Tribal and the Cultural Legacy of Streetwear G. James Daichendt (Point Loma Nazarene University) 9781789388084

Tribal Streetwear is lifestyle streetwear brand that seeks to represent a variety of southern California sub-cultures that includes graffiti, street art, skateboarding, surfing, tattoos, hip hop, breakdancing, punk, lowriders, and custom culture. Based in San Diego, California, Tribal has strong Chicano roots in its aesthetic and spans the globe with retail stores on several continents.

The text presents a series of articles, essays, and personal reflections that explore the various dimensions of Tribal Streetwear, and how the impact of their designs continues to balance the precarious act of being relevant and responsible with their resources.

The book is divided into four sections.

Section 1 features essays that set a context for the text. This includes a history of Tribal and where it fits within the history of streetwear, a personal narrative of the founding of Tribal, and lastly an essay on the uniqueness of southern California aesthetics and the fascination with this southern California inspired fashion.

Section 2 is a series of interviews with notable artists, musicians, and cultural tastemakers that have contributed toward street culture and Tribal. These include Mr. Cartoon (tattoo artist), RISK (graffiti artist), PERSUE (street artists), Mike Giant (tattoo artist), Dyse One (graffiti artist), Craig Craig Stecyk III (skateboard culture), Bob Hurley (surf culture), and the Beastie Boys (hip hop).

Section 3 includes a series of invited and peer-reviewed academic articles on distinct subjects within the street culture genre that further dive into the inputs and influences of Tribal Streetwear. They include breakdancing, surfing, skateboarding, graffiti, street art, tattooing, music (hip-hop/punk), lowriders, custom culture, and Chicano Studies.

Section 4 is a series of photo essays that capture the three decades of Tribal Streetwear and serves as a visual history of the brand and the evolution of its graphics.

G. James Daichendt is an art critic, curator, and art historian that serves as Vice-Provost, Dean of the Colleges, and Professor of Art History at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. Jim is the founding editor of the academic journal, Visual Inquiry: Learning and Teaching Art and author of several books He most recently co-curated Street Legacy: SoCal Style Masters at the California Center for Arts Museum (2022) and Sidewalk Activism at the Oceanside Museum of Art (2020). Jim is the recipient of a 2021 Lifetime Achievement award from the Office of the President of the United States for his service to the arts community and holds two master's degrees and a doctorate from Harvard, Boston, and Columbia universities.