Originating in New York hip hop in the late 1970s, this fringe, cultural and ancient movement was consolidated and managed to impact an entire industry.
Streetwear is a casual clothing style that became global in the 1990s. Such a small word has been transformed and today carries an enormous meaning - which served as an inspiration for the fashion market and became a multi-billion dollar retail phenomenon. This event could be considered the great transformation that impacted the way in which we consume products in recent decades.
The “street style effect”, if we may say so, was only able to reach what we know today, through two factors that helped to achieve this: creativity and scarcity. And that's what we're going to talk about here.
Taking a quick trip back in time, designing for a post-hippie movement scenario and freedom of the social sectors, where the fashion industry needed to renew itself through a new format (hello, fast-fashion), with a scale production and sale of clothes for specific occasions, men and women purchased pieces thinking exactly how they would want to present themselves to society, whether for a job, a trip, an event or a physical activity. With that in mind, the market analysis built to create new models for these occasions takes place based on the attempt to make clothing - or clothing, symbolize something.
In practice, for a meeting, for example, the exact way to convey a message of seriousness and etiquette is the suit. The same piece wouldn't fit for a day of enjoying the beach.
Here, we realized how influential fashion can be, creating centuries-old codes and signs, making the individuals involved in fabrics in different shapes fit into that imaginary construction or not.
That said, and with everyone on the same page, let's start looking from another perspective: the social one. Fashion's ability to differentiate between individuals is not of their nature, but rather the creation of man himself, and serves as the main tool for structuring capitalism. Without wanting to bump into socialism too much, and taking into account the flaws in the system that we have and still perceive today, the parallel I want to show here is how one of these flaws can generate a movement of margins, which expands and solidifies, causing the pre-established rules in society to change. That's exactly what happened in the mid-70s in the United States.
As American society grew to become one of the world's leading economic powers, and a part of its citizens were moving toward it through work, investment, innovation, and unrestrained consumption—the other part, who had no access and would have to give up three times of themselves to achieve the same objectives, found ways to express their dissatisfaction with the modus operandi, thus creating a counterculture to everything that was pushed at them.
Graffiti with phrases written by the city, Raps unfolding verses that tell of the difficulties of living in the oppressive system, songs that highlight the aesthetic beauty that was not seen in the campaigns and billboards, and especially, clothes from, thrift stores, second-hand or replicas of pieces from famous brands that cost an arm and a leg. All of this, together and mixed together, created what we know today as Street Style.
The rise of streetwear was not only a matter of fashion, but also of cultural and social expression. The movement was not limited to wardrobe changes, but transcended to represent a break of standards and a rebellion against established norms. It was a way of telling the world that identity and individuality couldn't be bought in department stores or replicated in bulk. Streetwear has become a symbol of authenticity and resistance, where each piece carries with it a unique narrative and a story of the wearer.
What began as a response to the dominant culture of consumerism and uniformity has transformed into a global movement that challenges traditional concepts of fashion and style. Streetwear isn't just about clothing; it's about empowerment, inclusion, and freedom of expression. It gave voice to those who felt marginalized by the system, providing a platform for them to claim their individuality and redefine standards of beauty and acceptance. In a world where image often trumps substance, streetwear offers a genuine and authentic alternative for those who refuse to be defined by society's conventional standards.
To dive even deeper into the impact and rise of this movement in global culture, I selected some brands that were already born with this in their DNA.
Created in 1920 in the United States by Ehrhardt Koch. At first the idea was to create hats, caps and berets. In just one year of the company, 60,000 hats were produced. In 1934, the first professional baseball cap was released. New Era expanded its products in 2008. Starting the production not only of backpacks, fanny packs and belts, but also of t-shirts and jackets.
Today it is the largest and most complete headwear brand in the world. In addition to being the official supplier of caps for sports leagues.
Launched in 1908 by Marquis Mills as the 'Converse Rubber Shoe Company', the company specialized in rubber-soled footwear for men, women and children. The brand has always pushed the limits of what a sneaker can do. Color, fun and practicality to elevate everyone's style without losing imagination.
Having dominated the basketball sneaker market for over 30 years, All Star Chuck Taylor promoted a cultural change and became predominant in the music scene of the 80s and 90s. You could find them at the feet of some of the world's biggest names in Rock and Hip Hop, including Kurt Cobain from Nirvana, Wiz Khalifa, The Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols, and The Ramones.
The brand appeared in New York at the hands of James Jebbia, as a store focused on the skater public and underground culture. Gradually, the brand began to gain prominence in the fashion mainstream, being the desired item of all the world's most stylish youth.
The brand gained space on the local NYC scene with a skateboarding team steeped in legends. In 1995, Supreme's lifestyle was immortalized on movie screens with the movie KIDS, directed by Larry Clark. In the feature film, skateboarders and real people from the city, such as Harold Hunter and Chloë Sevigny, play teenagers who live their busiest days (and nights) on the streets.
