy of slavery in America. He has also collaborated with Uggs, Asics, and even luxury labels like Dior.
Diet Starts Monday
Co-founded by Davin Gentry in 2017, Diet Starts Monday was originally an experiment for himself and footwear designer John Geiger. It has been able to grow its fanbase with limited capsules through its online store and pop-ups activations around the world. It formerly operated a retail/restaurant concept space in Washington D.C.
Daily Paper
Based in Amsterdam, Daily Paper is a brand by Jefferson Osei, Abderrahmane Trabsini, and Hussein Suleiman. The line is heavily influenced by the backgrounds of the founders, who hail from Morocco, Ghana, and Somalia. What originally started as a streetwear blog has turned into a brand with formidable menswear and womenswear collections.
Who Decides War
Everard Best first started designing T-shirts and heavily embroidered jeans in 2016 under the name Ev Bravado. He’s since become known for Who Decides War, a ready-to-wear line that he produces with his wife Tela D’amore. WDW tells the story about the conflicts people face every day, the choices they make in response to those conflicts, and faith in God. What started as a label known for its anti-666 graphics has grown to become a fashion powerhouse producing one of the most anticipated presentations during every New York Fashion Week.
Fat Tiger
The quartet of Joe Freshgoods, Rello Jones, Vic Lloyd, and Des Owusu have operated this Chicago brand since 2013. A cornerstone of the city’s streetwear community, they run a popular brick-and-mortar location and each creator also works on their own respective releases and activation such as Joe’s Don’t Be Mad or Rello’s Vita Worldwide. The team has seen collaborations with the likes of New Balance, Adidas, and even McDonald’s between them.
Fear of God
Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God has helped push the luxury/streetwear relationship forward since launching in 2013. Defining an era with his baggy silhouettes and remixed vintage T-shirts, Lorenzo has continued to expand his independently-owned brand with the more accessible Essentials diffusion line and even a foray into suiting with Italy’s Ermenegildo Zegna. After releasing a number of hyped collaborations with Nike, Lorenzo moved over to Adidas in 2020 to develop Fear of God Athletics-an elevated line of basketball clothing and activewear. We are still awaiting the first official release from this collection.
FTP
Since launching Fuck The Population in 2010, Zac Clark has developed a loyal cult following with gritty streetwear that is provocative, but deeply authentic. Over a decade later, Clark has turned FTP into one of those streetwear brands that can sell out products mere seconds after they drop. As Clark said in his Complex profile: “My brand’s not going to die, FTP’s forever.”
FUBU
Daymond John, a Queens native and regular judge on ABC’s Shark Tank, founded FUBU, which stands for "For Us, By Us," in 1992 with his friends J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carlton Brown. At its peak, the brand was in over 5,000 stores, and in 1998 its yearly sales were more than $350 million. market in 2003. market and it’s maintained Black ownership since its founding.
Gallery Dept.
Josué Thomas is the Los Angeles-based designer and contemporary artist behind Gallery Dept. The brand’s goal is to create quality products without sacrificing artistic integrity. It became largely recognized for its paint-splattered carpenter pants, which were co-signed by designers like Virgil Abloh. The brand has released notable collaborations with Lavin, Migos, and recently Vans. In 2021, Thomas announced that he would be withdrawing from the fashion industry. While the ambiguous message was interpreted by some to mean the end of Gallery Dept., the label is selling products today.
GOLF
Tyler, the Creator’s clothing brand needs little to no introduction. Tyler has been flexing his skills as a designer since launching his GOLF label in 2011. Following the footsteps of brands started by rappers like Pharrell’s BBC ICECREAM, GOLF has become widely recognized on its own accord.
The Good Company
Founded by Kumasi Sadiki and Quinn Arneson, The Good Company has been one of the leaders of the Lower East Side’s streetwear scene since 2012. The brand has been recognized locally for giving a platform to young New York City creatives. On a larger scale, it has also collaborated with brands like Girls Don’t Cry, Carhartt, Have a Good Time, and Reebok.
Ih Nom Uh Nit
From stars like Young Thug and Offset to the virtual streets of NBA 2K20, Ih Nom Uh Nit has continued to grow since its launch in 2015. Chaz Jordan’s brand mixes more lux items like a painted denim jacket or floral button-up with hoodies and T-shirts referencing pop culture. A hoodie with the face of Stranger Things’ Eleven is perhaps Ih Nom Uh Nit’s most notorious item to date.
Infinite Archives
Easy Otabor’s way to bring the past to the present has been through his clothing line Infinite Archives. Otabor collaborates with various artists to create special graphics inspired by yesteryear ranging from paintings of Michael Jordan to a sketch of a popular Seinfeld episode.
Just Don
Perhaps most known for his python-brimmed snapbacks and premium quality takes on mesh basketball shorts, Don C has slowly evolved Just Don into a full-fledged brand in recent years. The basketball inspiration has remained intact with items including satin warmup pants, bomber jackets, and an array of graphic T-shirts all taking cues from the designer’s love for sports.
Karl Kani
Carl Williams, better known as Karl Kani, moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1989 and would eventually start his brand, originally named Karl Kani Infinity, in 1994. He connected with celebrities including Sean “Puffy” Combs, who was relatively unknown at the time, and Tupac to appear in his early ads. At its height, Karl Kani was sold in around 400 retailers, ranging from Macy’s to Foot Locker, and Kani still wholesales to …