Street Fashion 101
By Amanda Frannie
Notoriously difficult to define, even by those who wear it. Street fashion, since the 80’s, has been an emerging and upcoming trend amongst youth culture, influencers, creatives, and artists. This grassroots fashion movement is inspired by what is happening on the streets and is constantly evolving. From Dapper Dan who inspired the trends back in the 80’s to today’s brands like Stussy, Supreme, and A Bathing Ape, street fashion has been taking over the industry. Street fashion encompasses streetwear, hip-hop fashion, and Japanese street fashion, inspired by the DIY aesthetic of punk, new wave, heavy metal, and later hip-hop cultures. Cities that inspire street fashion include New York, California, London, Milan, and Toyko.
Streetwear was heavily influenced by California surfers and skaters, usually including causal, comfortable pieces like jeans, t-shirts, baseball caps, and sneakers. Shawn Stussy created this modern expression by combining a t-shirt lifestyle brand with the limited feel of a high-end luxury brand. The integral components of a streetwear brand are T-shirts and exclusivity.
“Hip-hop was the genre of music where it was accepted, promoted, and preferred that the artist looked like the fan.” – Frank The Butcher. High-end brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci traditionally did not market to minorities but the integration of hip-hop artists in these brands provided a bridge to the gap.
People were able to live vicariously through their favorite artist by owning a luxury piece. This fashion began with Dapper Dan creating pieces in Harlem to bring high-end fashion to the hood to supply rappers and influencers with unique pieces to showcase. His work integrated high end and affordable pieces, also bootleg pieces.
Now artists like Ava Nirui and Virgil Abloh are using their creativity to redesign clothing from high-end designers into new pieces. Music artists and rappers began signing with high-end labels and brands to inspire their popularity and began to influence the fashion industry as well. Hip-hop artists are now becoming the biggest commercial influencers of our generation.
Japanese street fashion is heavily influenced by Yamamoto and Kawakubo, and brands like BAPE. The style is heavily focused on mixing patterns and using fashion as an art.
Contemporary sportswear fashion mixes formal and active styles together to create a comfortable and trendy look. Common items are hoodies, jackets, track pants, leggings, and sneakers. The 1990’s hip-hop fashion also is incorporated with elements like bomber jackets and dad hats. Nike also has a huge influence on the street fashion scene with shoes, activewear, and tech pieces. Luxury and minimalism are the key components of sportswear street fashion.
What pieces create a street fashion look?
Layers are everything in street fashion. Basics are skinny jeans or tight pattern pants, graphic t-shirts, patterns like checkers and plaid are in, and any coordinating sneaker or boot.
