![]() It was seen as “a way of asserting individuality by bucking authority” (a quote taken from page 257 of Stylin’: African American Expressive Culture, from Its Beginnings to the Zoot Suit by Shane White and Graham White). Worn in the World War II era, the zoot suit was a symbol of defiance in the face of government rationing. The zoot suit, which came into prominence during a series of riots in Los Angeles in 1943 (which were known as the Zoot Suit Riots), was described by a young Malcolm X as “a killer-diller coat with a drape-shape, reat-pleats and shoulders padded like a lunatic’s cell” (this quote comes from page 78 of Stuart Cosgrove’s “The Zoot-Suit and Style Warfare”). One notable example is that of NBA players wearing zoot suits. ![]() ![]() In fact, there are many examples that indicate that some African-American players were wearing clothing that had deeper meanings in the context of the African diaspora. That’s not to say, however, that players before the 2005-06 season did not dress with purpose. ![]() Since the NBA has implemented the dress code, its players have had no choice but to pay careful attention to what they put on their bodies. The NBA Dress Code brought the issue of race and fashion into the public eye, but the league’s African-American players recognized their sartorial predecessors well before 2005. ![]()
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