26 Rad Fashion Brands from the Nineties - 90s Fashion World (2024)

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Last Updated on December 29, 2022

I was a child during the 90s, and if you are here, chances are so were you. So, let me ask you something… When I look back on the 90s and think about what brands I was wearing, sometimes I draw a blank.

Does it happen to you too?

That said, as soon as I start scrolling down a list of 90s clothing it all comes rushing back and I get super nostalgic!

I mean, we all had favorite brands, and you-wouldn’t-caught-me-dead-in-that brands, right? Let’s go down memory lane together and do a quick recap of the top 26 90s brands!

#1 Birkenstock

What it’s known for: shoes

Your dad’s fave shoes are back in style, and they’ve come back with a vengeance. In keeping with the ugly shoe trend, it was only a matter of time until Birks were gonna come back. Love them or hate them, they were big back in the 90s and they’re really in fashion again.

Look, let’s not beat around the bush, here – they’re ugly af. But they are also obscenely comfortable, and people seem to wear them with pretty much anything. You don’t have to go all 90s normcore with white socks, if you don’t want to. I’m not, but I can respect a comfortable shoe, because my feet and knees have given up in my old age.

Verdict: HOT

Read: Complete Guide To All Birkenstock Sandal Styles (For Every Personality)

#2 Juicy Couture

What it’s known for: tracksuits

Is there anything in the world that is more 90s than Juicy Couture velour tracksuits? It’s the most Regina George’s Mom thing ever – the pink tracksuit that’s too tight, but looks sooo plushy and comfy. Is it tacky? Of course it is, it’s a pair of pants that says JUICY on your butt. It was tacky in the 90s and it’s even tackier now.

But there’s such a sense of nostalgia about them that you can’t really blame their resurgence. Be honest for a second, here – haven’t you missed them, even a little bit? Truthfully, I’ve never worn them, but seeing others wearing them is always a ranging good time. Especially if they’re paired with Uggs. I think the Juicy stuff can stay.

Verdict: Undecided, TBH

Read: 10 Things You Should Never Do With Tracksuits

#3 GAP

What it’s known for: clothes

GAP was THE place to get your clothes back then, especially as a kid or teen. They had everything, and it wasn’t uber pricy, so filthy commoners like you and me stood a chance in hell of being sorta well-dressed and cool.

Sure, it wasn’t the most “out there” brand in terms of styles, but that meant that you could get away with wearing their stuff in a lot of different contexts or for several years. Changing your clothes with the latest fashion tide gets exhausting, man.

Unfortunately, GAP gets a bit of a reputation for being boring, so it looks like it won’t join us in 2019 as one of those brands that cycled right back to being cool again. Sorry, GAP – it’s not you, it’s me.

Verdict: NOT

Read:

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#4 Reebok

What it’s known for: shoes, sportswear

If you’ve been reading our website for a while, you know that I am no sportswear expert. I don’t really know what everything is, or why, but I do know fashion, and Reebok was the absolute fashionable brand back in the day, up there with Kappa, Adidas, FUBU, and a few others. We’ll get to some of those, too, be patient.

I can’t deny Rebook’s resurgence. People have gone back to wearing their shoes and even tracksuits and stuff. The Hadid sisters and the Jenner sisters are big reps for the sports brands, so if you’re ever wondering which ones are “cool” again, just take a look at what they’re wearing and try not to weep at how much better they look than all of us ever will.

Verdict: HOT

#5 Fiorucci

What it’s known for: being better than you

You’ve surely heard of Fiorucci, and if you can’t quite place the name, I’ll give you a hint: it’s the one with the cherubs. It’s cute, certainly, and it’s another Italian brand – the 90s were ALL about that Italian fashion – but it’s very far from what Versace is and was.

Fiorucci feels way “younger”, more hip, and more playful. Cute sundresses, adorable prints, and youthful styles characterized Fiorucci, so they’re deffo geared towards teens and sh*t. You can actually find them on ASOS now, I believe, so that tells you all you need to know in terms of target audience, price point, and overall style.

That also tells us something else – Fiorucci is cool again, and people are fighting over getting their hands on a piece or two.

Verdict: HOT

#6 Tommy Hilfiger

What it’s known for: clothes

Tommy Hilfiger was where it was AT for supermodels of all varieties. The white, red, and blue fashions of Tommy Hilfiger dressed many a supermodel back in the 90s, and a lot more cheap, supermodel-wannabes like me and you.

They’re enjoying a resurgence right now – both supermodels and Tommy Hilfiger – so if you want to break out the expensive turtleneck sweater you’ve been keeping in the back of the closet for 20 years, this is the time to do it.

