It started with baggy jeans and a blunt in a music video. Today, it’s $300 hoodies, runway collections, and global luxury campaigns. Cannabis didn’t just enter pop culture. It became one of its defining forces. From streetwear icons to legacy hip-hop artists, cannabis has shifted from counterculture to culture itself. Nowhere is that more obvious than in the way we dress, design, and consume media.
From the smoke-filled green rooms of 1990s rap sets to the Instagram feeds of today’s fashion influencers, cannabis has been at the core of a cultural revolution. As the plant gained mainstream momentum, it brought its aesthetic with it. The hazy mystique of weed, once seen as rebellious, now defines the look and feel of modern fashion and streetwear.
So what happened? How did a plant once relegated to stoner jokes and anti-drug PSAs become the inspiration behind some of the world’s most influential brands?
The Rise of Cannabis in Hip-Hop Style
Cannabis and hip-hop have always shared DNA. From the earliest days of the genre, rappers embraced weed as a symbol of defiance, creativity, and freedom. But it wasn’t just about lyrics. It showed up in the clothes too. Oversized hoodies, varsity jackets, and cargo pants became a kind of unofficial stoner uniform.
In the 1990s, Snoop Dogg and Cypress Hill openly smoked weed in videos and concerts, creating a visual identity around the plant. It was not subtle. The style was loud, unapologetic, and proudly green. Album art featured clouds of smoke, and leaf-emblazoned merch flew off the shelves at concerts and in record stores.
As hip-hop grew into a commercial powerhouse, so did the fashion it inspired. Brands like Sean John, Rocawear, and Phat Farm capitalized on the cannabis-adjacent aesthetic. Loose silhouettes, camo prints, and accessories like beanies and rolling trays became not just part of the scene but a statement.
Weed, Skate Culture, and the Birth of Streetwear
While hip-hop was spreading cannabis culture through lyrics and attitude, skateboarding was doing it through rebellion. Skaters in Southern California and New York were just as vocal about their love for weed, and their style helped birth what we now call streetwear.
Early brands like Supreme, HUF, and Stüssy often included nods to cannabis in their designs. Whether it was a discrete embroidered leaf or slogans like “Highest Standards,” the message was clear. Weed wasn’t a phase. It was a lifestyle.
These brands didn’t just tolerate cannabis. They used it to build community. Drops were timed around 4/20. Collaborations with head shops and glass artists became common. As streetwear expanded from underground skateparks to Soho boutiques, cannabis came along for the ride.
The Mainstream Flip: High Fashion Gets High
When weed made its way into high fashion, the game changed. No longer confined to back alleys or music festivals, cannabis imagery was suddenly on the runways of Paris and Milan.
In 2018, designer Alexander Wang launched a 4/20 capsule collection featuring stoner slogans and accessories. Gucci included cannabis references in its Cruise line. Vetements created pieces with rolling paper prints. Even Chanel once released a fragrance campaign with visuals that nodded to the cannabis flower without ever naming it.
The signal was clear. Luxury fashion had stopped pretending to be above cannabis culture. Instead, it embraced it as part of the modern identity. Cool, self-aware, and culturally fluent.
What started as rebellion was now elegance. And that shift in aesthetic mirrored the larger societal change happening in dispensaries and state houses across the country.
The Merch Revolution: Brands Built on Bud
Some of the biggest cannabis brands today are as focused on clothing as they are on THC. That’s no accident. Weed lovers want to wear their identity. They don’t just want edibles or flower. They want hoodies, hats, stickers, and patches that reflect their love for the plant.
Brands like Cookies, Runtz, and Sherbinskis changed the way cannabis is sold. Instead of plain packaging and generic logos, they built hype with limited-edition drops, influencer collabs, and color-coded strain lines. These companies operate like streetwear giants with product sell-outs, Instagram teasers, and celebrity endorsements.
Cookies founder Berner even modeled his strategy on Supreme. He wanted his weed brand to move like a fashion label and it worked. Today, Cookies stores look more like sneaker boutiques than traditional dispensaries. Customers line up for drops wearing matching Cookies sweatsuits.
