By Catherine Swartbooi
The puffer jacket was a staple of hip-hop culture in the 90s, with rap legends drawn to its bulky silhouette. Missy took it Under Construction in 92, Bodega Bamz into "93 with the First Down bubble" on the Spanish Harlem native's Navy.
"I used to have the trey deuce and a deuce deuce in my bubblegoose," Notorious B.I.G. rapped on Party & Bullshit in 93, referring to the bubble-like exterior and goose down insulation of his favourite jacket. Helly Hanson, Moncler, and Tommy Hilfiger were equally iconic brands of the era.
But alas, fashion trends fade. Hip hop legends die, and a new wave of creatives take over as your parents packed away their puffers, fanny packs and pagers and swopped them in for newer fashions. And, the puffer once again faded back into the ski resort shops and horribly coordinated family camping gear.
The renaissance of 90’s fashion trends has staples such as the choker, mom jeans and dad jeans. But the undeniable hero of the revival is the puffer jacket. With designers and fashion houses such as Rick Owens, Miu Miu, Balenciaga and Givenchy debuting their own versions of the jacket. The puffer is bolder, brighter and is making money moves, a true representation of the generation it’s infiltrating.
The gender neutral, sleeping bag style puffer jacket has been a street-style assist. Fashion heavy-weights such as Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Asap Rocky are often seen clad in the jacket. This look has transcended onto our campus as many students have adapted the puffer jacket to fit their own unique style, subtly maintaining its influence in past, present and future, but for how much longer?