A 13-year-old boy from California seems to have been in the right place at the right time to fulfill his dreams.
His name is Shawn Stüssy, who in the 1980s was creating surfboards and signing them, which later led to the invention of the brand's logo.
We could summarize that the basis of everything was generated by the creative current of surfing, skateboarding, hip hop and urban art in the United States, which generated an aesthetic link associated with the demand for caps, shorts and T-shirts.
It is this select group interested in urban fashion that together with the entrepreneurs and businessmen of the time were unwittingly shaping streetwear fashion.
Shawn, after working for 4 years with a lot of passion and effort, in 1984 he partnered with Frank Sinatra Jr. (nothing to do with the singer) to sell the clothes professionally and in 1988 they were already selling in Europe. Quite an achievement for a brand born in California.
In 1992 the company was already turning over more than 20 million dollars and was competing with major designer brands as high-end clothing. This is how it became one of the first brands that from the street and the beach began to compete in the high fashion market.
Was Stüssy the pioneer of streetwear? We don't have an exact record, but yes, we can consider it as one of the first brands that made history in streetwear fashion.
If you like streetwear fashion we invite you to visit Poppy America's online store. An exclusive brand that was born in California and maintains an approach between the urban culture of the United States and Europe.
Here is a short documentary of the brand created by Tiblo on his youtube channel.
