Stussy
Shawn Stussy's surf-born streetwear original. The graffiti signature never changes, so the tag colour, the big-letter size circle, and country of make do the dating.
- Origin
- USA
- Founded
- 1980
- Category
- Athletic & Streetwear
- Documented eras
- 4
How Stussy labels evolved over time. Match the markers below against the tag in hand to place a garment in its era.
1980–1989
Rudimentary Black & Navy Tags
The first labels are rudimentary — black rectangles with only the logo; by the late 80s they turned navy and added a letter size, country of make and a care tag.
- The first-ever Stussy labels are unsurprisingly rudimentary considering the t-shirts started off as purely promotional for Shawn’s surf shop
- They are black rectangles with only the logo on them
- As the 1980s came to an end, the tags would be updated to a navy color
- And they included a letter size and country of manufacture
- It also added care instructions and composition to an additional tag
How to spot it
A plain black (early) or navy (late-80s) logo-only tag.
Value signal
Rare and collector-grade; 80s Stussy is the holy grail era.
1990–1999
Big-Letter Size Circle
Many 90s tags carried over the late-80s design — a large letter size in a circle is a strong vintage sign; tags grew more uniform as new product lines launched.
- Many of the tags from the 1990s carried over the design from the late 1980s
- This has led to the letter size being large in the circle being a good sign that Stussy is vintage
- The general structure of the tags was maintained, however, alternate versions with slightly different designs colors were used at the tim
- The tags would become a lot more uniform in their design over this period
- Similarly, to previous iterations, they would simply have the logo, size, and country of manufacture, with any further information on a separate tag
- Stussy also began expanding into new product lines which were reflected on some of the tags
How to spot it
A large letter size set in a circle.
Value signal
Strong; 90s Stussy is a cornerstone of streetwear resale.
2000–2009
Red-Letter Size Tags
The most common vintage tag debuted — logo with a big red size letter below; many pieces made in Mexico from US materials as production offshored.
- The most commonly seen vintage tag was introduced in the 2000s, which featured the logo with the sizing as a big red letter below it
- These items were often made in Mexico using US materials
- A lot of Stussy’s production moved offshore at this time
- Some of the tags started to be completely sewn in and would have sizing tabs attached beneath them
How to spot it
The logo above a large red size letter.
Value signal
Solid; 2000s Stussy has a steady streetwear following.
2010–2019
Smooth Black Modern Tags
Newer tags use a smoother black material carrying only size, country of make and occasionally the clothing line — easy to tell from vintage in hand.
- The newer tags became a smoother black material
- The only information they include is the size, country of manufacture and occasionally the line of clothing
- These tags can easily be distinguished from vintage tags due to their new feel and appearance when they’re in front of you
How to spot it
A smooth black tag with minimal text.
Value signal
Modern; priced on the piece.