Streetwear today is a multi-billion-dollar industry. It wasn’t always so lucrative, however. In fact, it is only within the last four decades that streetwear even truly entered existence, aided in large part by one creative brand with a passion for authenticity: Stüssy.
Discover Stüssy’s success story below
The story of Stüssy begins in 1980, when a young Shawn Stüssy began crafting surfboards on America’s west coast. Shawn certainly wasn’t the only Californian pumping out boards at the time, but he made damn sure his work stood out from the masses by decorating his work with wild designs inspired by an amalgamation of elements drawn from the punk, reggae and new-wave music genres. For the finishing touch, Shawn would sign his name on each board in black sharpie – a graf-inspired John Hancock that we now know as Stüssy’s legendary logo.
As the years rolled by and the popularity of Shawn’s work grew, he decided to launch a line of apparel, in 1984, for his dedicated fans to rep out of the water. Sure, we could simply say ‘and the rest is history’, but, really, this was only the beginning. Together with Shawn in this new venture was an accountant by the name of Frank Sinatra Jr. (no relation to Ol’ Blue Eyes) who saw potential in Stüssy, largely due to its founder’s creativity and genuine passion for the surf scene.
With the talents of this seemingly odd partnership combined, Stüssy would begin to rapidly climb from strength to strength. Transcending beyond its origins, the brand – available in our store – began to be adopted as a uniform on the streets, especially within the hip-hop scene. It was more than just surfwear, it was a celebration of music and culture, and a way to express these passions to the world. By 1990, the brand was pulling in an annual turnover of $17 million, but even this was only the beginning.
Before creating Supreme, James Jebbia was in charge of the Stüssy shop
In 1991, a man by the name of James Jebbia (yes, the James Jebbia!) would help Stüssy secure its footing on America’s east coast with the launch of the brand’s first flagship store in the heart of New York’s Soho district – long before the area would be renowned as a melting pot of coveted urban fashion.
Stüssy’s greatest impact on street culture arguably had nothing to do with sales whatsoever, but rather the establishment of a community within the brand. Stüssy brought together a hodgepodge of creatives, skaters and urban icons – including the likes of Hiroshi Fujiwara – under the moniker ‘International Stüssy Tribe’ to rep the brand in all the right places. These were, if you will, the forefathers of the modern-day Instagram influencers.
Like any fashion trend, however, Stüssy’s popularity eventually began to wane, as it experienced in the mid 90s, overthrown by an influx of fresh streetwear brands that better catered to a cultural shift in music preferences. Shawn Stüssy stepped away from the brand that bore his name in 1995, leaving Sinatra Jr. to go it alone as Stüssy – the brand sans Stüssy himself – attempted to regain its balance.
The arrival of Paul Mittleman
Paul Mittleman joined Stüssy as creative director in 1997, filling the hole the brand’s founder had left behind in his departure. With a fresh mind in charge of the creatives, Sinatra Jr. dissected the brand’s finances to work out exactly why the streetwear juggernaut was falling apart. With facts and figures before him, the former accountant realised that the brand was still extremely popular overseas, especially in Japan and the UK. In response, Sinatra Jr. restructured the brand’s focus and stepped up its overseas distribution. This decision proved to be what was needed to save Stüssy from an early demise.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Stüssy in the years that followed, but, two decades on. The brand still continues to grow, reaching new heights in the process. Stüssy has also chalked up one of the most impressive lineages of collaborations over the years, linking up with everyone from Nike to Undefeated and more than a few curveballs for good measure.
Stüssy didn’t just help to establish the idea of streetwear, it also lay footsteps to success for others to folllow. Whether you’re a diehard member of the International Stüssy Tribe or avoid the brand like the plague. There’s no question that you have enjoyed its impact on the streetwear scene in one form another. From the imaginative designs it inspired to the careers of streetwear greats it directly impacted – including the likes of Supreme founder James Jebbia, Undefeated founder Eddie Cruz and HUF founder Keith Hufnagel – Stüssy’s success is one for us all to enjoy.