Fresh kicks, hip-hop, and sweatshops, all part of what makes up American fashion.

The GOODS wanted to give readers the low-down on five Netflix documentaries (three films and two series) dealing with fashion. The good, the bad and the ugly are all on full display here, so grab your favorite snack, block off a few hours and get ready to see what goes on beyond the showroom.

Fresh Dressed

The story of hip-hop has been told many times but what often gets overlooked is the major role that clothing and personal style played in defining a genre and culture. From Run DMC rapping about Adidas to local New York and LA lines going mainstream, any lover of 80s and 90s rap and wear will enjoy this documentary. There are also definitions of urban wear terms.

A line that speaks to the social aspect of clothing comes from New York’s Shirt King Phade, whose cartoon character sweatshirts became a hit after LL Cool J wore one. Clothing can bring life and meaning to inner-city youth in search of something more.

“When times are bad, a lot of people tend to gravitate toward art. Art takes your mind to another place…Shirt Kings allowed me to not become something else.” – Shirt Kings Phade

The True Cost

What we see on the rack is an item of clothing and a price tag. We’re told behind the price tag is material and labor, but is that all? The True Cost looks into the dark world of sweatshops.

It’s taken for granted by major brands that the American consumer’s desire for cheap goods trumps their desire for a “just wage” for the producer. The 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy is featured, revealing the high cost of lives lost for cheap goods. The collapsed building resulting from compromised structural integrity claimed the lives of 1,134 persons.

What can be done to see justice in this area? What should be done? The True Cost gives viewers a chance to reassess justice is clothing production.

Sneakerheadz

Sneakerheadz dives into the world of the obsessed: Sneaker collectors with thousands of pairs of shoes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

 “One to rock, one to stock” is one the main philosophies held in this documentary, and the story behind the famous Nike Pigeon Dunk Lows might leave you questioning your own priorities. The main thing to take away from this one is once major brands in any business sector make special editions of something, you can be sure they’ll create or motivate a class of collectors.

Social Fabric

Designer Kyle Ng’s series takes the viewer around the world to see what makes different types of clothing distinct among different people. The series starts off with a quest to get to know jeans. Yes, jeans. There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to what makes a nice pair of jeans, and you’ll see the everyday wear and many other common clothing items in a new light after watching this series.

Abstract: The Art of Design

Abstract: The Art of Design is perfect for designers and artists. Clothing, graphic design, photography, and more. If it deals with art conception to production, it’s dealt with in this series.

Be sure to consider the social aspects detailed in each documentary. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

Before we close out this post, we’ll leave you with the words of Dapper Dan, the man who outfitted many of New York’s top rappers in the 90s. His mentality is one that GoodBoy Clothing shares. It’s about more than clothes, it’s about lifestyle.

“If I have a roll of fabric, that fabric is anything I want it to be. I just wanted to serve my community, I never would have realized the impact it would have had.” – Dapper Dan