Streetwear an Overview

Streetwear think, Pharrell Williams or Kanye West—two icons of the streetwear look and two people who are consistently noted on any "best dressed" list. Contrary to some stereotypes associated with hip-hop fashion, streetwear these days, is a clean, tailored look, just with a different, laidback vibe than mainstream fashion. Though a casual graphic t-shirt is an essential streetwear item, throwing a blazer on top is a quick, sharp-looking way to dress things up, a trend that has been absorbed by the mainstream.

If we had to strip streetwear down to any items, I would say a dope pair of jeans, a nice t-shirt and a clean pair of kicks. It’s a blend of skateboard and sneaker culture. Everyone had a pair of Jordans and that helped foster the sneaker movement. That love for Michael Jordan, and his shoes, laid the framework for a look that has melted together as each separate style has evolved on its own and then as one. Following the lineage of streetwear will lead you down several different roads. The foundations were laid in the late 1970s, with the initiation of hip-hop and the urban wear that accompanied the attitudes and lifestyle of the music; then gained traction in the 1980s, when surfboard designer Stussy created an underground line, skate-friendly clothing, which went mainstream as skateboarding surged in popularity.

So where does streetwear go from here? As with other style genres, trends ebb and flow; evolve and dissipate. Big, baggy clothing has evolved into a more couture-type fit, while busy patterns have shifted into solid colours. As for the future, it’s hard to predict but, the past few years have had an eighties theme; people wearing skinny-type jeans, vintage Levis, rave colours and all over prints, but now it’s going to be more clean, simple.