How Tyler The Creator’s GOLF Line Changed the Face of Streetwear

Hip-hop has always had a uniform, in one way or another. Different versions of rap’s aesthetic have been locked away in the popular consciousness for far longer than the trends themselves have been adopted by fans of the genre in real life.

Picture a rapper in your head. Maybe you picture an 80s b-boy, in a Kangol hat and Adidas tracksuit. Maybe your picture of a rap star is baggy jeans that fall just below the waist, paired with a T-shirt and Timberland boots. Or maybe they are more modern, dressed in contemporary fashion, with colorful braids and facial piercings.

The point is, there’s always been a “look” — until someone comes along to disrupt the status quo. The disruptor of this generation is Tyler The Creator, who has defied rap’s sartorial conventions — and everything else about contemporary hip-hop culture — from the moment he and Odd Future burst onto the scene to now, when his GOLF clothing line has redefined hip-hop looks for a much more stylish group of rebels.

GOLF—also known as “Golf Wang,” a twist on “Wolf Gang,” part of Odd Future’s provocative motto—stands out from the usual streetwear mainstays by focusing on clean basics and classic elements, often in pastel colors or casual patterns that suggest retro casual styles without being stuck in outdated style patterns. The looks draw inspiration from the way Tyler dresses, and are often even directly designed by the immensely talented rapper and producer.

The resulting styles stand out against the perceived studied shagginess of hip-hop fashion, no matter what era you compare it to. Instead of baggy hoodies, GOLF devotees are donning button-down cardigans in classic hunting dog prints that look like the wearer has been draped in a painting straight off the wall of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The GOLF’s popularity has manifested—and spread, like a perpetual motion engine—into further collaborations with brands that influenced it, like Lacoste and Levi Strauss & Co., as well as streetwear heavyweights like Converse, Vans, and Japanese sandal brand SUICOKE. Such is the demand for Tyler’s signature eye for established silhouettes with whimsical detailing that GOLF was spun off in 2016 to offer higher-end products; in 2021, it was spun off as a separate luxury brand.

The brand also updates genre staples, cleverly nodding to the Golden Age while also updating long-standing mainstays with a youthful twist. For example, perhaps no one defines hip-hop more accurately than Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah, and Staten Island’s signature style has always been the Clarks Wallabees. GOLF has teamed up with the 200-year-old shoemaker to create a whimsical take on its classic loafer, with soft pastels and embossed heart patterns.

It’s a reflection of their creator — pun intended — who has long drawn from the history and core principles of hip-hop while infusing them with his own twisted sense of humor and whimsy. Take, for example, the presentation of his latest album, Call me if you get lost. Although presented as a hardcore project in the style of DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz mixtapes, musically it also draws from the light ’60s style of big band jazz that modern audiences best associate with the soundtrack of the 007 spoof series Austin Powers.

Tyler often quotes BET matches such as: Rap City AND 106 and Park as major influences, but also openly admits to mocking their version of hip-hop, if not outright rejecting the archetypes presented to him on BET as a child. And why wouldn’t he? If you know you’re not 50 Cent, Fat Joe, or Jay-Z, you have two options: Either try to be them, or become someone else.

Growing up in Los Angeles County, as Tyler did, the opportunities would have been even more limited. After all, the closest thing to a permanent presence on mainstream West Coast radio and television in the early 2000s was The Game, who was vocal about his gang affiliations—something that’s almost as dangerous to emulate in Los Angeles as it is to embrace. So Tyler, who found solace in the skate culture and burgeoning fashion scene in Fairfax, decided to do things his own way.

These days, to go to one of Tyler’s concerts or his favorite music festival, Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, you have to go to a GOLF fashion convention, with thousands of young rap fans dressed in florals and pastels, when the usual rap uniform might consist of classic basketball jerseys or crisp Dickies work pants and plaid button-downs. GOLF’s designs are a touch chic but down-to-earth, like the Creator himself, who often eschews the trappings of the rapper’s wealth—big, shiny chains and flashy, designer style—in favor of comfortable clothes he could be seen in while riding his bike down Fairfax.

That ingenuity and stubborn individuality ultimately paid off, both in Odd Future’s musical success and in the reigning popularity of his GOLF brand—which, ironically, centers around his flagship store on Fairfax Ave, the strip’s centerpiece, where he began his rebellious journey of self-definition. The fact that GOLF has so many fans around the world is a testament to how relatable this story was.