Racial boundaries persisted in fashion even as music integrated

Evidence

Yet even as racial boundaries blurred in music, they persisted in fashion. White suburban teens embraced rap, blasting it from their run-down Honda Civics, but many hesitated to adopt the style fully. Racism surely played a role, but savvy teens also respected the community-mindedness of brands like FUBU (“For Us, By Us”). This led to parallel markets for Black and white styles, with crossover attempts often fraught with controversy. When Timberland boots became a hip-hop staple, the company’s CEO publicly implied that Black customers weren’t its “target customer,” prompting calls for boycotts. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 92

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s earlier article on sumptuary norms — clothing as identity signaling and the racial politics of who gets to wear what.