What is Streetwear? From Origins to the Latest Trends
In this article, I’ll introduce you to everything you need to know about streetwear, from fashion to culture.
You’ll learn the origin of streetwear, what comprises a streetwear style, popular streetwear brands, and how to dress streetwear without breaking your bank account.
What is Streetwear?
Streetwear is a popular culture-inspired fashionable casual clothing worn by young fashionistas belonging to a particular subculture group (hip-hop fans, skaters, surfers) and living in urban areas.
Streetwear is more than overpriced casual clothing logo t-shirts, oversized hoodies, and cool sneakers.
The streetwear customer base is diverse, spanning every economic and social status and covering the world’s biggest cities.
While streetwear styles are unique and depend on personal preferences, location matters a lot.
For example, London’s streetwear styles differ from Tokyo’s or New York’s.
Nevertheless, despite these stylistic differences, there’s no right or wrong way to wear streetwear.
What is the History of Streetwear?
Streetwear originated in New York City in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a style combining elements of hip-hop fashion with Californian surf apparel.
With the help of rappers like Jay-Z, Snoop Dog, and Biggie and athletes like Michael Jordan, the laid-back, athletic-inspired streetwear style began to gain global traction.
Nowadays, streetwear is influenced by various urban regions around the world and their own unique subcultures, such as Harajuku’s Kawaii in Tokyo, Japan, London’s Punk subculture, and K-pop in South Korea.
Moreover, in recent years, streetwear has influenced and been influenced by high-end fashion.
Valued at 334 billion dollars in 2021 by the Business of Fashion, streetwear is also the fastest-growing fashion segment.
Who Started Streetwear?
Pinpointing the first streetwear designer or fashionista is an impossible task.
Yet, there are a few key streetwear pioneers worth mentioning:
- James Jebbia – founder and owner of streetwear brand Supreme.
- Shawn Stussy – founder and owner of California streetwear label Stussy.
- Dapper Dan – a luxury streetwear designer from Harlem known for his excellent street-style apparel for hip-hop artists and influential people of color.
- Hiroshi Fujiwara – the godfather of Ura-Harajuku fashion style and globally recognized streetwear designer.
Why is Streetwear so Popular?
As Hip-hop grew in popularity in the 2020s, streetwear fashion became the go-to style for teenagers and young adults.
The digital revolution and social media empowered urban culture and allowed streetwear influencers to dictate in advance what goes on the runway, what’s trendy, and how to style.
With hundreds of millions of streetwear lovers posting, liking, sharing, and re-sharing, streetwear determines the following trends instead of the fashion elite.
Anyone, from celebrities, musicians, actors, and high-status individuals, wears streetwear.
As a result, streetwear has become the new status symbol.
Moreover, top fashion designers have started to incorporate streetwear styles in their fashion collections.
The emergence of luxury streetwear (creations of high-end fashion houses like Gucci and Balenciaga) highlights streetwear’s complex role in the current cultural climate.
Moreover, the advent of designer brands in streetwear infused the style with symbols of social status that reflect one’s income and personal values.
Is Streetwear Pop Culture?
Streetwear styles are the purest reflections of the world’s current pop-cultural landscapes.
As people who wear streetwear change, street fashion constantly shapes and morphs.
Unlike traditional and formal fashion, streetwear is highly adaptable, gender-neutral, size-inclusive, and made by and for people of all skin colors.
Historically, hip-hop music and subculture have predominantly influenced the streetwear style.
In particular, rappers influenced the 80s hip-hop fashion, which later became a big fashion trend in the 90s: tracksuits and white sneakers assorted with bucket hats and gold chains.
Nowadays, the street style deeply connects to pop culture and influences various music styles, such as K-Pop.
What Are the Different Types of Streetwear?
Four main categories can define streetwear styles:
- Original Streetwear
- Sportswear-inclined Streetwear
- High-end and Luxury Streetwear
- New Streetwear
Each streetwear category has a different aesthetic and style, and below, we’ll break down the best streetwear names in each category.
1. Original Streetwear
Original streetwear is the maker of the trend and the early entrant.
Known as the O.G.’s of streetwear style, some of the most popular brands in this category are Supreme, Stussy, Palace, B.A.P.E., and Kith.
With an excellent history and brand recognition, these streetwear brands have medium to high price points, but their products have high resale value.
Known for releasing small batches and limited editions, these streetwear labels create scarcity and high demand.
2. Sportswear-inclined Streetwear
Streetwear and sportswear operate on a common stylistic ground.
That’s because sportswear brands are the foundation of modern streetwear.
Many athleticwear names have started collaborations with celebrities and influencers in recent years, expanding beyond sports-related performance apparel into streetwear.
3. High-end & Luxury Streetwear
Luxury streetwear is created by traditional high-end fashion houses launching their lines or collaborating with streetwear designers to create new brands.
Relatively new to the market, these high-end streetwear labels blur the lines between O.G. streetwear styles and old-school luxury couture.
Staying true to their luxury roots, these streetwear brands offer apparel at the highest price point, appealing primarily to traditional luxury shoppers.
4. New Streetwear
New streetwear is the latest entrant to the streetwear scene.
New streetwear is created by more affordable streetwear brands who do not have experience in streetwear but have decided to hop on the trend as it is financially lucrative.
Some of these brands are new entrants, while most are fast-fashion retailers that replicate high-end luxury streetwear.
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source https://thevou.com/fashion/streetwear/
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