Streetwear is such a huge part of today’s pop culture and our lives obviously. However, that wasn’t the case a few decades ago. But one of the brands that helped the industry become what it is today is Stüssy. So today, we’re gonna go through the whole thing. What is Stüssy? Where can you find the brand? And most importantly, why should you own Stüssy items as a sneakerhead and streetwear fan? Find the answer to those questions and more with us now, shall we?
Our story starts in the early 1980s in Laguna Beach, California, which is famous for its community of surfers. That was where Shawn Stüssy started with handmade surfboards, on which he placed his now-famous signature. But in 1984, Stüssy partnered up with Frank Sinatra Jr. (unrelated to the Frank Sinatra) and officially launched today’s brand. Fast forward to the 90s, and Stüssy became a big name with a flagship store in New York and Europe expansions. Interestingly enough, Supreme’s James Jebbia was Stüssy NYC’s manager. From there he went on to start one of the most hype brands out there.
As we already mentioned, Shawn Stüssy started with surfwear, which was big in Orange County, California. However, the skateboard and hip-hop scene adopted the brand. This kinda worked organically, because just like the surfing community, skateboarding and hip-hop were still pretty niche. In other words, there wasn’t a real “market” that these communities influenced the way they do today.
Although the communities we mentioned have been around for so long, it wasn’t until the late 80s and early 90s that they started becoming popular. And the catalysts for this surge of popularity were brands like Stüssy! Of course, Nike Skateboarding and others also played a role, so we gotta give credit where it’s due. So, if you’re still asking what’s Stüssy, it’s one of the influential forces that made niche the new mainstream.
The original signature Stüssy logo originally comes from Shawn Stüssy’s handmade surfboards. He signed his name on the boards with a marker, and the brand stayed true to the OG later. And it’s such an iconic logo, that it’s one of the brands that didn’t have to change or upgrade their logos. Talk about timelessness, right? Now, in addition to the signature, you can often peep the double-S logo. This logo basically mimics the Chanel logo with two Ss instead of the Cs. And well, Shawn certainly managed to make another historical logo!
Community was at the heart of Stüssy, and that’s why the International Stüssy Tribe came to life. The tribe consisted of many creatives from different parts of the world who were not famous. However, they were famous enough in their niche fields. These people would come together to celebrate the brand and they ended up featuring multiple times in its campaigns.
In fact, Stüssy, famous for his non-athletic varsity jackets, would make special ones for the Tribe! These jackets were embroidered with each individual’s name. In other words, members of the IST were the OG influencers before influencers were a thing. And to this day, whenever IST varsity jackets drop, they’re immediate bestsellers.
Stüssy items generally fit true to size. However, style is subjective, and whether you want a regular or oversized fit is up to you! Stüssy’s sizes are pretty straightforward, and most Stüssy items are available in sizes XS to XXL. However, the brand’s tops could shrink after a couple of washes. So, if you wanna be on the safe side, we recommend that you size up. You can also check out the brand’s size guide here.
The first things you should look at are the tags on your items. They should all have the same logo and fons that fit the brand’s year of production and era. Moreover, you can tell how authentic your item is based on the location of production. For example, vintage Stüssy products were made in the USA. However, post-1990, items could come from another country. And this takes us to another question…
You’d think that items are made in the USA. Well, they are in part, but they’re products of many other countries. For example, the following countries manufacture Stüssy items: Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, India, Bangladesh, and Australia! Pretty versatile right?
When we say that Stüssy managed to become an international sensation, we’re not joking. In fact, the brand owns stores in all of the countries we’ll mention now. And some of these have multiple stores!
For any basic item that you want, you can easily buy from Stüssy’s website. However, when hot collaborations take place, you know that buying manually won’t do. And to get ahead of the competition, you’ll need a good bot that supports Shopify! Don’t worry though, you don’t have to look for too long, because NSB3 is the best Shopify bot around. Not only that, but it’s also an all-in-one bot that supports Nike SNKRS, Adidas Confirmed, Footsites, and more!
So, go on and get your NSB3 key now to be ready the next time a huge collab rolls around. Who knows? This could be your intro to the reselling world where you can make tons of cash by flipping items! You can learn more about that right here. Godspeed!
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