If the color-block sweaters are too much for you, my boy Tommy also makes some cute shoes, especially wedge sandals. They’ve got a very nautical, I’m-too-rich-for-this aesthetic, and that seems to be something people are all about these days.

Verdict: HOT

Check Out: 5 Brands Like Tommy Hilfiger (For All Budgets)

#7 Diesel

What it’s known for: jeans

If you didn’t have Diesel jeans back then, you were a loser. It’s not me saying that, it’s everyone who’s ever bullied me, because let’s face it – I couldn’t freaking afford Diesel jeans. Hell, I can’t even afford them now.

The brand’s always been synonymous with the ~cool~ kids, so not just anyone wore them. I’m sure you at least remember the ads for Diesel, they were peak aspirational back then.

You can update the look nowadays with a jeans jacket or maybe a skirt, because yes, ladies and gentlemen, jean skirts are back to being fashionable. I was surprised, too.

Verdict: HOTCheck Out:5 Brands You’ll Love if You’re a Diesel Fan

#8 Versace

What it’s known for: aspirational tackiness

Versace’s always been…extra. I mean, they’re Italian, what did you expect? They love the golden bling, too much tanning, and more is always more. Their gold, over-the-top, baroque and verging on tacky designs were peak fashion in the 90s, but then they slowed their roll when minimalism, neutrals, and normcore came in. BORING!

Now, they are mercifully back and the cool girls are wearing Versace again, right alongside their tacky Gucci logos and everything. Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that it’s such a freaking LOOK, so I’m kinda glad it’s back, tbh. Keeps things interesting in the midst of all the beige linen sacks.

Verdict: HOT

#9 Coach

What it’s known for: bags

Were you even a human person in the 90s if you didn’t have a Coach bag? Okay, so maybe they were never the uber luxurious designer bags some of us coveted, but they were a very good “entry-level fancy bag” resource. Everyone who was anyone had a Coach bag, even if they had to beg, borrow, or steal it.

Otherwise, you were relegated to carrying the dreaded no-name bag to school, or even worse, an actual backpack. Nowadays, Coach bags are more of a TKMaxx thing, so not that elite, but they’ve been gaining popularity again, as Millennials have been searching for “affordable” luxury, because we’re all freaking broke. Not cute.

Verdict: NOT

Read:

Coach, A Brand with a Rich History (But Are They Any Good?)

10 Designer 90s Bags That Give Carrie Bradshaw a Run for Her Money

#10 Delia’s

What it’s known for: cool clothes for teens

We all loved Delia’s when we were in middle school, don’t lie to me. You could get all the best fashions and be the coolest girl in school. Or so we thought. Now that we look back at it, it may not have been the height of elegance, but the short, tight mini dresses, the platform sneakers, and the chockers sure seemed like they would last forever.

And they have, in a way. Sure, Delia’s went away for a while, there, but it’s back with a vengeance. Now, whether we’ll be going back or not is to be seen. They say that if you wore it the first time round, you’re too old to wear it again. I just wish no one would ever wear fannypacks (bumbags?) again, but that may be too much to ask.

Verdict: HOT

#11 JNCO

What it’s known for: extreme flair jeans

Who doesn’t remember the JNCO jeans? They were INSANE. And impractical. And ridiculous. And the coolest ever, TBH. Do you remember how cool you felt in your absurdly wide leg jeans? Cause I sort of do, and while the pictures make me full body cringe now, I’ll always remember that feeling.

Of course, pulling them off as an adult may be a tad more difficult. I can’t imagine going into the office wearing those would impress many HR departments, but there’s always the club, right? I don’t know if any of you guys will go for buying these again, but I probably won’t. Although I do have some very similar culottes…

Verdict: HOT

Read: How To Wear Flared Jeans In 2020

#12 Champion

What it’s known for: sportswear

Man, the 90s sure loved a lot of freaking sportswear. Champion was deffo one of those ~cool~ ones that were like, aggressively branded. You know those sweatshirts that had the name of the brand written in huge bold letters? Champion was like that. And why wouldn’t it be?

It was cool and expensive, and people who wore it wanted you to know that they were cool and expensive. Makes sense, right? Is it still around? There are rumblings, but I’m not entirely convinced it can go back to its former glory.

The way you’d style these would be with your poshest pair of blue jeans and your whitest trainers. Probably with straight, blonde hair, too. If you didn’t have it, you bleached the hell out of it. Brown hair was unacceptable, unless you were like, unbelievably gorgeous.

Verdict: Undecided

Check out: Champion Has Seen A Resurgence in Popularity: But Is It a Good Brand?

