Tommy Hilfiger became enormously successful with all-American clothing line. Hilfiger was constantly compared to the lives of Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. The line was full of collared shirts and chinos, which were both classic and high-quality and meant specifically for upper-class, white, preppy males. However, in the 1990’s Hilfiger’s designs graced the body of rapper Snoop Dogg. Soon, other rappers began to copy the Snoop Dogg’s style, and soon, Hilfiger’s name was even mentioned in rap lyrics. Q-Tip is even quoted as saying "Tommy Hil is my nigga."
This is a prime example of appropriation bricolage. On page 59, Sturken and Cartwright define appropriation as “taking something for oneself without consent.” Bricolage, however, refers to “making do” (64). Sturken and Cartwright mention that “the idea of consumers of popular culture “making due” with given elements of a culture seems inevitable,” which is exactly what happened to Tommy Hilfiger’s clothing line. Rappers on the 90’s adopted elements of the Tommy Hilfiger line as their own, creating a completely different style. Other examples of fashion bricolage are Doc Martens boots and backwards turned baseball caps.
The idea that a certain article of clothing can only be worn by a certain age, gender, or social class is now out of date. Clothing is one of the most obvious modes of self-expression. As time goes on, people take this ideal to even further extremes. Anyone can where anything and make their own statement. This goes true with any brand or even any article of clothing. I can’t wait until the day when we start wearing socks on our hands to make a certain statement…Oh wait, some people have already done that.
**Sorry. I couldn't find any pictures of Snoop Dogg or other rappers in Tommy Hilfiger clothes, but I'm sure you can imagine...**
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