01/07/2017
Bobby Hundreds: "In the U.S. in the 1990s, there wasn’t much room for AAPI (Asian-American Pacific Islander) kids in the culture space. You were either whitewashed by the prevailing blonde, surf culture or identified more with Black and Latino culture, from hip-hop to gang life. Or you were just a stereotypical Asian nerd, the model minority, letter grades hiked up as high as your pants.
There was one particular fashion choice, however, that didn’t belong to the Chicanos or Blacks. It was very clearly ours and Asian-American, and so even if you were a hardcore punk kid who skated like me, this was the setup: A tight fade with long bangs (often dyed blonde with Sun-In), oversized polos, pressed, baggy chinos that were cuffed inside and stapled (yes, stapled), and velcro Fila sandals. Don’t ask me why or how this look got started, but AAPI teenagers nationwide adopted the style, hanging outside of cafes with their Honda CRXs and Integras, smoking Marlboro Reds and checking Motorola pagers.
That’s why when Fila and The Hundreds started talking, we immediately asked about that Fila velcro sandal. It played such a significant role in giving AAPI youth a distinct look, like the Cortez did for LA’s Latinos and Chicanos. Like shelltoes for New York's Black and Puerto Rican B-boys in chunky chains and tracksuits. Fila was onboard. The next step was taking that sandal and updating it to a modern-day slide. We paired it with the familiar white polo shirt.
The final piece of the puzzle was the photoshoot. Let’s drive the point home by solely casting Asian-Americans, which is something you rarely see in streetwear, or larger fashion in general. We even asked Alexander Spit, a Filipino-American, to photograph it. So, this goes way beyond a collaboration slide. This is about representation, AAPI heritage, and recognizing this lost chapter in ‘90s American youth culture that I would love to see make a resurgence.
This definitely happened. And it’s happening again. Introducing . Now available."