Celebrities, Branding, and Weed Identity
Cannabis fashion found its way to the top with help from celebrities who saw beyond smoke. They saw branding gold.
Seth Rogen launched Houseplant not just as a cannabis brand but a design company. His ashtrays and lighters are just as popular as his flower, and his online drops sell out within minutes.
Wiz Khalifa has his own strain line, apparel, and signature rolling trays. Jay-Z founded Monogram, a luxury cannabis brand with elevated visuals and sleek packaging. Rihanna, while not yet officially in the cannabis business, has inspired hundreds of cannabis-themed style posts with her iconic blunt-smoking paparazzi shots.
These celebrity brands have one thing in common: style. Whether it’s a minimalist ceramic ashtray or a pastel pink hoodie with a tiny weed leaf on the sleeve, cannabis fashion is no longer an afterthought. It is part of the brand’s DNA.
Local Style and the New York Edge
In Manhattan, the style evolution of cannabis is felt everywhere. Walk through the Upper East Side and you’ll see it on display. Blazers paired with vintage weed pins, canvas tote bags stamped with green slogans, and sneakers made from hemp blends.
Liberty Buds reflects that same sense of style. We are more than a cannabis dispensary near me. We are part of the local rhythm. Our customers aren’t just buying cannabis. They’re buying into a cultural identity that blends health, art, and attitude.
We curate brands that not only deliver on quality but also carry the same creative ethos seen in fashion. The packaging is modern. The language is inclusive. The energy feels connected to the larger world of design, music, and expression.
Design Is the New Differentiator
As the cannabis market grows, competition gets fierce. One of the biggest differentiators now is design. You can spot a Camino tin, an Ayrloom pouch, or an MFNY dropper from across the room. Their fonts, colors, and layouts are instantly recognizable.
This branding is no accident. The design tells a story about trust, creativity, and innovation. It’s why these products fly off the shelves. They feel good to buy. They feel good to gift. They feel good to display.
Cannabis has gone from hiding in brown paper bags to sitting proudly next to your favorite skincare products. The new era is one where cannabis looks and feels as good as it works.
Streetwear Drops and 4/20 Fashion
Each year, April 20 becomes a bigger moment in fashion. What used to be a quiet celebration among friends is now a full-blown marketing season. Limited drops, 4/20 editions, and cannabis-themed accessories flood the market.
Big names like Nike and Adidas have even joined in with 4/20 sneakers. Independent designers release capsule collections with hand-dyed fabrics and strain-inspired color palettes. It’s more than just merch. It’s a fashion event.
New York’s dispensaries, including Liberty Buds, feel the wave of this excitement. Customers come in wearing weed-themed gear, asking about products that match the energy of the day. It’s no longer about just celebrating a number. It’s about participating in a cultural moment.
The New Luxury: Plant-Based and Proud
As the world leans toward wellness, sustainability, and transparency, cannabis sits comfortably in the center of the conversation. Hemp fabrics, organic edibles, and cruelty-free packaging are in demand. Consumers want luxury with purpose.
That’s where cannabis fashion finds its future. It is not just about being cool. It is about being conscious. The same customer who buys a vegan leather bag also wants a vegan gummy with clean ingredients. The same shopper who invests in sustainable streetwear is also seeking out sun-grown flower with a minimal carbon footprint.
Cannabis fashion is not a gimmick. It’s a mirror to who we are becoming.
Final Thoughts: Wear What You Believe In
Weed is no longer something you hide in your sock drawer. It is something you display on your chest, wear on your sleeve, and roll up with pride. It’s on sweatshirts, fashion runways, and magazine covers. It’s embedded in the design of products, the way we shop, and the way we celebrate.
At Liberty Buds, we see fashion and cannabis as deeply connected. Our Upper East Side customers bring style into everything they do, from the flower they buy to the clothes they wear. That’s why we stock brands that look as good as they feel.
Cannabis and fashion are no longer separate stories. They are part of the same movement. Bold, expressive, and unapologetically forward.
If you’re exploring the intersection of cannabis and culture, stop by and see how today’s cannabis looks, feels, and inspires. We are more than a cannabis dispensary near me. We are a space that reflects the style and rhythm of New York.
