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Horse Power: Hip-Hop's Impact on Polo Ralph Lauren
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Horse Power: Hip-Hop's Impact on Polo Ralph Lauren

The Rise of Polo in the Hood

In this section, the speaker talks about how Polo became a status symbol in the hood and how it was used as aspirational gear.

The American Dream

  • Polo is a metaphor for the American Dream.
  • Dressing like you made it was a way to forget where you came from and aspire to be whoever you wanted to be.

The Power of Polo

  • Polo was doing billions of dollars a year.
  • It was so popular that people would steal it and sell it in the projects.
  • Even today, people still wear polo clothes and accessories.

From Negative to Positive

  • During the crack era, stealing expensive items like polo clothes was common.
  • Wearing polo clothes became a way for young kids to connect with affluence and feel distinguished.
  • Living in poverty, they believed that wearing polo clothes would help them embody success.

The Impact of Polo

  • Ralph Lauren came from humble beginnings but revolutionized fashion through marketing.
  • Wearing polo clothes allowed people to forget their circumstances and aspire for more.
  • People went as far as decorating their homes with polo furnishings.

Personal Experience

  • The speaker saw regular young men wearing polo clothes more than artists because he went to school in Manhattan where many students had wealthy parents.

The Birth of the Polo Posse

In this section, the speaker talks about how he first got into wearing Ralph Lauren clothing and how he and his friends formed a group called the Polo Posse.

Wearing Ralph Lauren Clothing

  • The speaker first saw someone wearing Ralph Lauren in his neighborhood and was intrigued.
  • He saw people wearing crown shirts, which were popular at the time.
  • The speaker and his friends taught others how to wear Ralph Lauren from head to toe, including socks and underwear.

Forming the Polo Posse

  • Before forming the Polo Posse, there were two other polo crews in Brooklyn.
  • The speaker decided to unite these crews from different neighborhoods to form their own team.
  • They called themselves the Polo Posse but didn't like the name.

Becoming a Low-Life

In this section, the speaker talks about how he became known as a "low-life" and how he met Thurston Howell III.

Meeting Thurston Howell III

  • The speaker met Thurston Howell III through mutual friends in Brooklyn.
  • He was impressed by Howell's style of dressing in full Ralph Lauren gear.

Becoming a Low-Life

  • One day, while boosting clothes with his friends, someone called him a low-life for stealing.
  • The term stuck with him and his crew began calling themselves low-lifes.
  • The speaker started trading items with others for Ralph Lauren clothing before actually buying them from stores.

Boosting Clothes

In this section, the speaker talks about how he and his crew would boost clothes from department stores around Manhattan.

Boosting Clothes

  • The crew would meet up at Franklin Avenue train station before going on a boosting spree.
  • They used Manhattan as their canvas and targeted major department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, and Ralph Lauren.
  • The speaker was known for trying to leave stores with entire racks of clothing.

Methods of Boosting

  • There were different methods of boosting clothes, including the girdle method and bagman method.
  • The crew would steal everything they could carry out of the store.

Influence on Ralph Lauren

In this section, the speaker talks about how low-lifes influenced Ralph Lauren's brand and how he became a regional manager for women's sports at Polo.

Shortages in Stores

  • Stores would report shortages when items were stolen by boosters.
  • To combat this, Ralph Lauren started designing more items that weren't being stolen as frequently.

Influence on Ralph Lauren

  • Low-lifes were influencing Ralph Lauren's brand but he couldn't acknowledge it publicly because they were costing him money.
  • The speaker eventually became a regional manager for women's sports at Polo.

Introduction

The speaker introduces himself and the topic of discussion.

Speaker Introduction

  • The speaker introduces himself as a professional note-taker.
  • He mentions that he will be creating a comprehensive markdown file from a given transcript.

Hip-Hop and Fashion

The speaker discusses the relationship between hip-hop and fashion, particularly with regards to Polo Ralph Lauren.

Hip-Hop and Fashion

  • Hip-hop took urban brands like Polo Ralph Lauren to the next level.
  • Ralph Lauren gave direction to African-American community on how to express themselves through clean and traditional clothing.
  • FUBU was created because there were rumors that companies did not value hip-hop or African-Americans.
  • The line was split in half with one inspired by dapper Dan's of the world and the other half inspired by Ralph Lauren.
  • Kanye West had a close relationship with Polo Ralph Lauren, which he introduced to others in the hip-hop community.
  • There has been a revival of interest in nineties fashion in recent years, particularly vintage pieces.

Vintage Clothing

The speaker talks about his experience selling vintage clothing, specifically Polo Ralph Lauren pieces.

Selling Vintage Clothing

  • The speaker started selling vintage clothing professionally in 2012.
  • He has dealt with famous rappers such as Macklemore, Joey Badass, ASAP Yams, and Sean Price.
  • There has been a real revival of interest in nineties fashion recently.
  • A website called Vintage Gear Addix became popular for people interested in vintage classic mythical polo pieces.

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Video description

Polo Ralph Lauren wasn’t originally meant for the hip-hop community until the Lo-Lifes, a crew of Brooklyn teenagers, adopted the label and made it their own in the late ‘80s. It exploded in the streets and by the ‘90s, Polo was an inescapable part of hip-hop culture, from music videos to magazine covers. Despite the sometimes rocky relationship between the vastly different worlds, Polo has become an integral component of the hip-hop community for the last three decades. An all-star line up including A$AP Ferg, 2 Chainz, Fabolous, Tyson Beckford, Daymond John, Raekwon, Dapper Dan, Fonzworth Bentley, Michaela Angela Davis and more share their first-hand insights on the legendary brand’s connection to the culture in Complex's documentary, "Horse Power." Subscribe to Complex on YouTube: https://goo.gl/43ac5w Check out more of Complex here: http://www.complex.com https://twitter.com/Complex https://www.facebook.com/complex http://instagram.com/complex https://plus.google.com/+complex/ COMPLEX is a community of creators and curators, armed with the Internet, committed to surfacing and sharing the voices and conversations that define our new America. Our videos exemplify convergence culture, exploring topics that include music, sneakers, style, sports and pop culture through original shows and Complex News segments. Featuring your favorite celebrities, authoritative commentary, and a unique voice, our videos make culture pop.

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