Streetwear has been an extremely disruptive fashion trends in recent times However, it’s easy to dismiss as a passing trend. It comes down, it seems to hoodies and sneakers eventually, people will grow tired of them and move on as they do with all other things 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 fashion which combines graphic-heavy hoodies T-shirts with casual American clothing, military-inspired references like M-65 jackets puffers and, of course, sneakers. However, it’s not about any particular product. Instead, it’s the result of huge cultural shifts as well as a profound shift in the power balance between consumers and brands.
Its growth doesn’t seem to be slowing also. Strategy& and Hypebeast surveyed 763 respondents from the retail and fashion sectors, and 76% of respondents said they believed streetwear would continue to increase dramatically over the next five years. “Streetwear doesn’t represent an actual trend in fashion 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 has fueled the growth in popular culture is likely to not change.”
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This mindset places a high value upon authenticity as well as trusting other like-minded people–mostly via social media today, instead of using 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 information. This creates a streetwear culture that is “democratic,” the report says, since the people decide what’s trendy. “The difference between modern streetwear and fashion in general doesn’t boil down to the size of a sneaker or the handbag, but rather to the person who drives the design of taste,” it says.
In this way streetwear is an example of a wider trend in which power has been transferred away from the corporate sector and towards consumers. The global consulting firm A.T. Kearney has described the shift as a change away from the “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 were able to spend large sums dispersing that information to the public. However, the advent of social media and the internet allowed consumers to have their own platforms and audience and let communities develop around common interests and values. Peers began to be more important than gatekeepers.
Streetwear was designed for this kind of approach, Strategy& and Hypebeast note. It emerged as a part of a counterculture that was embraced by artists such as Jean-Michel-Baquiat as well as Keith Haring, as well as rap and black culture, as according to the report as a major driver 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 times, and absorbed significant influence, before major figures from cities like London and Tokyo adopted it.
The brands that were involved, such as Stussy, A Bathing Ape and Supreme did not seek out traditional channels for retail including distribution within large department stores, that could allow them to sell their products to the general public. Their focus was on selling direct to people who were like them, and pioneered an now well-known “drop” model that sold a small number of items into shops. Since they came from the same cultural background as their customers They knew the people they were selling to.
With the advent technology, this community grew into an online community that grew in forums like NikeTalk, BapeTalk, Strictly Supreme and Sole Collector which were where people exchanged information and also bought and sold items. The forums have been dwindling however, the same kinds of activities are happening through Instagram and resale sites on an even larger scale and have created a massive consumer movement that’s increased in size because streetwear as well as the culture which fuels it have grown exponentially.
Hip-hop, which has close ties with streetwear, has become the most popular music genre within the US and is expanding to other countries as well, including China. Brands that sell streetwear like Supreme have gained a lot of traction within the mainstream fashion industry. Even luxury brands have no option but to look at the streetwear brands. Fashion designers with roots in streetwear like Virgil Abloh and Kim Jones are now 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 to get their inspiration. The study surveyed more than 41,000 people around the globe most of them located in Asia, Europe, and North America, and found that industry insiders, musicians along with contemporary artist were 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.
Hypebeast doesn’t have a perfect record in explaining the impact of streetwear. Hypebeast is a publicly traded business that will benefit when streetwear’s popularity continues to grow. However, it has gotten to the point it is today through being the most authoritative source of news about streetwear and being aware of its customers.
The audience is known for its love of shopping. Of the 41,000 people polled 54% of respondents reported spending between $100 and $500 on clothing and accessories every month.