Fresh Dressed

Midway through, the narrative gets a little bogged down in the details of retail; still, Fresh is a colorful, comprehensive trip.

Much of this film is told through interviews: Mr. Kani is fascinating and also funny; Mr. Combs is cocksure; and Kanye West is appealingly hyper. (“Being fresh is more important than having money!”) The film is rounded out with great archival footage and, especially in the first half of the film, excellent cartoons by Hectah Arias.

The film doesn’t always dig deeply, glossing over why certain trends have emerged. And some of the interviews don’t add much to the movie beyond star power. Fresh Dressed nevertheless offers an original and worthwhile look at the history of hip-hop style. And the soundtrack doesn’t hurt either.

Fashion is about that clash between commercialism and individuality — how can I stand out while fitting in? — and Sacha Jenkins's streetwear doc Fresh Dressed nods its Kangol hat to that irony.

It’s about just about everything, so while the subject might seem niche it’s actually so broad and expansive the film strains to cover it properly in a trim 82 minutes.

The rise, fall and mainstreaming of hip hop fashion is explored in Sacha Jenkins’ Fresh Dressed, a documentary that visits an under explored corner of rap music history.

It’s fun to watch the decades go by and the fashions change, but though Fresh Dressed takes its subject seriously, it ends up feeling superficial.