Bootleg Dipset Hoodie

Heavy cotton hoodie remade with a hand-drawn Diplomats eagle graphic using distressed puffy paint.

Category: Remade

File under: #Dipset, #HarlemRap, #BootlegMerch, #Early2000s

Description

Heavyweight cotton fleece hoodie reworked from a found garment. The front graphic reproduces the Diplomats eagle, drawn freehand using discarded post-consumer black puffy paint. The surface was sanded and washed repeatedly, reducing the graphic to a worn, uneven finish. Residual glitter remains embedded in the paint, dulled through abrasion and laundering.

Small holes in the body have been repaired using visible black stitching. The hoodie retains a boxy, heavy fit consistent with late-1990s and early-2000s skate and streetwear silhouettes. A hand-stitched Chains label is attached at the back of the hood.

Dipset—also known as The Diplomats—emerged in early-2000s Harlem during a period when regional rap scenes were closely tied to localized fashion economies. Official merchandise circulated alongside unauthorized street versions, with bootlegs functioning as parallel distribution rather than imitation. Logos, slogans, and symbols moved quickly through neighborhoods, concerts, and informal retail without centralized control.

Within Clearance Archive, the hoodie is situated as a record of informal circulation, where bootleg merchandise often preceded, outpaced, or outlasted official releases.