Street fashion first became popular in the early 2000s thanks to skaters and their surprising influence on pop culture. Clothing brands such as Supreme and Stussy were at their best, dominating the scene in the United States and, soon, in Europe. Since then, urban fashion has continuously developed and expanded its audience. Millennials and Generation Z just like the idea that they haven't put so much effort into their outfit.
It's the “I don't care” attitude that is tempting for young people. They want to be negligent, they want to be free. Free from the pressure of having to look and act in a certain way, and that's why urban fashion is so popular, first among them, but then among everyone else. Sweatpants and t-shirts aren't just reserved for gyms and exercise.
As we mentioned before, it's a lifestyle. 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 encompass elements of sportswear, punk, skateboarding and Japanese street fashion. Over time, haute couture became an influence.
It usually 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. Streetwear has become very popular in recent years. Streetwear was promoted as skatewear.
It was understood that you could only wear street clothes if you skated. Over time, people started to notice these “cool brands” and started using them on a daily basis. This type of clothing became a booming business. People spend a lot of money, for example, on a t-shirt that says “Supreme “, on Bape, or on shoes with the Nike logo backwards.
The sneakers created by brands such as Adidas and Nike are the cornerstones of the urban uniform. Urban fashion has a long history, with its origins in the post-war era, when people began to move away from previous utilitarian styles to embrace individuality and self-expression through clothing. A lot of people want to have their own identity, so being able to differentiate themselves from other people is something you can do with urban clothing. Urban clothing is something we could call casual clothing, but it doesn't necessarily have to be casual.
Urban clothing has long been a popular choice among style-conscious people, especially those of the younger generation. Complex magazine named Stüssy, Supreme and A Bathing Ape as the main urban clothing brands, and many collaborated on precious haute couture capsule collections, such as Supreme x Louis Vuitton, Fila x Fendi, A Bathing Ape x Commes des Garcons and Stussy x Dior. Since then, the brand has been adapting classic Carhartt garments to attract people concerned about style and has been fundamental in helping urban clothing reach mainstream consumers. In fact, you'll hardly find anyone in this age category who doesn't have at least a couple of pieces of urban clothing.
Although the first urban clothing items were made a long time ago, no one called it a trend or fashion style until the 90s, when it became a worldwide success. Because social networks are so popular and are used so much by millennials and Generation Z, urban clothing is the most common thing you'll see. Although luxury brands have never paid so much attention to this factor, it seems that urban fashion has taught them and forced them to start paying attention to that. In essence, urban fashion involves the production, promotion, sale and resale of casual fashion, mainly footwear, such as sneakers, but also t-shirts and other items, in ways that avoid traditional retail channels and often subvert the way in which the fashion industry has long defined and dictated how “cool” becomes profitable.
For the time being, loose hoodies and sneakers from renowned sports brands are essential, so companies like Nike, Adidas and Puma are seeing huge sales of urban clothing. The communities that originally led urban fashion were largely dominated by men and, as such, the style was originally adopted and promoted by men, representing traditionally masculine looks. Modern urban fashion, which is usually characterized by its casual but daring look, has grown from an interesting story to become one of the most iconic forms of clothing, and its popularity shows no signs of diminishing in the short term. .
