Jameson Connects India Article - From punk passion to fashion, my memoirs with Dickies!

The year is 2000, you’re in school and you just discovered punk rock music! Growing up in the Northeast, you get exposed to style and fashion quite early on. It’s a sentiment shared by anyone familiar with the region and If you’ve been to the Northeast, you’d agree with me. There was a fellow student who stood out with his distinctive attire – cargo pants, a workwear jacket, and the quintessential Y2K accessory- a walkman, accompanying him to tuition. Intrigued by his punk aesthetic, I borrowed a Ramones cassette from him, and on another day, he sported a cool Dickies jacket reminiscent of what I had seen Sum 41 wear in one of their songs. I asked him where he bought the pants from to which he replied – Shillong!

Our winter vacations involved relatives visiting from the countryside, leading us to Shillong, approximately 100 km away for sightseeing. Every time we would visit Shillong, I would always be impressed at the way the youngsters styled themselves; the colorful hair, the baggy clothes, and the PUNK fashion!
Growing up, I had little pocket money, so I would diligently save up a good amount of money for this half-yearly excursion to cop some fresh fits and now I knew where to buy Dickies from!

For me, streetwear and sneakers have always been intertwined with music, and Dickies stands out as one of the early brands introduced to me through the punk music scene. Dickies is an American workwear brand that gained significant relevance and influence in street culture over the years. If you talk about 2000’s punk music, bands such as Blink 182, Bad Religion, and The Clash epitomized a cool style accentuated by Dickies as part of their rebellious and iconic look. The brand’s durability and utilitarian design resonated with punk musicians seeking practicality and a rebellious aesthetic.

I and my friend Andy – a breaker originally from Shillong, often talk about our childhood spent in the Northeast and how brands like Dickies played a role in shaping our self-expression through style. He thrifted his first Dickies crew neck from a local market when he was 13.

Another friend, Ambarin aka Am-B, one of the first women HipHop/Street dancers from India, grew up watching a lot of breakdancing and witnessed many breakers & poppers from U.S.A & Japan rocking Dickies and went hunting for her first Dickies piece – a pair of beige shorts, which she thrifted from Chor Bazaar.

Having been a part of the ‘streetwear and sneaker’ verse in India since 2016, I’ve witnessed its evolution from the ground up. Working at prominent retailers like VegNonVeg – India’s pioneering multi-brand sneaker retailer and Extra Butter – a 16-year-old New York-based multi-brand retailer, the first international multi-brand sneaker retailer to launch in India, I’ve observed a shift in consumer perspectives over the years. Beyond the pursuit of premium quality and experiences, consumers now yearn for a sense of community. As a result, brands are adapting by incorporating diverse perspectives and working with creators, establishing more authentic connections with their audience and engaging in collaborative ventures. One noteworthy collaboration from last year was between Jameson Connects and Dickies, titled ‘Crafted Together.’

‘Crafted Together’ is an interesting amalgamation of Dickies’ timeless workwear basics – reimagined with a more contemporary perspective through the lens of Jameson Connects. The collaborative pieces include workwear basics such as jackets, hoodies, t shirts and feature subtle yet beautiful logo plays, diverging from rapidly changing trends and embracing a more sustainable approach to style. I got my hands on a few pieces and my personal favorite has to be the boxy denim jacket. It embodies the essence of classic workwear while its boxy cut adds a contemporary touch, allowing for versatile styling and enabling me to approach my day with a sense of style. It’s very interesting that my fascination with a brand like Dickies, sparked by my admiration for Punk Rock music and seeing my favorite artists donning the brand, has transformed into a genuine interest in fashion!