Early breaking fashion is the ultimate masterclass in form meeting function—mixed with an intense amount of New York street swagger. While the casual observer just saw cool 1980s streetwear, every single item a B-boy or B-girl wore was essentially a piece of engineering hidden in plain sight.

Here are some of the weirdest, most functional, and highly specific secrets of breakdancing fashion history.

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5. Custom "Name Plates" and Gang Roots

Before high-end sportswear brands started sponsoring breakers, crews wore customized everyday gear. Borrowing a trend from 1970s New York street gangs, breakers would wear massive, customized brass or zinc "name plate" belt buckles that proudly displayed their B-boy moniker or crew name.

They would also take plain white t-shirts and use iron-on fuzzy flocking letters to spell out their names across the back. It was functional branding: when you were upside down in a spin, the crowd and the judges still knew exactly who you were.