And so, it only follows that they’ll desire - if not expect - their favorite streetwear brands to follow. But, there is the art and status element that has tractor-beamed a younger generation in. The stocks/trading features might be unappetizing (most young people live for the moment and aren’t champing at the bit to invest), the collectibles side of it can only be appreciated by those who are old enough to be nostalgic about hording something. NFTs appear to be of little interest to many teenagers. In fact, crypto might be one of the most significant cultural trends of the last ten years that isn’t influenced by adolescents at all. Can you think of any other time in history when grown adults cared so much about keeping pace with a teenager? *This probably has a lot to do with how social media corralled us all into the same room when it comes to the right music to listen to, the most up-to-date slang, and the right brands to endorse. Like rap music, pop culture glommed onto streetwear and now, social hierarchy isn’t defined solely by money or class, but access to the underground and the validation of teenaged gatekeepers*. Of course, streetwear learned much of this from high fashion and niche collectibles, but its twist was that it made it “cool,” youthful, and accessible on a street level. Business startups that were not only motivated by money, but by Cool and Clout, took pages out of the streetwear book: make the product in limited editions, do “drops” that immediately sell out to rouse froth and FOMO, and play into the resale market (without acknowledging it exists). The frenzied line-ups, the collaborations, and the celebrity endorsements galvanized an entire generation of entrepreneurs to be the Supremes of their own industry, whether it was fashion or food or farming. Streetwear is a subcultural badge, a coolguy co-sign, a blue-check on a lapel.įor the last decade, streetwear brands - most notably New York-based Supreme - set the tone for how a brand could stay culturally relevant, artistic and innovative, and still be a capitalist machine. Much of the appeal comes by way of heightened social status. But, the larger mainstream now classifies streetwear as casual sportswear/workwear aligned with a scarcity mindset, elitist attitude, and “hype” marketing vis-à-vis Veblen goods. I’ve even seen athleisure brands co-opt the title. Streetwear can be Nike or secondhand shops like Round Two.
It can be the New York hip-hop brands of the ’80s, it might mean Stüssy beach culture or Diamond skate luxury. “Streetwear” is also understood as different things to different people by generation and geography. There was always an act of resistance that preceded it, an artistic defiance of a system. No matter where you begin the streetwear story, you start in the middle. Like I say in my book, it’s impossible to define a point in time when “streetwear” was born.
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