In a 2023 auction on Grailed, a heavily faded "Bucktown Blue" All Zip Top with a broken zipper slide sold for $2,800. In the last five years, the demand for the Smif-N-Wessun The All Zip Top has exploded. This is due to the "Blokecore" and "90s Hip-Hop Archive" fashion movements. Rappers like Westside Gunn, Action Bronson, and underground legends have been photographed hunting for this specific piece.
This demand has led to a dark side: fakes.
However, the "Holy Grail" variant of features reversed contrast stitching. The stitching on the zipper track is deliberately thick, orange or cream-colored, clashing violently with the dark fleece. Chapter 3: Why Was It Called "The All Zip"? There is a longstanding debate in the Boot Camp collector forums (notably the Boot Camp Archives subreddit and the TROYLRG Facebook groups). Some argue that "All Zip" refers to the fact that the zipper is "all the way around." Others claim it refers to the "all-metal" zipper (usually a chunky YKK or IDEAL brand zipper from the period). smif n wessun the all zip top
Until Duck Down decides to reissue it (fans have been petitioning for a 30th-anniversary Dah Shinin’ drop), keep digging in the thrift stores of the Tri-State area. Keep scanning the "Vintage Hoodies" lots on ShopGoodwill.
In the sprawling, sample-drenched ecosystem of 1990s hip-hop, certain artifacts transcend music. Bootleg concert tees, promo-only vinyl, and limited-run hoodies carry the same cultural weight as the albums they advertise. For devotees of the Boot Camp Clik, and specifically the Brooklyn duo Smif-N-Wessun (now often styled as Smif-N-Wessun), there is no piece of merchandise more elusive, more debated, and more desired than the item known simply as "The All Zip Top." In a 2023 auction on Grailed, a heavily
Let’s unzip the history, the design, and the legacy of the . Chapter 1: The Context of 1995 – Dah Shinin’ To understand the top, you must understand the temperature of the room. It is 1995. The gritty, cocaine-rap aesthetic of New York is evolving. Smif-N-Wessun (Tek and Steele) have just released their debut album, Dah Shinin’ , under the Duck Down Records imprint.
While Smif-N-Wessun continue to tour and release music (their 2024 album Infinity was a quiet classic), the shadow of the All Zip Top looms large. It is the physical manifestation of their lyrics: rugged, uncompromising, and cleverly designed to survive the elements. Rappers like Westside Gunn, Action Bronson, and underground
However, the most credible theory comes from an interview with Steele in Mass Appeal (Issue #12, 1997, since digitized). Steele reportedly referred to a hoodie in his closet as "the one that zips all the way up over my head so you can't see my face when I'm sleeping on the D train." The "All Zip Top" allowed the wearer to zip themselves inside the hoodie entirely—creating a wearable sleeping bag.