International Stüssy Tribe and the legacy of creatives

Born in a surfing environment, Stüssy paved its own way - away from what was expected. Its influence on streetwear today owes much to what was built throughout the 80s and 90s, still 30 years ago. The way the "Tribe" positioned itself, in an unpretentious manner, in the market, ensured that its legacy endures to this day.

THE BEGINNING

Shawn Stüssy has always been immersed in the surfing culture of the USA. Living in Laguna Beach, his passion for the sport and the lifestyle that came with it have always been his motivation. That said, in 1980 he specialized in making surfboards and quickly stood out as a craftsman.

His signature as a "shaper" blended elements of reggae, punk, and new wave and were handmade, marked with a dark pen. Furthermore, he honored both the styles of graffiti writing and his uncle - the abstract painter Jan Frederick Stüssy. His parents owned a printing house, and it was there that, since age 12, he learned the basics about screens and prints.

When he opened his first store in Laguna in 1980, he began participating in surfboard sales fairs. The logo had to be printed somewhere, and t-shirts were the chosen medium, unpretentiously.

"I didn't know how this type of convention worked, I'd never been to trade shows before. So, I decided to print black Hanes t-shirts on which I screen-printed the Stussy logo. I participated for three days and sold about 24 boards. But everyone came up to me and said: 'Yes, I’ll take one or two boards, but how much are those t-shirts?' And I thought, 'I don’t know, they’re not for sale.' 'But no, I want to buy 24 of them.' So I thought, 'Okay, they’re eight dollars.' There was no price list or anything like that. By the end of the three days, I had sold a thousand t-shirts, and I thought, 'My God, you’ve got to be kidding me?'

STÜSSY OFFICIALLY BORN

The unexpected demand for the t-shirts made by Shawn became increasingly impressive. In 1984, his friend Frank Sinatra Jr. offered him $5,000 to become his partner. Accepting the offer, the brand was officially born to sell apparel. At the time, the emergence of rap and the buzzing punk scene shaped and transformed Stüssy’s identity.

The rebellious style behind the designs was easily identifiable when one of the first popular t-shirts featured a flip of Chanel's classic logo, with two intertwined S's - the "Stüssy N. 4 Pigment Dye Tee". This made the brand an icon of all subcultures: from rap and skate to DJ and graffiti.

"Punk broke creative and aesthetic barriers and taught us that anyone could have a band. Rap pushed social boundaries and explored ideas of remix and sampling. These new ideas and territories created a new modern platform for fashion and cultural expression"

By 1987, the brand was already global and had extremely high revenues, such as $17 million in the early 90s. Success was achieved hand in hand with marketing.

THE TRIBE

One of its most innovative and influential actions was certainly the creation of the International Stüssy Tribe. Initially, it was just meant to be a group of friends who were references - names generally unknown to the general public but idolized by a niche. At that time, without social media, a brand and its logo had to travel organically, through word of mouth and real associations with people who identified with the brand. The IST was something to aspire to be part of in the 90s. All the imagery from campaigns that appeared in The Face or Thrasher was accompanied by slogans scrawled in Shawn's unmistakable handwriting.

The Tribe, besides having this background for the market, was also a real collective of talented individuals who reflected the brand's creative ethos. They were not just ambassadors but also friends and collaborators who creatively contributed to building the brand. Each of them had their iconic customized varsity jacket - extremely limited and perhaps the most coveted product from Stüssy.

"And what happened with the jackets was that each one was unique; different colors, personal embroidery. Whenever I see a varsity, I think of Shawn. For me, this is the item that started streetwear as we know it today. He created something completely new that impacted everything since then and I’m blessed that our long friendship continues to this day."

Alex Turnbull

THE NAMES

Instead of seeking big names that would draw attention to the brand, Stüssy had members who would show their true influence years later, from places that meant something to the brand. The names were: Hiroshi Fujiwara, at the time a DJ and columnist, now considered the godfather of streetwear; Jules Gayton, skateboarder and DJ; Alex Turnbull, DJ and former member of 23 Skidoo, a band that mixed funk and post-punk; 'Barnzley' Armitage, former i-D, founder of Acupuncture and who made everyone in London wear fake Chanel and Hermès t-shirts; James Lebon, fashion photographer, video director, and graphic artist; Goldie, jungle pioneer; Mick Jones from The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite; Luca Benini, founder of Slam Jam and co-founder of Alyx; and Dante Ross, producer and A&R, who worked for Tommy Boy Records and Def Jam, with De La Soul, Queen Latifah, and Digital Underground.

Stüssy thought about the present, but its influence was, in a way, projected toward the future. While creating a style that would later be transformed into the canon of streetwear, the Tribe members developed a network of relationships that thirty years later continues to dominate fashion.

THE LEGACY

The brand's initial movement was fundamental in establishing a foundation for Stüssy's greater popularity. While the logo was Shawn's signature, the community nature of the Tribe and its relationships put collaboration at the center of the brand and resulted in a series of fruitful partnerships with other brands - a marketing strategy that has nearly become a standard for many fashion companies. Stüssy's pioneering method of sought-after and acquired distribution meant that the product was limited, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.

"The tribe happened before the brand growth. It emerged as a form of mutual respect among like-minded people, with no intention or motivation for commercial growth, and of course, authenticity. You had to know someone to get in the wave - you couldn't just buy it."

Today, although Shawn left the brand back in 1996 to spend more time with his family and Frank Sinatra Jr., his business partner, took over the brand, Stüssy remains true to the brand's "tribal" story. A continuous series of events, collaborations, and products allude to the beginning.

Some highlights in the post-Shawn-Stüssy era include a collaboration in 2000 between Kopelman and Fraser Cooke to create a special edition of the Nike Air Huarache - it was the first partnership of its kind seen, which continues to be widely replicated; a 2006 project where 40 artists reinterpreted the classic 1989 World Tour t-shirt; a new edition of the varsity jacket in 2012, which brought new creatives to the brand (A$AP Illz starred in the campaign).

For the foreseeable future, Stüssy’s new global brand director, Fraser Avey - who has worked as a seller since 2008 - comments that the brand's focus will not only be on the product but on the lifestyle that accompanies it: the International Stüssy Tribe remains alive.

"Stüssy has always been about real people and real cultural experiences. Since the early days when Shawn created the IST to today, the international community around the brand is a truly special aspect that we would never want to lose."