Allen Iverson’s Impact on Fashion
Born in Hampton, VA, A.I’s come up wasn’t that of your typical high school athlete. After having a 15-year sentence overturned in ’93 due to racial bias, the heavily publicised case brought to light the injustices in Virginia.
Recruited by the Georgetown Hoyas shortly after his release and following 2 successful seasons at college, he became NBA’s 1st draft pick in ’96. The same season winning rookie of the year and subsequently signing a 10-year deal with Reebok. A.I was named MVP in ’01 and with that accolade inked a new sneaker deal earning him $800k a year, for life. Reebok CEO, stated he doesn’t regret it and recognises his cultural impact.
From getting his hair braided mid-game to rocking over-sized tracksuits and big ice, The Answer brought a no f**ks given attitude and gifted us a lifelong meme — “PRACTISE?”. His ability to bridge the gap between the counter-culture of hip-hop and the family-friendly arena of sport put him at the forefront of popular culture in the ‘00s.
Former NBA commissioner David Stern implemented a strict dress code in ’05 which banned certain articles of clothing like du-rags and jewellery. This was merely a guise to demonstrate action after being pressed to clear up the league's image following the notorious Malice in the Palace brawl.
His love for hip-hop wasn’t exclusive to the court, from releasing his first-and-only single, ’40 Bars’ under his pseudonym ‘Jewlez’ to enlisting Jadakiss in the commercial for his A5 and A6 sneakers, Iverson was never too far from the industry. Even whilst being inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in ’16, A.I thanked several artists for providing the soundtrack to his career.
A.I has always emphasised the importance of the right to self-expression, taking a stand against a flawed system that disapproved of his individualism. Jerry Lorenzo channels his inner-Iverson for his latest editorial — recreating sports-photographer Gary Land’s iconic shots of the star. Wanting to shed light on the cultural significance of the 76ers MVP, Lorenzo echoes design influence from Iverson’s ‘Answer IV’ in his newest Nike Air Fear of God 1 “The Question”.
Written by Ali Twice for @originalshift
