I would like to issue a disclaimer about this Where You At Wednesday. It is possible that some of these brands weren’t early 90’s, but that was the theme I was going for. I’m about to do the research, so if I was wrong on the date, get over it. Also, it’s very possible many of these clothing brands are still in business and doing quite well. I have no idea, that’s why I’m finding it out. However, they are on this list because I haven’t seen anyone wearing them in quite some time.
BUGLE BOY
Here we go, right away I was wrong. Apparently Bugle Boy was most popular in the 80’s. Created acctually in 1977 by Dr. William Mow. Cross-stiching and elastic cuffs at the bottom of the jeans were staples in Bugle Boy denim. The brand declared bankruptcy in 2001, but can still be seen from time to time.
NO FEAR
These shirts were semi-popular back when I was in middle school, even though I never had one. Created in 1989, the company is apparently still around and has 450 employees as well as a deal with SoBe to create No Fear themed energy drinks. They also sponsor Nascar driver Boris Said as well as TEAM PACQUIAO on occassion.
BODY GLOVE (specific to color-changing shirts)
YES, I am aware that Body Glove is still popular in the surf community, with over $10 million in revenue as recently as 2007. What this is in reference to is those shirts that they used to make that changed color based on body-heat and touch. You could scrunch up the black shirt in your hands and get all types of different colors. Does anyone else remember this? I couldn’t find a picture to save my life, if someone gets one, email that ish to me. Those things were unbelievable. I would rock one now. So seriously, WHERE THEY AT (ANY)DAY?
JNCO Jeans
JNCO jeans were popular in the mid 90’s with the hardcore skater peeps. It was founded in 1985 and the name actually stands for “Judge None Choose One.” They first caught fire out in LA before spreading to the rest of the nation. They were especially known for their wide legs, some of which went over 50 inches. They can still be found in certain regions of the US at JC Penny, but no longer produce the wide-leg jeans they became “famous” for. As of early October 2009, their website was down and “under construction” to come back soon.
BIG DOGS Clothing
Just one of these pictures wasn’t enough. As you can see from the above examples, it’s quite possible that BIG DOGS clothing company makes the corniest shirts of all time. You can still find a few BIG DOGS outlets around, as they approach their 30 year anniversary. I have no idea who buys this stuff. I do know that as a child, blog contributor Sliz, had a brief modeling gig with them. Perhaps that’s when they went downhill. Who really knows? They do hold an annual parade for charity though, which is nice.
BIG JOHNSON SHIRTS
Ahhhh, the Big Johnson shirt. The Holy Grail of a Redneck Beach Bum. I couldn’t find hardly any information on these, just a ton of places to buy them. Apparently they are still quite popular. Am I missing something here?????
8 responses so far ↓
Big Soda // October 14, 2009 at 11:42 am
I’m very confused by the Big Johnson tagline, “We Make It Easy for You to Go Down.” Doesn’t that seem kinda contradictory to the Big Johnson claim?
sliz // October 14, 2009 at 12:54 pm
i was thinking the same thing as Soda – wouldn’t it be harder for someone to go down on a big johnson versus a small one? I can only offer some of my observations as backup, but from my perspective, whenever I’m getting domes, it definitely looks like the girl is doing work, and it doesn’t look easy.
of the 6 brands touched on in this post, I was a owner of items from 3 of them back in the day; I had a few ‘No Fear’ shirts – but those quickly got lame after 6th grade. Anyone remember the ‘No Rules’ counterpart? And yes, I was a Big Dogs model for a season (just one) and was given some schwagg; I think at one point I had a shirt, a pair of boxers and a pair of shorts. Most of their attire was targeted towards those ‘plus size’ dudes; and i was always a skinny kid so it didn’t really fit. I had a pair of black JNCO jeans that I got at goodwill and wore once (with an abercrombie sweater) and never again because of all the flak I got at school. Never owned ‘any Big Johnson’ or ‘Body Glove’ gear, but I was a Bugle Boy – ALL THE WAY. that shit was the jam. I seem to remember the color-changing shirts to have been produced by benneton, but maybe Body Glove had some too that I didnt know about.
two other brands that totally belong on this list – ‘Hang Ten’ and ‘Umbro’
The Mixtape Monster // October 14, 2009 at 1:07 pm
I also should have perhaps included the “____ is life….the rest is just details” bonanza.
Slizwald Murphy….smh at most of that comment.
Butta // October 14, 2009 at 2:25 pm
color changing shirts – are you talking about hypercolor
The Mixtape Monster // October 14, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Butta!!! I think so!! Winner Winner, I’m broke so pay for your own dinner!
benjibbles // October 14, 2009 at 3:47 pm
yeah i was husky as a kid and had a couple big dogs tshirts and i wore them.
as far as body glove, something else they are known for now is their cell phone accessories business. as a customer of their accessories gotta say they are real straight.
Team Pacquiao has got NO FEAR, Cotto better come correct.
The Mixtape Monster // November 5, 2009 at 11:06 am
Just remembered MOSSIMO! Do they still make shit?
benjibbles // November 5, 2009 at 11:52 am
Mossimo is sold through Target. They have gotten away from being sold in Skate/Surf shops and are just marketed now as teen designer clothing