The fashion industry in the United States is highly influenced by the diverse cultures that prevail in America. Americans tend to reflect their cultural roots in the clothing styles they adopt. Their style agenda revolves around three major areas; freedom of expression, comfort, and functionality. That’s why so many fashion brands emerged here.
Streetwear is one of the most influential domains in the fashion industry, incorporating pop culture’s music, art, and iconography. The idea of streetwear is quite segmented and dynamic. Although it has grown over the years, from hip-hop to the skate culture, it has irrevocably evolved.
History Of Streetwear
Streetwear originated in the late 20th century when surfers in Southern California sold screen-printed T-shirts to advertise their hand-shaped surfboards in the 1980s. Likewise, in the 1990s, boutique skateboarding stores in New York City drew inspiration from the street style of LA skateboarders and surfers and started to launch their own designs.
In the 2000s, the streetwear culture adopted the sneaker culture, after which hypebeasts started pairing graphic t-shirts with athletic sneakers. Moreover, luxury streetwear made its first appearance in the 2010s. That was when streetwear paved its way into pop culture. Later, many social influencers adapted to the new idea of streetwear culture.
The Central Theme of Streetwear
Even though streetwear is a vast industry, it incorporates many fashion styles. However, street style often centers on a few key characteristics.
Comfort: Streetwear strives to deliver comfort. Streetwear apparel includes casual attire and athleisure basics such as sweatshirts and joggers. However, many brands are currently launching streetwear items with witty throwback slogans and iconography in bold colors.
Menswear: Streetstyle is centered on a gender-neutral theme but is frequently associated with menswear and what is traditionally considered masculine apparel, such as bomber jackets and workwear. These can serve as ways for men to express themselves from the rest. However, these jackets can also feature macho logos and messaging.
Modern Art: Some of the most popular graphic tees and streetwear logos take inspiration from modern artists or even satirical depictions of the classics.
How Fashion Brands Style Streetwear
Since the streetwear fashion industry is driven by scarcity, fashion enthusiasts often do not find it feasible to buy and sell limited-edition items. However, streetwear fashion can still be incorporated into a variety of looks.
Fashion Brands Excel at Being Sporty and Stylish
Sneakers are the biggest head-turners when it comes to fashion. Therefore, sneakers are the way to go if you only want to make a huge style impact. Unfortunately, Hypebeasts refrain from incorporating different brands into a single look. Instead, they mostly stick to one single brand and complete their look with workplace and sportswear apparel.
Comfort and Style aren’t Exclusive
Loose-fitting garments have swarmed into streetwear fashion over the last few years. Streetwear enthusiasts frequently wear baggy jeans, giant hoodies, and other loose-fitting items, defying proportional constraints to keep up with the trend.
It’s All About You
The biggest fashion win is expressing your true self by reflecting your identity in the clothes you wear. Streetwear is all about putting together unconventional combinations of clothing and bringing your idea of fashion into the industry.
The Idea of Streetwear
Ever since streetwear became popular, fashionistas have constantly been digging into fashion brands that would serve their sense of style best. The major objective of a fashion brand is to deliver optimal quality products to its clientele. Ensuring the designs are of high quality and meet the criteria and demand contributes to the company’s popularity and longevity.
Any fashion brand is built on creativity. However, it is quite challenging to stay authentic and in style simultaneously. The design team, thus, must strive to integrate uniqueness into their clothing line. They must also be able to translate their concepts into action while maintaining the original intent.
They should have a clear understanding of what other designers are producing now and have created throughout the history of fashion in order to innovate and invent new ideas. This is why streetwear has survived major fashion revolutions; due to its versatility.
The Fashion Brands That Made Their Name
Given the popularity of streetwear, it is not surprising that high-end fashion houses like Balenciaga, Dior, Louis Vuitton, and others are investing in the trend. As a result, the rise of logo mania and iconic looks like the Balenciaga logo hoodie and “Triple S” sneakers rule the streets.
Even if it’s not brand-new, streetwear is a force unto itself. Every fashion expert and celebrity now adhere to this wave of casual wearing. The days of bucket hats, oversized shapes, and shoes for casual attire are long gone. However, it is worth noting that fashion trends often repeat. Therefore, you might find them coming back into style someday soon.
But during the past ten years, other companies have established themselves. Other premium streetwear labels, some of which you may already be familiar with, are starting to develop cult followings. Each brand has its own spin on what street fashion means. Some emphasize comfort, while others focus on social messaging. You’ve got choices.
Choices, Choices
Nevertheless, it is often a challenge for consumers to buy the best quality products at a much more affordable cost. Moreover, it can get difficult if they truly want to stand out and keep up with the iconic fashion trends. But it is equally important to look out for fashion brands that align with your sense of style.
There are hundreds of online stores that have come up with their own streetwear clothing line, with their merchandise including graphic tees, hoodies, co-ord sets, masks, and more featuring their own iconography. These stores are not only less costly as compared to popular fashion brands but also keep into consideration the truest sense of fashion.
Not everyone has the financial means to purchase an expensive pair of designer sneakers for several hundred dollars. In order to provide clients with affordable knockoffs, the fast fashion industry quickly jumped on the street fashion bandwagon. It’s possible that you can’t tell the difference between the two. A determined hypebeast, though, can spot a fake or a hard-to-find designer item from a mile away.
If you are looking for any such fashion label that would fit your idea of street style, we can help. For top-notch quality, you should definitely check out Jesus Smokes. Also, if you are a follower of popular culture and are a devotee of art history, you would not be disappointed to check them out.
How Do You Style It?
When it comes down to it, fashion is all about what you want to wear and how it makes you feel. The ability to wear clothes that not only look beautiful but feature slogans that correlate to represent a group is why people like them. Fashion is self-expression and self-projection. We dress up to show the world who we are and what we believe in.
Ultimately, fashion is a personal choice that we make based on who we are, from our hobbies to our profession to our social perspective. Each of these factors affects our style and how we showcase it. It doesn’t matter if you are into hip-hop or alternative rock. Streetwear allows everyone to express themselves.
Many fashion brands have cropped up over the years due to the rising demand for streetwear. From the names, we already discussed unsung heroes that are emerging. Jesus Smokes takes the concept of street style and runs with it. From hoodies to tees to jeans and all in between. It’s a brand you want to keep an eye out for.
