Back in 1980 Shawn Stussy first started drawing his last name on his handcrafted surfboards with a broad tipped, black marker. Now, 40 years later, that stylized signature has become the instantly recognizable hallmark of what is often referred to as “the greatest streetwear brand of all time”, certainly one of the first, if not indeed the very first. But how did Stussy define an entire subculture and more importantly manage to stay relevant throughout the years?
Shawn Stussy was born in 1954, in California. Like many West Coast dwellers at the time, he was immersed in the surf scene from a young age. Stussy started riding the waves at 13 and by 15 he had his first job shaping surfboards. At 24 he started his own surfboard company in Orange County. His high quality surfboards gained a reputation and a loyal pro surfer clientele. It wasn’t just the bold colours and new wave graphics catching people’s attention. It was the innovative shapes of the boards, precisely engineered for high performance. But the young entrepreneur didn’t stop there. In order to promote his company and boost sales of his boards, he also started silk screening t-shirts with his now-famous signature, thus inadvertently creating the first street/surf wear. But it wasn’t until 1984 that the Stussy brand was officially launched. It was the year that Shawn Stussy partnered up with Frank Sinatra Jr., a certified public accountant – of no relation to the singer- that the apparel venture began.
With Sinatra’s business smarts and Stussy’s creative talent, and very little capital, it was a modest beginning for the brand. But Shawn would spend the next years travelling from London, to Tokyo, to Paris, networking with like-minded people with the same tastes in fashion, music and art. During that time the label would also create the fist ever (for the purposes of a fashion brand and not a sports team) hats marked with a logo. The hats inspired by the painter’s caps worn by youths at the time, were reinvented by Stussy using his own graphics and patterns, most recognizably his two linked S’s, drawing from the famous Chanel logo. These became a hot ticket item just as the streetwear brand expanded to Europe and, began being embraced by the hip-hop culture back home. It remains an interesting fact and a testament to Stussy’s vast creative influences how a brand that was born out of the West Coast’s surfer, hippie scene, characteristic of the Californian lifestyle, ended up encompassing an entire array of seemingly disparate references. From the surfers, to the skaters, to the hip-hop scene and the punk subculture, to the pop art of Keith Haring, Stussy managed to successfully blend various cultures under one fashion name.
In 1991 Shawn Stussy met James Jebbia, who would later become the founder of streetwear giant Supreme, and opened the brand’s first flagship in New York’s Soho. By that time the company was already generating an annual 17 million dollars in revenue and the international “Stussy Tribe” was ever-growing. The successful store opening was accompanied by visually compelling campaigns and editorials captured by photographers like Juergen Teller, Ron Leighton and Mario Sorrenti. The ability to draw from different urban scenes led to Stussy being sought out by hip-hop artists, fashionable New Yorkers and Japanese kids obsessed with American culture alike. Reportedly even John F. Kennedy Jr, could be seen wearing his Stussy hat with his suit when biking in Soho.
However, by the mid 90s there was a lot going on. The hip-hop streetwear culture was being replaced by the grunge and rave scene, while at the same time other urban streetwear brands with similar signature logos were popping up. Rather than selling out or compromising his artistic integrity Shawn Stussy refused to change the direction of the brand to accommodate the shifting trends. In some ways this unwillingness may have damaged the company’s performance in the coming years. On the other hand this sticking-to-one’s guns is one of the things that makes Stussy one of the most authentic and enduring labels to this day.
In 1996 Shawn Stussy exited the company, selling all his shares to Sinatra. Whilst there’s speculation of creative differences within the Stussy Tribe, Shawn’s reasons, as he’s on record saying, were personal. As he puts it, the growth of the company into a multimillion dollar business led to 20 hour work days and a lot of responsibility. So Shawn decided to step down in order to spend more time with his family in Hawaii. The year he resigned was the worst-ever performing for the streetwear brand. Even so, under the helm of Frank Sinatra Jr. and his new creative team the company kept growing, focusing on expanding its global operations. While its original creator was no longer there, his everlasting signature was still present. Over the next decade the family owned (Frank’s son David eventually took over the business) Stussy brand remained independent despite rumours of selling to a larger conglomerate. Since the 00s Stussy has released several creative and marketing collaborations. In New York with Dover Street Market, Union in L.A, with Japanese labels Mastermind and Sophnet, London’s La Boca and Santa Monica skateboard shop Rip City Skates. They’ve also held accounts in Colette, ASOS, Urban Outfitters and more huge retailers. The Sinatra family does remain vigilant though. They maintain a desire to remain relatively small, independent and true to the Stussy philosophy which is “brand first, revenue second”, according to David Sinatra. In that way it becomes apparent that the genuine Shawn Stussy spirit lives on in the brand’s ethics.
This year, soon after unveiling their 40th anniversary capsule collection, Stussy released its Holiday 2020 collection. Characterized by bold prints and textiles, the unisex pieces include a wide range of layering options, perfect for the winter season, as well as many unique designs including a paisley fleece jacket, Venus knit sweater, waterproof shell jacket and matching trousers. The collection is completed, naturally, by the brand’s signature headwear.
In a way it makes sense that Stussy became a favourite of the hip-hop scene back in the day. Like the music, it gave fashion a much needed injection of freshness through sampling different things, in a new, authentic expression of self. It also makes sense that it remains today an unending force of urban realness. In the Internet and social media driven age young people strive to standout while at the same time showcasing their true self through personal style. And there’s perhaps no better way of doing that then by sporting the OG brand that reshaped the way we think of streetwear, even four decades later.
