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Teenage angst has paid off well. At least it did in the ’80s and ’90s when rock and roll evolved into the infamous grunge scene which inspired the rebellious youth attitude that became so prevalent in the era’s fashion scene.
With bands like Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana and Pearl Jam at the height of their careers, they would also begin to curate their own wardrobe styles that continues to spawn inspiration today.
With South by Southwest on the horizon, we wanted to kick off the month of March with the rockstar mentality that pioneered the dawn of a new generation for style inspiration. And it’s not just the bands of this timeframe that created this everlasting fashion sense, but the frontmen who transformed their images into the poster boys that every streetwear catalog continues to replicate in their latest collections.
Without Slash of Guns N’ Roses, how would we know to pair our Jordan 1s with black skinny jeans? Outside of Eddie Vedder’s grungy ambience, the Jordan 6 doesn’t transcend beyond a performance basketball shoe. And without Kurt Cobain’s destroyed denim, Chuck Taylors and villainous sweaters, designers like Hedi Slimane, AMIRI and Jerry Lorenzo would still be on their way to creating their most imaginative collections instead of fully arrived.
This era of rock and roll became a turn of a century where suddenly teens and youth around the world were no longer only taking style tips from New York, but the entire West Coast. These artists manifested a likeness that represented a union – a movement that raised a middle finger to those who didn’t comply.
Their wardrobes vocalized the same.
Welcome to the Streetwear Jungle
Jordan 1s are more than a basketball sneaker, they’re the iconic silhouette that does it all: hooping, skating, creating and making music. Just ask the legendary Guns N’ Roses member Slash, who took those Jordan 1 Royals and metamorphosed them into a rock and roll icon. Suddenly the shoe’s look became more imaginable beyond a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Slash’s pairing of black skinny jeans and leather jackets made them even cooler, especially with the thrashed look his Js took on after playing countless shows.
Traditionally Slash is seen wearing ripped black skinny jeans with loud band tees and a simple pair of AJ1s or Chuck Taylors to complete utilitarian rockstar persona.
If you’ve ever seen the music video for “Welcome to the Jungle,” each member of GNR is wearing something that looks like something up and coming luxury designer Mike Amiri would’ve designed. Just look at any campaign he’s done – even down to the set design of his look books.
The AMIRI brand is the ambience we wish Hedi Slimane took on had he stayed with the YSL label. If the LA punk rock look is your thing and you’re not ready to give up the distressed skinny jeans and loose fitting tees just yet, check out @amiri on Instagram for an assortment of punk rock inspiration. Mike’s even got his own signature sneaker called the Sunset, which is a premium take on the Chuck Taylor, making it easy to bring about the glamour of your inner rockstar and maybe imagine what Slash would rock on stage today.
Kurt’s Locker
It smells like teen spirit in the fashion scene and it doesn’t look like the stench is going away anytime soon as cult menswear designers like Jerry Lorenzo, John Elliott, Ksubi and Rhude Designs brought the destroyed denim and oversized flannels look rushing through the floodgates back in 2013. Best yet, this movement is still firing today, continuing to find new methods to mixing up the iconic punk rock appeal.
This whole movement all started thanks to Kurt Cobain’s signature “I could care less about anything” attitude which was just the same reflected in his personal style. Ironically it further accentuated his look, giving it a punk edge that reworked the meaning of grunge music and transformed it into a fashion trend that top designers in both streetwear and big house labels have since adopted into their own collections.
Kurt Cobain’s style combines destroyed jeans and primarily pairs them with oversized flannels, vivd graphic tees and those iconic sweaters and cardigans that even contemporary labels like AMIRI and Saint Laurent incorporated into their collections in past and upcoming season.
Ever wonder why Kurt Cobain is always wearing the same things? Because when you’re a grunge artist at the height of your career, acting like you’re not putting in any effort to what you wear only seems to make people like you more.
What’s so inspiring about grunge and how it appeals to those grailed street essentials is the fact artists like Kurt Cobain wore a few statement pieces to solidify their image. You can adopt a similar mantra by just getting a few of those iconic basics and take inspiration from both the items in Kurt’s locker and the designers making styles based on his image – each continuing to find ways to entertain us.
Look for modern rockstars to score the pages of What’s In Their Wardrobe every Friday this month. For more What’s In Their Wardrobe features ranging from John Mayer to Kyrie Irving, click here.
