Most of the popular streetwear brands you see today were started in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Dr. Martens, Schott NYC, Kangol, and Fila were growing in popularity with subcultures such as hip-hop and punk scenes in NY, LA, and throughout Japan. In the ‘90s, however, these brands and others started creating new brands and styles based around particular hobbies, tapping into completely new markets. Skate and graffiti culture began shaping what we know today as streetwear. The fashions range from sneakers, high-top boots, leather jackets, band t-shirts, varsity-style jackets, and cargo pants.
Streetwear first started gaining notoriety in common culture in the ‘90s with brands like Stüssy, Bronze Age, 10. Deep, Bathing Ape (BAPE), and Supreme, which were already big within countercultures like skateboarding. The cultural relevance of skate and alternative music in the ‘90s was primed by magazines and television, which fueled the trends to come and kept the culture growing and the fashion in vogue.
What is happening to streetwear now, in the age of streaming and screens when magazine and television impact is too time-specific and can’t keep pace? The fashion world is constantly changing, with new trends and styles being released constantly. Brands are collaborating to create entirely new collections we’ve yet to see, and there’s a line (digital and physical) for every Supreme new release.
The number of brands we see in streetwear has surely grown in recent years. Their influences pull inspiration from old established brands, new culture, and classic fashion tropes. This can be attributed to how much easier it has become to start a brand. In past business models, the necessity to outsource was a greater hurdle to start a brand. Now, the ability to digitally make your designs, find your materials– raw or whole– and make your goods in-house with new and more readily available tech has made the streetwear legacy as relevant as ever.
With so many new brands, it’s easy to see that the demand is entirely there and the social media culture is helping not just this new wave, but also established businesses, to make new looks for each new trend and revisit the classics.