#13 FUBU

What it’s known for: urban styles

FUBU was the ultimate brand for rappers and rapper wannabes alike. If you can dig up any photos from that era, you’ll find LL Cool J sporting that stuff, and probably everyone else, too. Founded by Daymond John (middle name Garfield LMAO), he really hit the jackpot there in terms of having the right idea, at the right time, and putting it in practice.

Rappers were all the rage in that era, and this company made the transition from the iconic “street” clothes they wore to fashion. You know, it’s like on Project Runway or whatever: street clothes, but make it fashion!

Anyway, anyone who was anyone was wearing this stuff, including us and our peers, although I’m pretty sure what I wore were bootlegs. Soz!

Nowadays, that cool factor just doesn’t translate anymore, and as fashion involved and street style has become its own beast, FUBU just isn’t making enough of a splash to be noticeable.

Verdict: NOT

#14 Calvin Klein

What it’s known for: super hot supermodels

For a while there, Calvin Klein was only around because it was making underwear, but before that, look out – CK was a household name and they made everything, from underwear to jeans, and it was all way too cool for us, mortals.

Calvin Klein was the brand supermodels wore and repped even in their downtime – you know, the whole model-off-duty thing – so it’s no wonder it enjoyed monstrous popularity. And why wouldn’t it? Their designs were simple, flattering, and they looked great on hot people. Just what every fashion brand is trying to be, right?

Verdict: HOT

Read: Why We LOVE Calvin Klein (And Why You Will Too)

#15 Nike

What it’s known for: sportswear, mainly shoes

Some would argue that Nike never really went anywhere, so it’s not like they’re some long forgotten 90s brand. They were, however, at the height of their popularity back then (mostly because of the athletic trend that was everywhere), and while they’ve been around since then, it’s only recently that they came back hard into the mainstream.

The thing with Nike is that it’s such a household brand, that it’s always going to be around, you’ll always know it’s good quality, and their designs are kind of classic, so you can’t look “SOOO 90s” if you wear your Nikes. That tick will forever be iconic, so they can pry our Nikes from our cold, dead hands.

Verdict: HOT

Check Out: 5 Brands That are Surprisingly Similar to Nike

#16 Baby Phat

What it’s known for: tacky…everything

You know when you look at something and just instantly KNOW that it belongs in the 90s? And should stay there? Preferably forever? That’s Baby Phat. Baby Phat is an off-shoot of Phat Farm, Russel Simmons’ fashion brand. It addressed women and it was fronted by Russel’s better (and much more attractive) half, Kimora Lee Simmons.

Baby Phat had a moment, there, but aside from that truly horrendous name, it also was sooo 90s and tacky, that it didn’t really survive the change of tide the way other brands did. And thank god for that. May it rest in peace.

Verdict: NOT

Read: 90s Hip Hop Fashion Guide: Outfits, Brands, and Trends (Women’s Edition)

#17 Dr. Martens

What it’s known for: boots

If you were a grunge kid in the 90s, you’re surely familiar with Docs. They were the ONLY boots made for stomping, if you were with the goth kids. Or if you wanted to be with them.

It was a street cred thing. People also SWEAR they eventually become comfortable, but I have yet to see it and remain skeptical. The vast amounts of brand new Docs abandoned in charity shops because the owner couldn’t break them in without massive amounts of pain paint a vicious, unflattering picture.

But even considering all that, they will still forever be the coolest, baddest missy of the shoe world, and they come in soooo many different styles and colors that it’s impossible to not find a pair you like.

Verdict: HOT

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#18. Pepe Jeans

What it’s known for: Jeans and urban clothing

Pepe’s were hawt. There was absolutely no doubt about it, the older kids in the in-crowd wore them and the rest of us craved them!

The brand came out of the UK and established itself at the forefront of the denim world as a fashion staple of the 90s. They owed their popularity to the sexy advertisem*nts that toed the line of mischief and were edgy enough to appeal to the younger generations without putting off suburban parents.

Thanks to mom and dad’s approval, Pepe Jeans were everywhere you looked!

Verdict: Hot

Read: Undeniable Proof that Men’s 90s Jeans are Here to Stay

#19. Billabong

What it’s known for: Surfwear

Oh yes, surfing was definitely the bomb during the 90s. And Billabong was the brand to wear, be it on a surfboard or goofing around on the beach.

Every Australian surfer that was anyone was rocking their products, so it was only logical that when surfers conquered pop culture they made us all die-hard fans of little shell necklaces and we all got a t-shirt or two… or board shorts… or swimsuits!

Their designs were trippy and a bit riskier than say, their Quicksilver competitors. However, I must confess they didn’t really rock my boat.

Verdict: Undecided

#20. Guess

What it’s known for: Denim and sexy clothing

Guess ads rocked the walls of more than one kid I knew back during the 90s, they were that hot!

