Clothes are a form of expression. It’s how we express who we are and even what we stand for. So, we each have our preferences when it comes to clothing. That may vary based on color, design, and even size.
Baggy clothes for instance are becoming a popular preference for most people. The comfort they offer is just one reason why these types of clothes are popular. In this post, we’ll discuss the origin of baggy clothes and why they became so popular.
Where Did Baggy Clothes Originate?
Baggy clothes are mostly connected to hip hop given due to most rappers’ way of dressing. There are several theories, however, on how baggy clothes came to be a trend. The most common one was that it originated from black gang members in California called Cripps and Blood. It’s said that the gang started wearing oversized clothes after doing time in prison. At the time prisoners were not allowed to have belts or shoelaces when they were doing time. This was an attempt to reduce the number of deaths that occurred in prison, where people strangled themselves to avoid doing their time. Rappers took up this style of dressing because most of them had done time at one point, or wanted people to believe they had because of their music. The Hispanics in California at the time were also known for their baggy pleated pants and oversized t-shirts.
Another theory is that baggy clothes started as streets were in the streets of New York. The first New Yorker seen wearing baggy clothes is said to have been street freestyle dancers and breakdancers. They wore baggy clothes because they were comfortable dancing in and added extra exaggeration to their dance movements. By the end of the 1980s, the rest of New Yorkers were spotted in baggy clothes. The trend kept spreading until the baggy clothes made it into high fashion.
Other theories connected to baggy clothes were that they resulted from the hardships black people faced in the projects. Because black parents didn’t have money to buy new clothes, the kids would wear hand-me-downs from older siblings or relatives. Other parents would buy oversized clothes for the kids, so they would take a while to grow into them. This slowly became a trend where baggy clothes were now being sold as a trend.
Why Were Baggy Clothes Popular?
Baggy clothes became extremely popular between the 1990s and 2000s. You’d spot people wearing wide sweaters, jumpers, jerseys, and wide pants. The trend lasted until skinny jeans and other fitting clotting items started gaining traction. But even today, there are still people who prefer baggy clothes. The following are reasons why they were so popular:
Affordability.
Compared to tight-fitting clothes, which require time and detail to create, baggy clothes are easier and faster to make. As a result, more baggy clothes can be manufactured at a given time, which is why they had lower prices compared to fitting clothes. This was great for poor families who could barely make ends meet.
Comfort.
Of all types of clothing, baggy attires offered the most comfort. The extra size gave more room to breathe and allowed more movement. This was unlike fitting clothes that could sometimes be so binding that they restrict movement and proper breathing. Of course, other factors like fabric also played a role in increasing or decreasing comfort.
Flattered both skinny and plumb bodies.
One of the main reasons people opted for baggy clothes was so that they could hide their bodies. Most people were and still are self-conscious about their bodies. With baggy clothes, however, skinny people looked wider than their actual size. While baggy clothes weren’t slimming for the heavier individuals, they did not outline the full shape and excess fat.
Hip-hop look.
Hip-hop back was closely related to breaking dancing, which required comfortable clothes to be able to move with ease. As a result, baggy clothes were worn by a lot of hip-hop artists and dancers. Soon it became the signature hip-hop fashion. So, hip-hop enthusiasts would dress in baggy clothes to get that hip-hop feel.
Perfect for if you gain weight.
The biggest downside to fitting clothes is that once you gain even the slightest weight, you would have to buy new clothes all over again. With baggy clothes, however, you didn’t need to worry about buying new clothes. The extra size easily accommodated the increase in weight. In the end, you end up saving money.
Will Baggy Clothes Come Back In 2021?
Although baggy clothes stopped being popular around the time skinny jeans started to trend, these items of clothing did not completely disappear. Thanks to Fashion’s tendency to recycle old trends, oversized clothing will be back in 2021.
In South Korea for example, baggy clothes are still trending on the mainstream level. You can see them all over the internet in oversized T-shirts or sweatshirts paired with skinny jeans or short skirts or shorts. Today more and more people are embracing the 90’s look which was mostly characterized by baggy cloth items.
Also, designers have started veering away from complicated out-of-box designs and are more geared towards practicality and comfort. That is what baggy clothes offer.
In addition, items like oversized hardware overalls are slowly gaining traction in the street fashion world and wide-legged pants are being reintroduced.
Other timeless pieces like oversized tees have never truly stopped trending.
Conclusion
If you are looking for comfort and practicality, then you cannot go wrong with oversized clothes. They come in a variety of designs for you to choose from and the beauty is that you only have to buy them once. If you’re a dancer especially, you need at least an item or two of baggy clothes. Also, fashion is simply a personal expression. So, whether it is in trend or not, you should be able to pull oversized clothing. The key is to be confident while doing it. As long as you think you look good, that’s what matters.
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Stephanie is a jewelry lover when she was a teenager. Her major was fashion design when she was in college. She is a jewelry designer at SOQ Jewelry and other design companies. Now she is also a writer for our website. She writes a lot of designs&brands posts with very actionable tips.