Design Brief 6 - Research (Streetwear)
OUGD603
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Streetwear is defined a style of casual clothing which grew from New York hip hop fashion and it also borrows style trends from sportswear, punk, skateboarding and Japanese street fashion.
I found that Streetwear is one of the fastest-growing areas within the fashion industry. According to Business of Fashion, the global streetwear industry was worth an estimated $309 billion dollars in 2017. In a survey by Hypebeast, 45% of consumers surveyed say they purchase an item of streetwear clothing at least once a month, and 62% said they think streetwear products are always in style.
Streetwear itself is much more than a widespread shift towards casual clothing. Behind the overpriced t-shirts with the designer logos slapped on literally everything imaginable, there's a whole lot more than meets the eye. Streetwear flips the traditional fashion model on its head. In the past, designers and trend forecasters dictated what trends made it to the runway, buyers determined what styles made it in-store, and magazine editors told consumers what they should and shouldn't buy during the upcoming season. But now, through streetwear's predominantly direct-to-consumer model, it's the consumers themselves who are driving trends. Street style from high-status individuals like influencers, celebrities, and musicians have a huge influence on what we find fashionable. The incoming trend within streetwear is determined by the users liking, sharing, and retweeting instead of the fashion elite. Many streetwear brands sell exclusively through their own websites instead of through traditional retail channels. They also use single product drops instead of following a traditional runway calendar. By releasing a limited quantity at a set time, brands can increase hype beforehand, ensure scarcity, and create high resale value after the product sells out. Streetwear is extremely personal and depends largely on personal style, location and income level, which suggests there is no right or wrong way to wear streetwear. At its core, streetwear is about mixing comfort and practicality with self-expression.
Streetwear Brands
When researching I found it very hard to pinpoint exactly who started streetwear, however there are a few key players recognised as pioneers of the streetwear industry. These being Shawn Stussy the founder of Stussy as well as James Jebbia who is the founder of the skate brand Supreme. Which is one of the most icon brands within the style. Supreme, BAPE, Stussy, Palace, and Kith and consisted the original streetwear brands, because of their history, and how they structure their drops which rely on exclusivity and brand recognition. The products they drop are are typically available at an accessible price point, their products have extremely high resale value because of the limited numbers of each item. By only releasing a small quantity of an item, they ensure both scarcity and demand stay high. On the other side of streetwear there are Luxury streetwear brands which blur the lines between tradional streetwear brands and old-school luxury fashion houses. While they're all about staying true to their streetwear roots, they offer products at a higher price point and appeal to traditional luxury customers. They function as status symbols and rely predominantly on exclusivity and scarcity.
When conducting my research into streetwear I found that a lot of it was advertised towards males and the clothes can be seen as unisex there isn't a lot of representation within the style.I researched further into this and found that people other than men would wear the brands but they feel like they are not accepted by, the brands doesn't make it accessible for them.
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