Their ads went for the jugular with their over-sexualized denim campaigns where hot models frolicked around on retro cars in the middle of the desert, their Texan boots adding an edge to denim-clad booties and prairie dresses. The heat was tangible!

Rocking Guess meant you might have a chance of scoring the hot lad on the dance floor. And that alone meant paying the price was worth it.

Verdict: Hot

Read:

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#21. Quiksilver

What it’s known for: T-shirts and bathing shorts

Surfing and skating were cool incarnate during the 90s, and any brand that top-tier athletes touched was proverbial gold.

If you wanted to look like a surfer, whether the sea called out your name for real or you were just looking the part, you would eventually find yourself wearing Quicksilver.

Scrawny or plump, sporty or not… You might have absolutely no flowing water near your home and still end up looking the part, such was the force of the brand! It literally swept you away in its wave! (Yes, bad pun intended).

Verdict: Hot

Check Out: 13 Gnarly Skateboard Brands from the 90s

#22. The North Face

What it’s known for: Outerwear and down jackets

Being young is braving the cold! Or so I have found out in my older years. Back then, if you wanted to score, you had to look your best, even if that meant dancing with hypothermia.

The only other choice was to play it cool with your North Face jacket. Maybe that’s one of the reasons it got so popular so fast, we were all damn tired of chittering our teeth away! No one really cared that the gear was intended for hiking and outdoor life. If it was good to climb mount Everest it was damn good to go clubbing, I guess!

The brand managed to rule every outerwear trend that the 90s produced, be it puffy down jackets, color-blocked parks, or technical snorkels.

Verdict: Hot

Read: 11 Best Puffer Jackets for Women for this Year

#23. Supreme

What it’s known for: Logo clothing

I hated Supreme back in the day. (Who didn’t…)

The brand was snobby and underground, and it was exclusive AF (and it still is!). I mean, looking back we probably all hated it because almost no one got to wear it and those that did, well, they generated enough envy to last them a lifetime of bad juju.

Still, Supreme managed to build a lasting following that has lasted up to this day. It connected with hip-hop figures that carried it all the way to the peak into the super hyped era of the logo.

Verdict: Not

Check Out: Top 9 Streetwear Brands (Alternatives to Supreme)

#24. Comme des Garçons

What it’s known for: Avant-garde clothing

Quirky and experimental, Comme des Garçons was a brand that no one really saw in their day-to-day life. It was the stuff of legends, glimpsed on eccentric stars on the red carpet and murmured about when spotted on a magazine cover.

It certainly wasn’t for everyone and I almost didn’t include it here. I mean, who am I kidding? It was so far out of my scope at that moment that I might have picked up one of its tent-like t-shirts and discarded it as defective.

Still, one can only recognize the impact it had on fashion then and the power it still excerpts now.

Verdict: Not

#25. Ralph Lauren

What it’s known for: Menswear and preppy clothing

We couldn’t skip over the king of menswear and preppy clothing and go to bed with our conscience clean!

Ralph Lauren held court during the 90s and everyone (and I do mean everyone!) owned at least one Polo shirt. Some of those were actually cheap Chinese knockoffs, but they worked just as well when you couldn’t splurge on the real deal.

Besides creating the American classic aesthetic, Ralph Lauren ushered in an era of sporty glamour that infected all walks of life and lasted to this day.

Verdict: Hot

Read: 24 Preppy Clothing Brands that Ooze Sophistication

#26. Timberland

What it’s known for: Cottagecore clothing (before cottagecore was a thing!)

Timberland was the great equalizer of the 90s decade. You could wear it for work, to brave terrible weather, or simply to look ruggedly good.

Originally a workwear brand, it transformed so fast into a must-have item that almost no one still remembers its lowborn origins. It soared so fast on hip-hop singers feet that it must have suffered from whiplash!

To quote Biggie’s rhyme, “Timbs for my hooligans in Brooklyn,” and we all just got a pair!

Verdict: Hot

Check Out: Men’s Style Guide: What to Wear with Timberlands

Look, I ain’t saying these are the ONLY 90s brands or all of them or anything like that. These are just some of the most well-known, the most iconic, and at times, the most ridiculous.

Some of these have lasted over the years (Nike, anyone?), some of them are enjoying a resurgence (like Versace), and some of them have fallen off the wagon, never to be seen again (Ooops, Baby Phat).

Good riddance, tbh. Was that too bitchy? That was too bitchy. Pray that Kimora Lee Simmons doesn’t come after me or like, slaps me with a cease and desist or something.

Check out:

Battle of the Models: Timberland 6-inch Basic vs. Premium