From Kris Kross to Playboi Carti, Examining the Life Cycle of the Backwards Jersey

Once upon a time, we all wore skinny pants. Now, the baggier the better. Brands like Ed Hardy and Juicy Couture that were seen as unfortunate memories of Y2K fashion have also successfully reintroduced themselves in the marketplace. Gen Z TikTokers even namedrop Affliction in their fit check videos. Fashion trends, no matter their context or actual style value, eventually make their way back. So, it should come as no surprise to see people rocking sports jerseys backwards again, a trend that dates back at least three decades.

We have Playboi Carti to thank for the resurfacing style choice. Back in August, he Instagrammed a series of photos of him in a 1996 Allen Iverson throwback jersey backwards. Then he followed it up with a white Penny Hardaway, and custom “00” jerseys from the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets. Carti even hit the stage in Brazil to perform “Timeless” with The Weeknd in a Vince Carter Raptors jersey, again worn backwards. His fans followed suit.

Carti has a massive fashion influence on his fanbase. It was on full display as we walked around ComplexCon 2024 in Las Vegas. Beyond social media, the trend has come to life. Dozens of Opium fans had traded in their all-black fits and Rick Owens sneakers for backwards NBA jerseys. Some even paired them with a durag. When asked to snap a photo for Complex, they mimicked Carti’s signature pose by staring down at the ground and tossing up their hands. Whether you look to rappers for style inspiration or not, the Carti effect is undeniable.

Awake NY founder Angelo Baque shouted out Carti for reigniting the backwards jersey during an interview at ComplexCon. “Seeing white kids in backwards Iverson jerseys with durags, I’m here for it,” said Baque. “I think it’s kind of funny.”

Some professional athletes have also adopted the trend. Angel Reese has hit the pregame tunnel in a reversed Dennis Rodman Piston throwback. A handful of players on the Detroit Lions showed up to the stadium for their Week 12 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts rocking backwards NBA throwbacks to show love to their favorite players from back in the day.

As much as Carti deserves credit for the resurgence of backwards jerseys, he certainly isn’t the originator of this trend. That honor goes to ’90s rap duo Kris Kross. Most well known for their smash hit “Jump,” the two also made a name for themselves with a gimmick of wearing all of their clothing backwards. (Fun fact: “Jump” opens with a diss to Another Bad Creation, a hip-hop and new jack swing boy group who wore their clothing inside-out.)

By the mid ’90s, Kris Kross was out of the spotlight. The backwards trend lay dormant until the throwback jersey boom in hip-hop in the 2000s. Nelly, Fabolous, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne were just a few of the artists repping players’ names on their chests. Like Carti today, the style trickled down to the fanbases to the point where seeing a throwback worn backwards was the expected norm. When that fell out of vogue by the end of the aughts, the backwards jersey experienced its second death. Until 2024.

The backwards jersey isn’t the only thing that Carti is borrowing from classic hip-hop style of the ’90s and 2000s. Other aspects of his current style also reference that time period. In the aforementioned Instagram photos, he paired his jerseys with other staples of the era such as extra baggy jeans, wheat Timberlands, and straight-brimmed New Era fitteds. He’s become a frequent rocker of retro Pelle Pelle leather jackets, which culminated in the release of an official Opium collab at ComplexCon. Despite what some diehard fans may think, Carti didn’t invent this aesthetic. But he undoubtedly had a huge hand in bringing it back to the forefront for a younger generation who may not have even been born in 2001.

The real question is, how long will the backwards jersey trend last, if at all? Even though Carti kickstarted it again and he’s one of the biggest names in hip-hop today, are backwards jerseys somewhat limited to Carti fans?

Don C, the creative director of Mitchell & Ness’ premium goods division, told Complex in an interview earlier this month that he actually believes it would benefit the brand to produce jerseys specifically to be worn backwards. But it remains to be seen whether backwards jerseys will ever be embraced by the larger public, beyond Carti’s reach of influence.

Regardless, the lesson here is that a fashion trend can always come back. It just needs the right person to revive it, and Carti is one. Is the backwards jersey trend good or bad though? We’ll let you decide.