The Snow Beach jacket Raekwon wore in Wu-tang Clan’s 1994 video for ‘Can it all be so Simple’ is an illuminating sartorial moment in hip-hop history. Not only did the jacket itself become iconic and widely coveted, it solidified Raekwon’s position as a tastemaker in the world of street wear, spearheading a movement which extended Polo’s reach well beyond the country club.

To celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the release of his first solo album Only built 4 Cuban Linx (aka ‘the Purple Tape’), Raekwon has customised the legendary image into the ‘Linx Beach’ jacket. You might have seen it on the Chef himself at this year’s Coachella festival.

Despite strong visual links to the original, Rae is adamant he isn’t trying to rip-off a Ralph Lauren design, rather incorporating his own love of the label and his association with the jacket into the new piece. He told Complex: “Of course we know that’s the original, but I think people recognise that I made that jacket a little bit more explosive for Ralph Lauren…I wish we had a way to really communicate with them and just tell them thank you for adding onto the fashion world ’cause it’s clothes like that that gave us all the hope to become successful designers in our own way.”.

The jacket was also a wearable touchstone for the Lo-Life crew, a Brooklyn collective that developed a taste for Polo gear in the late ’80s into the ’90s and would steal and rep the brand in massive quantities.

The Linx beach interpretation of the jacket features an anti-abrasive overlay and Neoprene lined elbow pads, waterproof zippered hand and chest pockets as well as an external access kangaroo pouch and 3m reflective accents.

The jacket is being sold through Raekwon’s company CL95, priced at $599 and is available for pre-order now, with orders set to ship August 1.

[Via.]

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