The Modern Rise Of The Streetwear Culture
A few years ago, the notion of ‘streetwear’ was a niche. Fast forward to today, it has become mainstream. It’s safe to say that the rising influence of social media has played a major part in this growth. Some may say that polarising figure Mr Kanye West has been highly influential. His long time creative director Virgil Abloh is the owner of popular high-end streetwear brand Off-White and his stylist, Jerry Lorenzo is the face behind Fear of God. Before Kanye pessimists crucify me, I’m not jumping on the Kanye train, I’m just stating facts. I don’t follow him at all, but I acknowledge his pivotal contribution to the mainstream success of streetwear. Traditionally, streetwear has been male-dominated. However, in modern society, females have definitely balanced out the scale. In my opinion, it’s again Kanye affiliated, where his relationship with the queen of all socialites, Kim Kardashian has been the key to pushing streetwear into the mainstream limelight. Before the knives come out, hear me out. With Kim K, you’ve got the entire Kardashian and Jenner clan as well. Put them with all of their celebrity friends. Throw the amount of hook ups Kanye give his celebrity friends when it comes to his beloved Yeezy line. And with all these celebrities, the tradition has been that they carry a large amount of influence especially among millennials. This is reflected on their following on their social media accounts. Now, I know that Kim Kardashian isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (she isn’t mine either), but you must tip your dad hats and acknowledge that she is hugely popular, and whatever she begins wearing, the trend begins to rub off on her female friends and followers. She must be doing something right if she has amassed over 100 million followers just on Instagram.
The sneaker culture is the heart and soul behind the modern-day fame of streetwear. There are the traditional or ‘OG’ sneakerheads who state that the streetwear scene has been now dominated by young ‘hypebeasts’, where the streetwear connotations have been tarnished. I can empathise, but that doesn’t mean I agree. I believe streetwear has just evolved, just like the world has, just like a baby Charmander, eventually evolves into a Charmelon and Charizard.
Streetwear has definitely taken the world by storm. It surrounds us. When I’m commuting on the train, I see mothers wearing NMDs. My parents both own Ultra Boosts. Five years ago, you would see some maybe a pair of flats or some old generic joggers. However, it’s the millennials that truly embrace the streetwear culture. They are the ones showcasing the streetwear spirit, as you see them lining up for releases and spending countless amounts of their disposable cash on high street fashion. Brands such as Fear of God, Off-White, Supreme and Stone Island are laughing their way to the bank.
The resell value of streetwear items are much higher than the more traditionally ‘sophisticated’ fashion pieces. Sophisticated in this context, is the dress shirts and shoes that you see being paired up with suits. I’ve recently seen Supreme x Louis Vuitton Box Logo t-shirts sell for over $1,000 AUD per piece. Where a brand new pair of oxfords from renowned shoemaker John Lobb that retail for $2,500 AUD struggles to be sold for $500 AUD on online selling outlets. I’m currently finding it difficult to sell a pair of Italian handmade leather tassel loafers (retail at $535 AUD) for $75, compared to when I easily sold a ‘limited’ Adidas Ultra Boost (retail at $250 AUD) for $850 AUD within minutes. And also, don’t forget about the Yeezys – the sneaker that has given Michael Jordan a run for his money. You can say that this loosely comes down to hype. There are obviously flaws to this statement, but these examples demonstrate the dominance of streetwear in today’s fashion. The recent collaboration between streetwear kings Supreme and designer powerhouse Louis Vuitton fetch for inflated prices. This proves that even the luxury fashion designers, traditionally known for ‘dressy’ fashion pieces have acknowledged the streetwear culture.
