Streetwear is big business. Since its popularisation in the 1990s, the laid-back style rooted in street culture, hip-hop and skateboarding has moved from subculture to the mainstream.
Streetwear’s cultural relevance is undeniable, underpinning trends in fashion and luxury to the extent that its fans began feeling that pure players were becoming too commercial, losing sight of their roots and day one communities.
‘I definitely think there’s a bit of an identity crisis in streetwear,’ Isabelle Jones, junior strategist at Highsnobiety, tells LS:N Global. US brand Supreme’s product drops, known to fly off the shelves in seconds, have started selling more slowly, while other landmark labels like Bape or Stüssy are reportedly losing ground.
Now, the cool compass is pointing in new directions and power dynamics are changing. If street-style connoisseurs are rejecting what feels like manufactured, commercially minded hype, what does the post-peak streetwear scene look like?
If new generations of consumers are slowly turning away from established streetwear giants, including the likes of Obey, Bape, Stüssy and Supreme – who are the underdogs selling the hottest commodities?
A new wave of independent brands are taking over, such as London-based Corteiz, Ghanaian brand Free The Youth and Dutch label Daily Paper. Newcomer brands usually follow the classic streetwear pathway of creating logo-heavy merchandise catering for specific niche interest groups which then develop into a cult fan base. Think graphic t-shirts or branded objects like caps, tote bags or skateboards.
New power players have been successfully using brand collaborations without selling out their identity. The Nike and Corteiz launch is one example, while Free The Youth has collaborated with Off-White and Jordan on limited-edition products and community initiatives.
These examples demonstrate that successful streetwear brands don’t have to pick between being overly protective of their IP and cautious of leaning into commercial opportunities; instead, they are finding a sweet spot of organic matches for hype-boosting brand collaborations.
