In Years Gone By

As with all things in life over the years they can disappear for various reasons never to be seen again until someone believes the thing in question deserves a resurgence.

Whether it’s a television series, a chocolate bar, a cocktail or whatever else the reintroduction of these things can be either extremely positive or a major flop.
The question here is where have certain brands disappeared to, and will they ever get resurgence or are they better left where they are?

I would like to look at a few ‘street wear’ brands (2 from America and 2 from the UK) that have existed for a few years, some that have existed a lot longer but now for some unknown reason have vanished off the face of the planet.
There are also some of these brands that are still producing clothing but perhaps not on the same scale they used to or are planning a comeback in the very near future.


The first brand in question is PNB Nation. Started in 1984 by a crew of graffiti writers from New York (PNB - Post No Bills) the brand gained great popularity with a varied audience, not simply those that were involved in the hip-hop world but also many celebrities as well. Perhaps they were looking for a brand that was a little more exclusive and understated at the time as opposed to the hugely popular brands like FUBU or Karl Kani for example.


Nowadays after nearly a decade with very little production everyone’s favourite celeb Nick Cannon has resurrected the brand and opened a flagship store on Melrose Avenue. I wonder what the original heads have to say about a New York based brand having its own flagship store in Los Angeles.

He says more about this in the video below from a while ago.


The second brand in question is Tribal Gear. Founded in 1989 in San Diego California, Tribal Gear has been one of those unique brands that consistently produce strong lines each and every season. I think what is important to note is that Tribal Gear produce clothing that is directed specifically towards the culture that is evident through their designs. An example of this is creating padded beanies for the b-boy community.


Although Tribal Gear is perhaps not as widely available in the UK as it used to be during the days of Hi-Jinks I would still imagine that those who have/had an interest in the brand and the culture it is influenced by would agree that it is an extremely important and unique company.


Like most popular clothing brands celebrities often get involved with advertising schemes and look books. Perhaps some of the most notable celebrities or musicians that have been involved with Tribal Gear have been Korn, POD and The Black Eyed Peas.


The first of the UK based brands that I would like to comment on really does seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth. The brand I am referring to is A Bearded Man or ABM. This brand produced a range of t-shirts and sweatshirts around 5 years ago I would say and could often be found in small boutiques up and down the country. The late BOND in Carnaby Street was one of the select few that stocked this brand so perhaps some of the ex-workers could shed some light on what happened to this brand.

I actually met the guy behind the brand at The Urban Games many years ago now and he gave me the white tee shown below. It was a limited range they made specifically for the Urban Games in association with XBOX and Bay 66 Skate Park. He told me then that they had plans for a new range, but it never seemed to materialise.


The final brand that I would like to comment on is BLUNT. Perhaps not as popular as some of the aforementioned brands but nevertheless a brand that stuck around for a number of years being sold in various stores up and down the country. Perhaps in a similar way to the way Tribal gear reflect their influences specifically through their designs BLUNT carried out something similar.

The majority of their designs were very similar drawings that depicted youth and hip-hop culture in London. Perhaps by the standards of what certain brands are producing nowadays brands like BLUNT wouldn’t get a chance.

I once had a slightly larger collection of BLUNT t-shirts but some were cleared out a few years ago. They were often sold at The Urban Games and Board-X for a very reasonable price hence the reason I had quite a few at a young age, when certain brands were not affordable.


Useful Links:

PNB Nation Website
PNB Nation Myspace

Tribal Gear Website
Tribal Gear Myspace

BLUNT Website