Protest Fashion: Tupac & Assata Shakur
Rebel does run in the family, Tupac was y2k before y2k, and other insights
You know what makes a fashion icon? Confidence. That one uniform piece that you can pull off better than anyone else. People copying you, and saying they dislike you at the same time. An icon grows with time, their fashion just keeps getting better and better. The fact that they have not only a good event style, but an even better street style. An icon IS the clothing, the clothing doesn’t wear them. And bonus points if they have radical beliefs. That’s Tupac.
The “Protest Fashion” series on my TikTok is by far my favorite series to be doing lately. It takes a little bit longer than my average content, which honestly is more meaningful to me anyway. I want to sit and think for a second. I want to do more personal research to share. As a trained librarian, it’s my favorite pastime! Or one of them. In 2025, I will be blogging twice a week for the whole year. This will be something I will be heavily focusing on in this platform, and it will be so fun!
Before I discuss Tupac, I waned to share Assata, Tupac’s Godmother. Assata Shakur’s biography is something that should be on every “it girl” holiday wishlist. If your list doesn’t include this, y’all… it’s not IT! If I can influence you in anyway, it would be to buy or check this book out from your library. Nothing I can say about her compares, although I did include my TikTok on her below. Please watch for my commentary on her and her style, now I will be diving into Tupac - but again, check out the book!!!
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I would say Tupac was one of the best dressed musicians of all time. This is a big statement, I know. But he influenced so much fashion at his time, and far after. Many designers wanted him to wear their clothes, he wore clothing in ways that was far ahead of the fashion trend timeline, and in general… his style was just advanced. You know you have an icon when everyone tries to copy you. That was Tupac. Oh, and he was super freaking radical.
If you didn’t know Tupac was radical, I would ask, have you ever listened to this music? He challenged America with his socialist ideas. Tupac had radicalism in the family. He was a member of the Baltimore Young Communist League. His mom was an early member of the Black Panther Party. His Godmother, Assta Shakur, was a member of the Black Liberation Army. He also had an interest in left political ideas and wanted to liberate black communities. He had a gift for acting, loved writing and reading, and was drawn to sharing about the construct of the prison system in the United States. He knew the class struggle. He wrote about it. He didn’t shy away from it with his fame.
The bandana. Part of the uniform. Tupac and his bandana were it. While his style did change over time, this was mainly always part of the look. With such an accessible piece, he was able to make all of his outfits look very Tupac - someone recently say on a comment on of my videos about personal style “personal style is how someone would draw a picture of you, how would they draw the clothes? That’s your personal style.” People would draw a bandana on Tupac, always .
The denim. The matching. The oversized. He could pull off that giant puffer jacket I’ve been seeing around TikTok. Hell, he would make it the trendiest item of the winter. I love how he was often so causal, in this era, and it was still such a look. My favorite looks are the ones where people could consider it “too causal” for an event.
The suits. Some people have a strong dislike for 1990’s suits, but I honestly love it. It’s so different than the 2000’s suits, where everything became more tight fitting, etc - we still see this today even though baggy has been more in. Here is he wearing Versace, and a large chain under the suit. This feels so 90s ofc, but it’s so Tupac.
Ok…. but stop. THIS LOOK. The jeans, like… where?! And how can I get these? The brown leather vest with the bandana. The Western elements here. I think this is my favorite look, maybe ever.
Tupac empowered many black designers, who watched Tupac move many spaces. He was not just a musician, but an activist, which we discussed earlier. An activist in many ones, and one way was through fashion and through the fashion industry. These brands needed a high profile supporter and Tupac was that. He did not charge Black businesses and artists to showcase their pieces. He said “I’m not going to charge you, you’re black. I don’t charge my people for nothin’.”
I was drawn to this photo of him in this velvet suit here. He really set a way for hip-hop musicians to be aligned with fashion, and really them leading the way for fashion trends and working with designers. While there is luxury in his pieces and looks, it’s not something that was needed to showcase his personal style. It was also a rebellion and a huge W for him creating that pavement of working with high-end fashion brands.
Fashion is rebellion, always showcasing and being seen in different ways throughout history. Tupac was an activist, a writer, and a powerful system of rebellion and authenticity of one’s self. He was y2k before y2k. He brought urban fashion to mainstream and he didn’t ever let his personal style go away.
Reading your blog while I’m in the bus on my way from work 💕 Thank you for this article