There was a time when lining up for the freshest gear was unheard of, not even unheard of but shit kid, whilst resting in your sleeping bag dreaming of that brand new pair o' kicks you would probably wake up naked and somewhat cold having been rolled sometime during the night.
In the late '80s whilst kids were coming down from a hypercolour high there was another group, well actually two groups in Brooklyn decked head to toe in Polo, Ralph Lauren wasn't just a designer to them, he was a god. The 'Ralphie's Kids' and the 'POLO USA' crews through photography fate merged to form the Lo-lifes, named so from the abuse pinned onto Thirsten Howell III by a girl calling him a Low-life, a name which he proudly took onboard.
Lo-lifes were famous for "boosting" polo clothing from all over NY, and on any given sunday they could be found at the Empire Skate Rink in Brooklyn, where they met up for street fashion parades and would eventually flip some of the shit they had boosted during the week. They began true brand loyalty for streetwear, they made it not only cool, but gangsta to wear the same label exclusively including underwear and socks.
Their impact on the streetwear scene has been in effect since then. Earlier streetwear specific labels such as Enyce, Rocawear, Mecca, Ecko and higher end labels like Tommy Hilfiger all took note and were influenced by Polo. For today's generation brands like Supreme and Northface reflect the aesthetic that '90s Polo once represented, many other labels like Acupulco Gold, Spoonfed and 10 Deep pay their homage to the movement. The current culture of 'searchers' or 'lads/adlays' also wear Polo religiously and although there are other labels like Nautica and Gant out there Polo is still a highly regarded label.
Stussy may have been the beginning of the streetwear game, but rooted deep within the history of streetwear theres a place for the Lo-lifes, the misplaced youth of their day, the ghetto kids wanting and rocking stolen gear who laid foundations for the need for constantly fresh warez and dope labels.
Lo-Lifes Documentary Trailer