For some (not all) of these cultural patterns, what happened was that the attire in question really was initially associated with thugs. In a rough neighborhood, you are either predator or prey. Even if you are not actually a thug yourself, it is safer to look like one, so that the actual predators mistake you for another predator rather than prey. It’s like viceroy butterflies imitating monarchs, but without the actual evolution.
For some (not all) of these cultural patterns, what happened was that the attire in question really was initially associated with thugs. In a rough neighborhood, you are either predator or prey. Even if you are not actually a thug yourself, it is safer to look like one, so that the actual predators mistake you for another predator rather than prey. It’s like viceroy butterflies imitating monarchs, but without the actual evolution.