The evolution of streetwear

According to Bobby Kim, the co-founder of streetwear brand The Hundreds, streetwear isn’t about the clothing, it’s about the culture. Streetwear is rumoured to have originated from the rise of punk in the 70s, with bands like Joy Division and The Ramones dominating the music scene. Others consider streetwear to have originated from the rise of hip-hop and the increasingly growing bloc party subculture – hence coining the name ‘streetwear.’

Though its origins are highly debated, Stüssy is one of the brands that made streetwear a tangible concept. Implementing elements from the do-it-yourself culture that punk rock started, owner Shawn Stüssy used to add his own designs when shaping boards for friends and locals in California. He then started to print these designs on t-shirts and shorts to sell along with surfboards to further promote his work. What started as a small exclusive gig meant for only friends and family soon evolved into one of the biggest apparel lines in the world.

The surf and skate culture Stüssy introduced to the world became the basis for other famous streetwear brands in the 1990s, such as Freshjive and James Jebbia’s Supreme. However, there has been a lot of changes in the game since then. Its growing notoriety and influence brought streetwear to a new platform.

In Japan, the wave of punk and hip-hop shaped the fashion scene in Tokyo. Brands such as A Bathing Ape and NEIGHBORHOOD emerged from the coveted alleys of Ura-Harajuku and took Tokyo’s street fashion scene by storm. While BAPE’s founder, Nigo, took inspiration from early hip-hop groups, such as Run DMC, Shinsuke Takizawa, founder of NEIGHBORHOOD, decided to use military jackets as well as punk and rock & roll culture as a starting point.

One of the reasons why Japanese streetwear was able to take over the American and, soon, the global markets is because it was worn by culturally influential people at the time. For example, BAPE was said to have earned its traction and appeal in the American market when rapper Soulja Boy, most known for his song ‘Crank That,’ released a song called ‘I Got Me Some Bapes’ in 2007.

These revolutionary moments took the brand out of the obscure streets of Tokyo and gave it a crucial role in influencing the course of hip-hop as well as streetwear culture around the world.

Streetwear culture is more than just hypebeast. It's about bringing a purpose. For most streetwear advocates and fans, the point of purchasing the next drop of Supreme collabs or the next Travis Scott Nikes is to buy into the culture. Streetwear is about sharing similar values, so wearing Yeezys or a box logo t-shirt, whether intentional or not, shows who they are and what tribe they belong to. These brands have the ‘it’ factor.

Anti Social Social Club has a strong cult following. The brand was built for misfits, for those who feel as though they don't belong. It preaches about deviating from normalcy - founder Neek Lurk built his business on his self-doubt. His products represent his depression and negativity. They are an unlikely driving force towards culture, but Anti Social Social Club becomes a lucrative business that gives the brand and its consumers a sense of purpose and unity.

Exclusivity was given a new definition within the fashion world - mainly streetwear - with ‘drop culture.’ It is a marketing strategy in which brands release a limited-edition product in small quantity. This strategy was introduced by Nike when they released Air Jordans in mid-80s. Drop culture was then adopted by skate brands, such as Palace and Stussy, and was carried on to retailers, such as Flight Club or Kith.

Getting a hold of a box logo t-shirt after grueling hours of queueing or racing against time to get your hands on the new Jordan before it's sold out is what makes streetwear exclusive. Once the drop is over, resellers will hyperinflate the prices. There is this automatic increase in value – double or even quadruple its original price - once it's been purchased.

In streetwear, when a drop is sold out, it's labeled as successful and exclusive. It leverages on scarcity and creates high demand. It's what makes Kanye West's collaboration with Adidas so successful. There's an element of personalisation and mad hysteria for owning a piece of the series because it is hype and people equate owning a specific product as status.

Like any global sensation, streetwear is fluid. In more recent years, we’ve seen monumental shifts in streetwear culture. One notable movement is the integration of street culture into high fashion. This movement might as well be credited to Virgil Abloh’s ambitious take on streetwear, where he brought streetwear to new heights and created an empire. Off-White became one of the most dominant brands in fashion, with its parent company, New Guards Group, costing Farfetch $675 million to acquire.

In an interview with Dazed magazine, Abloh said, "I needed to do a show to define what 'streetwear' could be, and do it with urgency, you know." And he did just that. He redefined what streetwear meant as a whole and aimed to sway big fashion houses and their individual perceptions on streetwear. By releasing collections in collaboration with big names, such as Jimmy Choo and Moncler, Abloh proved that high fashion and street culture are not actually two worlds apart, but simply two sides of the same coin.

Today, fashion houses have been more open towards the idea of graphic tees, puffer jackets, as well as casual hoodies. For example, Louis Vuitton’s 2017 collaboration with streetwear giant Supreme featured apparel such as baseball jackets, hoodies and even a rework of Supreme’s iconic box logo graphic tee. In 2020, Dior collaborated with Nike to release the Air Jordan silhouette with the timeless Dior Oblique motif stitched into Nike’s swoosh logo.

Streetwear made its way to luxury as designers, fans and celebrities legitimised its culture into a cash cow industry. Streetwear was given its own platform to grow and flourish, allowing them to collaborate with luxury brands. When streetwear and luxury fashion work together, it blurs the lines of what trends should be. It ignores the old rules of fashion, which brings in a broader audience and perspective on what streetwear is and how they can coexist. It's a testament to the streetwear community that they, too, can bring allure, exclusivity and luxury.

No matter the era, streetwear is always susceptible to change. Change is never tied down to only one source – it is a compilation of an endless stream of ideas and fluctuating perspectives. Given the age of the Internet where trends seem to take off on a whim, anything becomes virtually possible. Conclusively, this new era has made streetwear more vulnerable than ever.