World Hip Apparel

HIP may be just a three-letter word, but its etymology has had a profound impact on both pop and underground culture for over a century.

Think about it: hip-hop, hippie, hipster—all rooted in the word hip. Many scholars trace the origins of hip back to the Wolof language of West Africa, where the word hepi or hipi meant “to open one’s eyes” or “to be aware.” This concept of awareness or being “in the know” made its way into African American Vernacular English in the early 1900s.

By the 1930s and ’40s, hip had become a staple of African American slang, especially in the jazz scene. It was a badge of cultural fluency—if you were hip, you were cool, clued in, and ahead of the curve in music, fashion, and social awareness.

Since then, hip has evolved, fragmented, and reformed through countless subcultures—always circling back to the core idea of being attuned to what’s current, relevant, and real.