Streetwear is now among the biggest disruptive fashion trends over the last few years However, it’s easy to dismiss as a flimsy trend. It all boils down, as according to the theory to hoodies and sneakers eventually, people will get bored of them and move on as they do with other trends that is trendy.
But streetwear is much more than that, argues a new report by Strategy&, the global strategy division of professional-services giant PwC, and Hypebeast, a streetwear-centric media company and retailer. It can be described as an look which combines graphic-heavy hoodies T-shirts with casual American sporting wear, references to military like M-65 jackets puffers and, of course, sneakers. However, it’s not about any particular product. It’s more the result of massive shifts in culture and a major shift in the power imbalance between consumers and brands.
Its growth doesn’t seem to be slowing neither. Strategy& and Hypebeast surveyed 763 respondents from the retail and fashion sectors, and 76% of respondents said they believed streetwear will continue to expand dramatically over the next five years. “Streetwear doesn’t represent an actual fashion trend but is rather a component of a larger cultural shift that encompasses fashion, music and art,” the report says. “Whether or not sneakers will remain an enticing fashion is not the point. The mindset that is driving the rise of pop culture may continue to be a factor.”
This mindset places a high value upon authenticity as well as trusting similar people–mostly via social media nowadays, rather than looking at traditional sources like fashion websites or magazines. The customer with this mentality is typically young, is a lover of hip-hop and is willing to invest money on casual and exclusive clothing which convey some understanding. This is what makes streetwear “democratic,” the report states, as the public decides what’s fashionable. “The difference between modern streetwear and fashion generally doesn’t come down to a shoe versus an accessory, but to who’s driving the design of taste,” it says.
In this sense streetwear is a symbol of a larger trend, where power has moved from corporations to consumers. The global consultancy A.T. Kearney has described the shift as a change out of an “affluence” model where money could buy access to a “influence” type of model.
In the past, fashion was a process from the top The gatekeepers and brands like editors had the most influence and information and spent huge sums dispersing that information to the consumers. However, the advent of social media and the internet provided consumers with their own channels and reach and allowed communities to form around shared values and interests. Peers began to be more important than gatekeepers.
Streetwear is designed to take this kind of approach, Strategy& and Hypebeast note. It was born as part of a counterculture that was embraced by artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat as well as Keith Haring, as well as rap and black culture, as according to the report it was the driving force in the emergence of the movement. The clothing component emerged in the surf and skate scene of California and then moved towards New York during rap’s early days, where it took on an enormous amount of influence before the major figures of cities like London and Tokyo took it on.
The brands involved, including Stussy, A Bathing Ape and Supreme did not seek out traditional channels for retail including distribution in large department stores that could allow them to sell their products to the general public. Their focus was on selling direct to those who shared their values, and they pioneered the now popular “drop” method where they introduced a limited number of products into shops. Because they were from the same cultural background as their target market they knew the people they were selling to.
In the end, as the internet grew more popular technology, this community grew into an online community that was able to coalesce through forums such as NikeTalk, BapeTalk, Strictly Supreme and Sole Collector in which users exchanged information and also bought and sold items. The forums have been dwindling however, the same kinds of activities occur via Instagram and resale sites on much larger levels which has created a huge consumer movement that’s increased in size because streetwear as well as the culture which fueled it have taken off.
Hip-hop, which has strong ties to streetwear has become the most popular music style within the US and is expanding to other countries as well, including China. Brands that sell streetwear like Supreme have become popular within the mainstream fashion industry. Even luxury brands have no option but to look at the streetwear brands. Fashion designers with roots in streetwear such as Virgil Abloh and Kim Jones are one of the most successful in fashion, directing the menswear department for Louis Vuitton and Dior, respectively. The connections to contemporary art persist also through the well-known artists like Daniel Arsham, Kaws, and Takashi Murakami.
They are the ones that streetwear buyers still look at for inspiration. The report conducted a survey of nearly 41,000 shoppers around the world most of them from Asia, Europe, and North America, and found that industry insiders, musicians as well as contemporary art were among those who were considered to be the most influential in the world of streetwear. They were ahead of social media influencers and celebrities as well as athletes and athletes.
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Hypebeast’s perspective isn’t completely impartial when describing the impact of streetwear: Hypebeast is a publicly traded business that will benefit from the growth of streetwear. However, it got to where it is today by being a top source for news about streetwear and knowing its target audience.
This audience loves to shop. Of the 41,000 people interviewed 54% of respondents reported spending $100-$500 for streetwear each month.