I think it is safe to say that at this point, we can collectively retire the term ‘streetwear.’ A decade ago, the word made a lot of sense in the context of the industry, but now that the entire fashion industry has moved to producing T-shirts, hoodies, baseball caps, and sneakers, streetwear has been wholly overtaken by fashion. Looking around the pantheon of leading luxury brands (Gucci, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Prada, Chanel, Maison Margiela, Burberry), all of them have seasonal pieces that are considered streetwear. It makes sense that this shift has occurred in this generation because the creative directors of those houses either come from a streetwear background and are unafraid to flaunt their knowledge of pop culture or have been influenced by streetwear’s popularity with the younger generation. Balenciaga’s Demna Gvasalia, Louis Vuitton’s Virgil Abloh, and Dior’s Kim Jones have all been heavily influenced by the heyday of streetwear, and Gvasalia and Abloh even established their own brands, Vetements and Off-White, respectively, with their unique takes on streetwear. Virgil Abloh spearheaded the creation of the now-iconic Nike’s “The 10” collection focusing on 10 classic silhouettes he thought represented the full breadth and creativity of the Swoosh. Add collaborating with seemingly every practice out there and you have someone who captivates the imagination of creatives worldwide. Similarly, Kim Jones masterminded possibly one of the most legendary collaborations of all time when he (heading Louis Vuitton) teamed up with James Jebbia’s Supreme. After taking over Kris Van Assche’s position at Dior, he has since failed to disappoint, delivering impressive collaborations with KAWS, AMBUSH, Matthew Williams’ 1019 ALYX 9SM, Raymond Pettibon, and Daniel Arsham. Although collaborations are a prime feature of streetwear, it seems that 21st century fashion has begun to consider the norms of streetwear as its own.
The industry is so saturated with brands shifting to streetwear that even Burberry and Rihanna’s Fenty label are playing the game of weekly ‘drops’ of new product that cult brands Supreme and Palace have always engaged in.
Streetwear is still the primary intersection of many different disciplines: namely graffiti, skateboarding (and to an extent, surfing), and hip-hop. There is no question that these once subversive or underground fields are now recognized as mainstream by the general public. Basquiat’s untitled painting sold for the highest price ever for an American artist at auction. Skateboarding is now an official Olympic sport set to debut in Tokyo in 2020. Hip-hop rules the top of the music charts most days of the week throughout the year. Mainstream opinion has changed significantly since street artists tagged subway trains inside and out, skateboarding was an inferior sport relegated to skate parks and back alleys, and hip-hop was excluded from radio stations nationwide.
It is important to note that the larger fashion industry has carefully paid attention to how closely millennials and Gen-Xers follow their favorite niche brands. If they can somehow emulate these brands and produce garments and footwear at a higher quality and price point, it would be relatively easy to open their wallets. The commodification of the sort of urban anarchy that streetwear represents is cool. Subcultural norms used to dictate who wore streetwear but not anymore, especially with the advent of social media. You can argue that social media has democratized the industry and made it more transparent, but it has also enabled people with no prior knowledge and a large amount of disposable income to flex their latest wares. The bigger problem is then that these people act as de facto gatekeepers to the entire industry and are protective of property which did not originate with them. The convergence of multiple fields within streetwear means it would also be accessible to outsiders (those with a lot of money) with just a casual interest in those fields. Clothing loaded with meaning matters to people.
It’s ironic that the originally exclusive streetwear has been co-opted by everyone from world-famous athletes to social media influencers. Once upon a time, when you saw a certain brand on a person you knew for certain that the person had some knowledge of the brand or had been somewhere different. Now it is all about who has the most money to buy those brands even at exorbitant prices on the secondary market. Case in point, a Canadian entrepreneur named Miles Nadal recently bought the entire 100-pair collection of most valuable sneakers in the world curated by both Sotheby’s and Stadium Goods for a grand total of $1.2 million. The most expensive pair of shoes in the collection was an original deadstock pair of Nike Waffle Racing Flat Moon Shoes made by Nike co-founder and University of Oregon track-and-field head coach Bill Bowerman for the 1972 Summer Olympic Trials that sold for a whopping $437,500, which is the highest price ever paid for a pair of sneakers anywhere. The average person may not understand why someone like Nadal is willing to shell out an exorbitant amount of money for shoes but those shoes represent the pinnacle of “innovative design, exceptional craftsmanship and new and exciting trends in pop culture,” according to him. As I previously reported, a collection of all of the Supreme skateboard decks made between 1998 and 2018 sold for $800,000. Soon after, a 1300-piece collection of every single Supreme accessory manufactured between 1998 and 2018 was valued at $2 million by Sotheby’s and each item was sold individually online. These landmark archives generated a lot of interest because the notoriety of sneakers and streetwear is reaching an all-time high and does not seem to be slowing down.
Streetwear arose from a raw, unconventional way to express oneself that now dominates any conversation about fashion, music, art, and sports. Coming from a position of challenging traditional notions of who gets to access fashion, streetwear is refreshingly original and authentic to those who gladly embrace it. On the other hand, anything you wear on the street is technically streetwear. There is no reason to stick with the original vision of streetwear because there are so many brands that expand upon or changed that vision. The only constant in fashion is change. Already brands are experimenting with Americana, workwear, and techwear. Is it really enough to make a statement and then move on? Or should we acknowledge the history behind the moments that gave rise to a movement sweeping the globe?
Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, the conglomerate that includes Louis Vuitton among a host of other luxury brands and spirits producer Moet-Hennessey in its portfolio, is now the third-richest person in the world, no doubt aided by the strong growth of the luxury labels. Kering, another fashion conglomerate, saw its revenue increase by more than 21.9% in the first quarter of this year with Balenciaga, Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Alexander McQueen in its portfolio. Not so long ago, Farfetch purchased Stadium Goods and the New Guards Group, which counts Off-White, Heron Preston, and Marcelo Burlon among its brood. Even retailer groups are getting in on the action, with Foot Locker purchasing a large stake in GOAT, which had already merged with Flight Club. Amazon and Zappos invested a lot of money in Concepts, an international boutique that stocks exclusive sneakers and clothing. Last but not least, Supreme received a staggering $500 million investment from the Carlyle Group. Clearly, big companies are capitalizing on the mainstream status of streetwear like nothing before. Although a lot of other fashion publications have claimed that the streetwear bubble has burst in no uncertain terms, streetwear’s ability to communicate across languages and borders signals something that will not go away anytime soon. At the end of the day, streetwear is not confined by product category or price point but something more subtle that has been embraced globally. My outlook is that it is here to stay and will continue to evolve but there is no need to differentiate between streetwear and capital F fashion because they are one and the same.
Be First to Comment