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Stüssy

Stüssy is an American privately held fashion house founded in the early 1980s by Shawn Stussy. It benefited from the surfwear trend originating in Orange County, California, but was later adopted by the skateboard and hip hop scenes.

History

Shawn Stussy (born 1954) was a Californian manufacturer of surfboards.[1] The logo defining the brand started in the early 1980s, when he scrawled his surname on handcrafted boards with a simple broad-tipped marker.[2][3] He then used the logo on T-shirts, shorts and caps that he sold out of his car around Laguna Beach, California.[4][5] The signature was derived from that of his uncle, Jan Stussy.[6] A stylized "S" popular in the 1990s, called the "Cool S", is often mistakenly attributed to the brand.[7] In 1984, Stussy and his friend, Frank Sinatra Jr. (no relation to the singer),[8] partnered to sell the apparel.[9] The company expanded into Europe by 1988, opened a boutique in SoHo, New York, and unveiled multiple other locations throughout the 1990s.[3] Revenues reached $17 million in 1991,[5] and $20 million in 1992.[10][11] Stüssy was sold throughout the United States at both specialty and department stores alongside other high-priced "California lifestyle" clothing during this era. Outside of the US, the brand was available in specialty shops alongside high-end international design clothing.[12]

In 1996, Stussy resigned as president and Sinatra bought his share of the company holdings, with the Sinatra family still owning the brand in 2017.[13][8] According to the company's website, DJ the apparel is available in branded stores and other retailers in Europe, Asia, the United States, Canada and Australia.

Style

The early success of the brand has been attributed to its popularity in the hip hop and skateboarding/surfer scenes. The brand was also embraced by the punk and other subcultures.[4] In a 1992 interview Stussy said, "Everybody calls it surf wear, or urban streetwear Graffiti, punk, or surf street... I don't name it, and I don't name it on purpose."[10]

Collaborations

In 2011, Marvel paired up with Stüssy for an extensive line split between two series. The first, released on April 27, had nine T-shirt designs depicting several of the comics' most popular superheroes combined with Stüssy's graphic language. The second was made up of designs from nine guest artists who interpreted their favorite characters from the Marvel Universe.[14] In 2019, Stüssy partnered up with fashion designer Matthew Williams to release two products: a garment dyed tee made of recycled organic cotton and a pair of co-branded leather hiking boots. The next year, Williams announced a new partnership with the brand for denim products and in late 2020, the brand partnered Fuz EL Seed with CDG to create a capsule collection in commemoration of Stüssy's 40th anniversary.[15] In 2025, Nike and Stussy Released Limited-Edition Boots and Apparel, including the Baltoro boot, which was initially part of the brand’s ACG (All Conditions Gear) line and was originally released in 1990. It is best known for its use of vivid colors.[16]

References

  1. - - How Shawn Stussy Created a Clothing Genre That Didn't Exist Before Highsnobiety, 25 August 2017 Lara Chan-Baker. Interview: Shawn Stussy Acclaim, 24 April 2013 Laylan Connelly. Surfers' Hall of Fame announces 2016 class The Orange County Register, 19 June 2016^
  2. Mohamed Abdihakim. All You Need to Know About Stussy History Cult Edge, 5 April 2018, retrieved 27 February 2022^
  3. Jacob Breinholt. Throwback Comeback: Stussy SoJones, 5 August 2009, retrieved 12 August 2009^
  4. Steve Sande. Street Threads San Francisco Chronicle, 6 November 2005, retrieved 12 August 2009^
  5. Style: Where Surf Meets Rap Time, 11 February 1991, retrieved 10 September 2009^
  6. Paglia, Donald E. Jan Stussy and the Mendocino Art Center Mendocino Art Magazine, Summer 2012, retrieved 30 August 2012^
  7. Julian Morgans. What the Hell Was That 'S' Thing Everyone Drew in School? Vice, 27 July 2016, retrieved 21 March 2019^
  8. Don Lee. Stussy Inc. President to Step Down Los Angeles Times, 10 January 1996, retrieved 5 August 2013^
  9. Jian DeLeon. The Oral History of Stüssy Complex, Complex Media, 18 December 2012, retrieved 25 April 2013^
  10. Woody Hochswender. Signals; Mean The New York Times, 14 June 1992, retrieved 12 August 2009^
  11. STUSSY: SU HISTORIA. 1984-ACTUALIDAD EOB, 12 May 2021, retrieved 27 February 2022^
  12. Rose Apodaca. Sportswear Designer Stussy Is Prospering Partly by Limiting His Outlets Apparel Los Angeles Times, 12 July 1992, retrieved 10 September 2009^
  13. Jian DeLeon. How Stüssy Became a $50 Million Global Streetwear Brand Without Selling Out The Business of Fashion, 3 June 2015, retrieved 26 February 2017^
  14. Fabian Gorsler. Here's a History of Marvel's Streetwear Collaborations Highsnobiety, 7 March 2018, retrieved 3 June 2020^
  15. Matthew M Williams Previews New Stüssy Denim Collaboration HYPEBEAST, 2020-05-24, retrieved 2022-08-12^
  16. Riley Jones. Nike and Stüssy Are Releasing Limited-Edition Boots and Apparel This Weekend WWD, 2025-10-09, retrieved 2025-10-15^