How Helly Hansen Became One of NY Hip-hop's Favorite 90's Brands
Song of the Week: J. Cole - Huntin’ Wabbitz
New Cole dropped right before I was about to call it a night. A lot of early standout joints but this is the one that speaks to me the most right now. Hope you enjoy it too.
And now, for today’s piece.
One of my favorite 90s movies came on TV last weekend.
It stars two NFL players and activists, Fred Williamson & Jim Brown, and the incomparable, Pam Grier — all megastars in the era of Blaxploitation who put out a movie in 1996 called
Original Gangstas.
In short, the story is about two friends (Fred Williamson & Jim Brown), founders of a gang called The Rebels, who’ve come back to reclaim the neighborhood from the next generation of gang members who’ve turned their town into a warzone.
I’ve seen it a million times, but as I got closer to the film this time, I noticed something interesting…
One of the characters was wearing a red jacket with a logo I wasn’t familiar with.
The logo was two capital H’s with the name Helly Hansen.
After doing some research, I saw that it was actually big brand in around that era, and a lot of New York rappers wore it.
With that in mind, of course I had to go on a rabbit hole to learn more about it. So today’s piece is about Helly Hansen.
Let’s get into it.
BACKGROUND
Helly Hansen was founded in 1877 by Helly Juell Hansen and his wife Maren Margarethe Hansen.
Initially, they started by producing waterproof oilskin jackets and other apparel made from coarse linen soaked in linseed oil, which were designed to protect the wearers against the harsh Norwegian elements.
Helly became widely known for their technical expertise and the level of craft they put into their jackets.
It made them widely respected as a workwear brand, and eventually, word began to spread about them.
By the 1980s, Helly Hansen caught on in America after the brand’s sailors participated in an Olympic event wearing its waterproof jackets.
Shortly after that, their foray into culture begins.
That brings us to…
New York, Circa 1990
“I went from Helly Hansen Jackets to mini-mansions” - Mase
As the new decade rolled in, Hip-hop culture was in full effect.
New Yorkers, especially drug dealers, had already developed an affinity for brands like Carhartt and Northface, which helped them survive the harsh winters outside.
The workwear movement was the predominant driving force in Hip-hop fashion at the time, and with the adoption of the aforementioned brands came the popularity of Helly Hansen.
The head of Helly Hansen noticed the new fashion movement and leveraged a tried and true marketing strategy to introduce themselves to the market.
THEY PARTNERED WITH A RECORD LABEL.
Helly’s foray into the world of Hip-hop was courtesy of a partnership with Steve Rifkind’s imprint Loud Records.
At the time Loud had artists like Wu-Tang Clan, Sean Black & Sadat X, and even Mobb Deep. Helly provided them with Yellow co-branded promo jackets and the artists began sporty Helly gear.
Through promotional shoots with the aforementioned artists, and giving away apparel for them to sport in videos, eventually they began attracting younger, fashion-forward consumers who were listening to rap music.
Helly even doubled down by promoting the brand with full-page print ads in popular Hip-hop publications like The Source and Vibe.
Eventually, top figures in NY Hip-Hop started rocking the brand too including Funk Flex on the cover of his iconic project “The Mixtape Volume II.”
Over time, Helly Hansen even began to tailor some of its new clothing to its newest (and likely its fastest-growing) demographic by making oversized t-shirts, new windbreakers, and other gear that had a streetwear aesthetic to it.
From New York, all the way to D.C. and Maryland, the brand became a part of the coveted rotation of outwear gear for those who had to withstand harsh winter climates.
Things were good, but Helly Hensen Made a costly mistake…
They put too much emphasis on their newfound audience while neglecting the demo responsible for their initial popularity.
Once their bottom line increased, HH doubled down on reaching the youth consumer with their run of bubble coats, t-shirts, etc.
However, as we know, fashion tends to be a fickle industry. Over time, 90s fashion began to change, and as a result, the company was left with a surplus of inventory that they couldn’t possibly move.
Rappers eventually moved on from the brand, and some even began talking about it in the past-tense lyrically.
The gamble they took was a massive one that worked for some time but eventually brought the company’s growth to a standstill.
AFTER A FEW YEARS…
Helly Hansen turned things around, and they are still going strong today.
After almost going out of business because of cultural shifts, they went back to what made them a standout brand in the first place while still keeping some of their Hip-hop roots intact.
In 2019, Halle & Puma (another highly revered Hip-hop brand) partnered on a collection entitled “From The Sea to The Streets” — an obvious ode to Hip-hop culture.
As of this year, there have been 3 collections total from Puma and Helle Hansen, and some of the apparel and sneakers are still available on sites like Grailed, and DePop.
The HH brand has a slew of other partnerships that show they are keeping their connection to streetwear strong while not abandoning the principles, and audience that made them such a beloved brand.
WHAT NOW?
With the resurgence in 90s culture, I wonder if Gen Z in the U.S. will ever find out about this brand.
The jackets look dope, so there’s a high chance that I’m going to get one at some point.
But, at the very least, if you’re not gonna pick any HH products, at least check out Original Gangstas this weekend.
It’s kinda cheesy by today’s standards but it’s a gem, nonetheless.
One.