Hip hop clothing has been in our family for many years. We have the biggest stores in southwest Florida. My father started out in 1996 with our first clothing store and that was just the beginning. Since then my brother and I have expanded over the southwest Florida area. If you’re looking for the latest gear people know to come to us. I tell my customers this is a passion to me. I love the Hip hop clothing industry. I live for Hip hop clothing. I get up every day and love to go to work. The hip hop clothing industry has come a very long way and is still getting stronger. If you pay attention to what people are wearing, you will see more hip hop clothing than anything. Its not just young kids wearing hip hop clothing anymore its everybody. Parents are even dressing there infants in hip hop clothing. I think my son has more hip hop clothing than I do. Hip hop clothing has expanded to all parts of the world. It’s a big market and getting bigger. Certain people think that hip hop clothing is only for gangsters or people trying to be black. That’s not true. It’s how you wear it and who you are. It’s like saying everybody who wears wrangler is a red neck. That’s just being close minded and ignorant. Hip hop clothing is a culture and anybody can wear it and live it. Hip hop clothing is one of the five "extended" elements of hip-hop culture. It refers to a distinctive style of dress, originating primarily with African-American and Latino young people in New York City that goes hand-in-hand with the expressions and attitudes of the rest of the culture.

Since the 1970s, hip-hop fashion has changed significantly over the years, and today is a prominent part of popular fashion as a whole across the world and for all ethnicities. During the 1980s, such clothing items as large glasses, Kangol hats, multi-finger rings, and sneakers (usually Adidas-brand, and often with "phat" or oversized shoelaces) were prominently worn by the big-name hip-hop stars of the day, including Run-DMC and LL Cool J. Performers such as Kurtis Blow and Big Daddy Kane also helped popularize the wearing of gold necklaces and other such jewelry. Popular haircuts ranged from the early-1980s Jheri curl to the late-1980s hi-top fade. Also during the late 1980s, fashions and hairstyles symbolizing the Black Pride movement, including Africa chains, dreadlocks, and red-black-and-green clothing became popular as well, promoted by artists such as Queen Latifah, KRS One, and Public Enemy.

1980s hip-hop clothing fashion is remembered as one of the most important elements of old school hip hop, and it is often celebrated in nostalgic hip-hop songs such as Ahmad's 1994 single "Back in the Day", and Missy Elliott's 2002 single of the same name.

As hip-hop music and culture grew and developed, its hip hop clothing began to change as well. Pop rappers such as The Fresh Prince, Kid 'n Play, and Left Eye of TLC popularized the wearing of bright, often neon-colored, clothing and the wearing of regular items such as baseball caps and even condoms in unusual ways. A number of fads existed during this period as well, including Kris Kross' method of wearing their clothes backwards.

Rap became one of the most prevalent styles of hip hop, and by the mid-1990s, hip-hop clothing had taken on significant influence from the dress styles of street thugs and prison inmates. The wearing of baggy clothes, often without the use of a belt for the pants, originated from prison, where belts were among the first things confiscated while new inmates were being given their uniforms. Hooded coats ("hoodies") and Timberland boots were especially popular in New York City, and the West Coast culture contributed the wearing of flannel over shirts and classic Converse All-Stars to hip-hop clothing fashion. Gold teeth were popularized by Southern hip hop artists such as Master P, many of whom often wore a full mouth of gold fronts.

In the mid-1990s, Mafioso influences, especially and primarily inspired by the 1983 remake version of Scarface, became popular in hip-hop, and classic hip hop clothing fashions such as Fedora hats, ands alligator-skin shoes ("gators") became fashionable, most prominently popularized by The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z.

The rise of hip-pop in the late-1990s, primarily the work of Sean "Puffy" Combs, brought elements such as flashy suits and platinum jewelry to the forefront of hip-hop clothing. Combs, who started his own Sean John clothing line and clothing manufacturers such as Karl Kani and FUBU brought hip-hop clothing fashion to the mainstream, resulting in a multi-million dollar hip-hop clothing fashion industry. Also repopularized at this time were traditional African-American hairstyles such as cornrows and Afros, as well as the Caesar low-cut. Caesars and cornrows are maintained by wearing a doo-rag over the head during periods of sleeping and home activity; doo-rags soon became popular hip-hop clothing fashion items in their own right.

The hip-pop era also saw the split between male and female hip-hop fashion, which had previously been more or less similar. Women had previously worn either female versions of male fashions; many, such as Da Brat, simply appropriate male fashions wholesale. Performers such as Lil Kim and Foxy Brown popularized glamorous, high-fashion feminine hip-hop styles, while Lauryn Hill and Eve popularized more conservative styles that still maintained both distinctly feminine and distinctly hip-hop clothing feel.

After platinum replaced gold as the most popular precious metal in hip-hop fashion, it became commonplace for hip-hoppers to wear platinum (or silver) jewelry, often with significant amounts of diamonds embedded in them. Platinum jewelry later became a prominent source of bragging rights for hip-hop performers and audiences, and B.G. recorded a 1999 hit song that summarized the phenomenon with a popular catchphrase: "Bling Bling". Platinum fronts also became popular; Cash Money Records executive/rapper Brian "Baby" Williams infamously has an entire mouthful of permanent platinum teeth.

After the influx of the hip-pop influence, hip-hop fashion became less based in actual street wear and more in an idealization of such. Hip-hop clothing is often produced by popular and successful designers, who charge significant amounts for their products.

Today, hip-hop clothing is worn by a significant percentage of people around the world. Many hip-hop artists and executives have started their own fashion labels and clothing lines, including Russell Simmons (Phat Farm), Damon Dash and Jay-Z (Roc-a-Wear), and OutKast (OutKast Clothing). Other prominent hip-hop fashion companies have included, in addition to the aforementioned Karl Kani and FUBU, Willie Esco, Ecko, and Mecca.