The History of Stussy

In the fashion industry, certain well-known brands are synonymous with high quality and status, such as Nike, Louis Vuitton, and Coach. However, there is another brand that is often overlooked despite its respectable reputation within a specific subsect of the fashion world. Stüssy, who has been around for over 40 years, helped establish the foundation of streetwear fashion as we know it today.

Back in the 1980s, there were certain things you could do that would make you instantly “cool.” For most people that was to join a sport at school, but snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing were especially popular and considered to be at the pinnacle of coolness during that time. Shawn Stussy opted for surfing and had been working on surfboards since he was thirteen years old. At the time, surfing still had a very much '60s vibe to it and for a young adult who was getting their first taste of the punk scene, The Beach Boys wasn’t resonating with him anymore. This is where Mr. Stussy’s infamous signature comes into play. It came from the mind of an angsty young adult who wanted to do something just cool and different. Since his parents had owned a printing shop he had been practicing with printing equipment for as long as he had been working surfboards. When Shawn had created a logo for himself, he was more than ready to slap it huge on his surfboard as a “fuck you” to all the older surf heads around him and from there, Stüssy was born. As you can see, it came from humble beginnings, and even Shawn himself never thought it would grow to become this global phenomenon.

In the early years of Stüssy, it was not a clothing brand, but simply a logo on surfboards. However, the logo was unique and fresh in the surfing community, which was dominated by typical beach designs. Soon after Shawn began to sell surfboards with the Stüssy logo from his Laguna Beach surf shop, he showed his boards at the Action Sports Retailer Trade Show. This is where Shawn decided to sell shirts with the Stüssy logo as a way to gain more publicity for his shop and boards. To his surprise by the end of the show he sold a thousand shirts and twenty-four boards which motivated him to think about the possibility of creating a clothing brand. Although he had little experience in running a clothing brand, he sought the help of his close friend, Frank Sinatra Jr. (who was not related to the famous singer). In 1994, they relaunched Stüssy as a clothing brand.

Early on Stüssy gained notoriety in the surfing community as it being the group that Shawn had already created a rapport with. However,  they were being recognized in other rising and established subcultures such as the skating, rave, and punk communities. Aside from T-shirts, Stüssy was the first brand to create headwear with branding that wasn’t sport-related. Stüssy became a part of a uniform for a lot of these subcultures until it was widely worn by everyone. 

As Stüssy's popularity grew in California, Shawn and Frank decided to take a risk and move to New York to open their first flagship. They didn't have much of a presence in the New York market, so they enlisted the help of James Jebbia, the future founder of Supreme. James had a lot of experience with the youth of New York from working in multiple skate shops in the city. He and Shawn met when James was trying to get Stussy apparel in Union, a local skate shop. 

This time is credited as when Stüssy practically created streetwear which is almost true. While Stussy was growing, a new style was emerging predominantly in New York that  took inspiration from hip-hop, sportswear, and skating culture. Stüssyopened its first flagship in Soho in 1991, down the street from Gucci, Burberry, and Coach. Today, we are all familiar with streetwear, one of the most popular facets of fashion. However, at the time, it was just considered "wear." When \Stüssy began to "steal" business from these already established fashion houses, it caught the attention of the fashion community and gave insight into what the future of streetwear would look like.

There are two things that contributed to the unexpected growth of Stussy, the clothing brand. First is their campaign ads and second is the IST. It’s worth noting that Stussy never employed ad agencies for their ad campaigns, and this turned out to be a wise decision. Ad agencies wouldn't know how to market to Stussy's target audience of kids who like skateboarding, listening to rap and house music, and want to look cool. The Stussy team, on the other hand, knew their target audience very well and marketed accordingly. The International Stussy Tribe (IST) was created to promote the Stussy brand and make it more exclusive. The Tribe was made up of people that Shawn had befriended over the years, such as designer Hiroshi Fujiwara and hip-hop producer and A&R Dante Ross. Unlike current marketing strategies where brands choose celebrities to promote their clothes, Shawn's intention was to create unique items for his friends and show appreciation through this campaign. The tribe quickly became a symbol of status and everyone wanted to be a part of it. Whether it be that they wanted a 1-of-1 International Stussy Tribe varsity jacket or simply wanted the status that came with it, whichever it was it was in high demand.

In 1996, Shawn Stussy resigned as the president of Stüssy and sold his shares of the company to his friend Frank without any negative emotions or regrets. Having dedicated twenty years of his life to the brand, Shawn had taken it to heights he never thought possible. However, he was at a turning point in his life- he had recently gotten married and his wife was expecting a son. Therefore, he had to make a serious decision whether he wanted to continue with the brand for another twenty years or not. Ultimately, he decided that he didn't want to and thus entered a new chapter in his life. When the head of a brand steps down, there is always speculation about whether the company will falter in quality and fade into obscurity. Even Stüssy, which had gone further than its founder Shawn could have imagined, was not exempt from these speculations, and for some, they might have been true. However, Stüssy did something that many other brands fail to do: it created a devoted core fanbase that will always support it, regardless of who is running it, as long as it stays true to its roots. With a founding member still at the helm, Stüssy embarked on a new venture that would keep the brand relevant to this day - collaborations. Stüssy's first collaboration was with G-Shock in 1997, which was an interesting but smart choice. Back then, collaborations were not a big part of streetwear, and you would not usually see a clothing brand collaborating with a non-clothing brand like G-Shock. However, there is no denying that in the 90s, everyone was rocking a G-Shock.

Stüssy has undoubtedly made its mark in the fashion industry and has left a lasting impression on streetwear and subcultures alike. From humble beginnings of just a logo on surfboards to a global clothing brand, Stüssy has been a pioneer in the fashion world. It's no surprise that even after 40 years, the brand remains relevant and continues to inspire new generations of fashion enthusiasts. With its unique style and innovative marketing strategies, Stüssy has solidified its place in history as a true icon of streetwear fashion.