The tradition of self promotion goes back centuries old, people from all walks of life have used different methods in one way or another to promote themselves. in Bboy culture aside from catching wreck & battling the use of personalized clothing items are also essential. the most commonly used form is the flock letter, usually in a old english font or cooper bold. this practice can be traced to early 70’s biker gangs. Biker gangs use them on cut off denim jackets or leather vests. every gang has their system in which the members have to earn these patches, one just doesn’t get the whole name at once. gradually through different actions & time in the gang you earn a patch at a time. the early 70’s Bboys who grew up around these gangs, some who were either in those gangs or had siblings in them chose to adopt the use of these patches on T-shirts & denim jackets to represent their crew & individual names. this also created another incentive to keep training & continue to get better at their skills. no real Bboy wants to look whack! even more so while wearing their crew colors/patches. you’re representing not only yourself but the whole crew & their history.