Streetwear is a clothing style that became known around the world in the 1990s. It originated from a combination of New York hip-hop fashion, California's surf cat culture, and elements of sportswear, punk, and Japanese street fashion. Over time, haute couture became an influence. Urban fashion is a casual clothing style that went global in the 1990s.
It grew out of New York's hip hop fashion and California's surf culture to include elements of sportswear, punk, skateboarding and Japanese street fashion. It generally focuses on casual and comfortable garments, such as jeans, t-shirts, baseball caps and sneakers, and on exclusivity through intentional product shortages. Enthusiasts follow certain brands and try to get limited-edition releases. After California, the look became popular among youth cultural scenes, especially in skateboarding and hip-hop circles in New York.
But it was brands like Supreme, based in New York, which began in 1994 as a skateboard and clothing store, that boosted the trend even more. Created by James Jebbia, the brand quickly gained a cult following that has only grown over the years. Street fashion began to become popular just after World War II. Square, Ph, D.
He adds: “There were more sneakers and fewer 'right shoes', a general coincidence of fashion. Now, some of the most famous sports brands, such as Nike, Adidas and Puma, are trying to enter the urban fashion market. Without it, brands such as Vetements and Off-White would not exist today as contemporary urban luxury clothing brands. Contemporary urban fashion has a growing influence on haute couture and, in turn, has been influenced by fashion shows.
Exclusivity in the form of capsule collections, limited editions and artistic collaborations are the hallmarks of urban fashion. Urban fashion will always seek to embark on new paths and break with outdated practices, as consumers are increasingly aware of issues related to equality and sustainability. Although it seems that the world of fashion is constantly changing with new trends and styles that are bought every season, there is no doubt that urban clothing by designers is not going to disappear quickly. It is generally accepted that the urban style was born out of the New York City hip-hop culture of the late 1970s and early 1980s, with elements of Los Angeles surf culture.
Even today, urban fashion is led by a close-knit group of musicians, skaters, artists and now social media influencers, who create clothes and select styles for themselves as an act of self-expression, culture and community knowledge. In fact, it's arguable that urban fashion wouldn't be where it is now if it weren't for celebrities willing to adopt this unique style. From everyone who wears sweatpants as if they were jeans to celebrities who consistently choose athletics over everything else, it turns out that urban fashion is much more than a fad or a phase. Urban fashion has taught the industry that limited editions promote a sense of exclusivity, not through prices, but through community spirit.
Brands like Supreme and Stussy paved the way for designers like Vigil Abloh and Raf Simmons to create their own designer version of urban fashion. Hypebeast defines urban fashion as “casual and fashionable clothing”, but explains that this definition undermines the “multi-million dollar industry that urban fashion has become”. To learn more about what urban fashion means to their community, British and Italian researchers from VOCAST spoke to three leading experts in the industry. .
