Snoop. Dre. Tupac. Biggie.
Run DMC. Salt-N-Pepa. NWA. TLC.
Jordan. Rodman. Kobe. AI.
These legends did more than just make music or play sport, they created identities, characters and personas of themselves that would be remembered for decades to come.
At the 92' Olympics in Barcelona, MJ wore matching tees and shorts with ridiculous colours and patterns all over it. He made it look cool and ahead of its time. The fact that his logo was slapped on the middle of it, made people want it even more. As a matter of fact, THAT Team USA jersey is one of the most well known pieces of sporting memorabilia. Ever. It's that jersey, the 92' DREAM TEAM jersey. The jersey that's still reproduced (in 4-5 different colours) and worn to this day, by thousands and thousands of hoops fans, all over the world.
Snoop rocked cornrows and oversized NFL jerseys while Dre made flat cap snapbacks a staple for every kid going to school. It didn't just represent the team you supported, it was a piece of your outfit that had to be co ordinated. Everything was bright, everything was colourful, baggy and oversized.
Sneakers. Sneakers were something else. They were more than just something you put on your feet to walk out of the house in, they were a fashion statement. They had to be clean, crisp and crease free. Fights were started if someone stepped on your fresh Jordans or Superstars. People rocked their outfits, highlighted their vibe and wore everything with pride - this is what 90s fashion iconic.
Our inspiration? Drawn from all of the above. Characters and cult heroes like basketball players, rapper and artists, actors and actresses and everything in between from the 90s. The fashion. The culture. Everything.
We try to strike a balance between the oversized pieces that NBA stars wore down the corridors of sold out arenas, the baggy supporter wear that rappers wore on stage to rep their cities in front of thousands of people and the iconic looks from old school music videos. What we want to bring to the table is a range of comfy, affordable, high quality garments that people can wear to run errands, wear to and from games at their local stadium or when they're meeting up with the gang for a coffee or some food. We want our products to be the first thing someone grabs when they're thinking of an outfit because it's THAT comfy. We want our community to feel the best they've ever felt when they throw on one of our pieces.
Self confidence? Through the roof. Does it match the rest of your fit? Absolutely.
We want you to put on an Oversized Embroidered Hoodie and think "Damn, this is the comfiest hoodie I've ever worn. I'm not taking this off".
Apart from designing and producing amazing pieces of clothing and sneaker storage, we had 2 main goals when starting this brand:
- Be as sustainable as possible
- Give back to the community wherever we can
On point 1, we chose to turn to Hero Packaging for all our postage needs. Everything we use to pack and ship our products are compostable. From the mailer bags and products bags to the fully dissolvable Aquahero bags we use for our beanies - this helps reduce the amount of single use plastic bags. It's a small notion, but it's a step in the right direction, and we couldn't be prouder of it! To see more of what Hero Packaging do and their full range, please click here.
The second point is just as important to us. We both grew up playing sport, basketball and swimming were the 2 main activities but we were fortunate enough to have parents that took us to training sessions, swim meets, long weekend tournaments, interstate trips and everything in between. We were never met with a "No", we were always encouraged to go out there, be active and try our best.
Unfortunately not everyone has that opportunity. Whether it be due to financial restraint or how their family is set up or just a straight up lack of opportunity. We believe everyone, from kids to adults should have the chance to be involved in sport, not just to be competitive, but to be able to give it ago. So much so that our first fundraising event that we threw earlier this year in June, was for a kids basketball foundation called Helping Hoops. We raised funds to assist this amazing program in facilitating free sessions for youth all over Melbourne. It was an amazing experience and even better day, but more on that another time!
To close this out, we're partners and best friends from the Sth East of Melbourne who believe everyone should have access to sport and physical activity, from a young age. We want to give back to the community and help provide opportunities for those who may not necessarily think that's possible. We want to do our part and build our own community of like minded people, so we can spread the message further, reach more people and build a better world.
Thank you for sticking with us this far, it's only just the beginning.. and we hope you stay for the ride.
Team Hoops
Daz & Kimberley