It’s among the most significant fashion trends in the last 30 years. But despite more sharper styling and direction than everbefore, brands’ leaders have told Design Week that the key authentic streetwear is rooted in the grassroots.
At a value of around $165 billion in the world Streetwear is now one of the major trends in the fashion world of today. The roots of this style are in the counter-cultures of the 1980s and 1990s The first to pioneer streetwear were skateboarders as well as surfers from the US.
In the early days streetwear was designed by the people who wore it in the form of surfers and skaters designing clothing with personal slogans and logos. As time went on the emergence of brands took off starting with Stussy and Freshjive becoming popular in the 1980s and other brands like Supreme, 10.Deep and Bape coming in the late 1990s.
The fashion subversives of the past and their ilk, today’s labels is largely due to an in-depth understanding of social media with polished design, as well as notable collaborations. Fans line up for hours to get the the first batch of Supreme releases; they’re willing to spend more than the cost of purchase to purchase exclusive Bape merchandise.
While today’s brands are more sophisticated than their predecessors of the past and their style is more popular than ever before, staying connected to their DIY and community-based roots is an integral aspect of the operations of many brands. This strategy, which is followed by established and well-known brands alike, adds a whole new dimension to the brand-loving streetwear fanbase who are keen to help.
“Pushing the entire culture”
In 2008, just before Mikey Trapstar started operating as a Trapstar label, the now world-renowned streetwear giant was printing pictures onto t-shirts with Snappy Snaps located in West London. Then, after a while, moving into a screen-printer using an emphasis on graphics, Trapstar began selling its merchandise on the social network Myspace.
“We (Mikey and co-founders Lee and Willwere able to purchase burner phones and then give our numbers to Myspace,” says Mikey. “And once you’d placed your order for clothes then we’d drive you to the store and drop it off in the pizza box. You could call us and we’d deliver it to you in person.”
From the humble beginnings of the brand, Trapstar has evolved into an international success story in streetwear after signing in partnership with Jay Z’s Roc Nation label in the year 2011. However, according to Mikey his sources, endorsements from celebrities and Instagram likes only add value and the most important factor to the brand’s success lies in its standing among its fans.
“We’ve had a lot of fun working with this concept since the year 2008, which was early of the UK streetwear market and as the result, we’ve taken on a lot of responsibility in this,” he says. “It was not just about the fact our intention to promote this particular style of clothing; it was the entire society that revolved around it.”
From the beginning of pop-up celebrations that were held in stores (what we refer to as “invasions”) Mikey says the brand has created an intimate community. He says that being part of these communities is the reason people are drawn to it.
“A similar trade-off”
Brands should construct their identity around their communities of origin communities is a principle shared by a variety of streetwear brands. For example, in this case, Done London, what began as a group of friends who printed t-shirts for friends of theirs has grown into a thriving company that has recently released an extremely sought-after capsule collection , which is supported by Transport for London (TfL).
“We started making things for our own friends and ourselves at the beginning,” says Done London co-founder Will Rowley-Conwy. “It was essentially an opportunity for us to get to know our friends and, when we finally began selling t-shirts we noticed that people were interested in the work we were doing since they appreciated the time and effort we put into our products.”
Rowley-Conwy and Co-founder Tom Andrews are quick to say that this market as a crowded one “There’s 100 streetwear companies that are popping up on Instagram each day, but how many of them last?” To preserve their personal style, the duo have nurtured their community, pointing out Done as an outlet for creatives instead of a single brand.
“We aid artists and musicians design their products, and we also help other streetwear brands design their own designs,” says Andrews. “People tend to be drawn to brands they love and when you are able to help them develop their own brands, it’s a similar trade-off.”
“Real members will imagine it”
The collaborative fashion label Collusion is a step furtherby creating complete collections from partnerships in the larger community. Since its debut in the year 2018 Collusion has invited generation-z and millennial creatives to create clothes, describing the choice “[a celebration ofthe people who wear it”.
“[Our clients] demand more than clothing,” says Collusion’s head of design Sian Ryan, “they look to buy from brands that they can relate and agree with.”
Ryan says that the Collusion brand is based on being open and inclusive Guest designers have been brought into the brand to promote the idea. Because the styles of these designers differ from collection to collection, Collusion is branded through its social-based approach, not any uniform fashion.
Ryan says: “The brand model sets out to change constantly and is never fixable… The actual members of the Collusion Community] will always be invited to redefine and redefine it.”
One of the first collaborators designer Jebi Ndimuntoh Labembika explains the process: “Back home [in CameroonEach tribe has its own unique way of doing things and, when they are introduced to the world, every tribe is distinct. The clothes, collaborators models, messages of CollusionAll of it is an entire tribe.”
“A means to mark our own location”
With established communities the streetwear brand’s logos have a deeper significance. Beyond being a means to embellish clothing, logos are now recognizable badges. Mikey says: “[Our Trapstar logo] is an ode to strength, and it reflects the power we strive to emulate every other aspect of the brand.
“People are looking to be a part of that inner strength and power and the logo serves as a way to convey that image to others who are within our community and outside it.”
Doing the London’s TfL collection, with the various compass points of the capital, creates an identical impact. “People including us feel proud about where they’re from, and they’re very proud of the communities they live in,” says Rowley-Conwy.
“For those who aren’t from the area, it could be odd to wear a t-shirt which declares that the city of their birth is south London however, many people would like to identify themselves as belonging to an identifiable group, and these designs can help them do it.”
Mikey concludes: “Trapstar will always keep the essence of its initial philosophy of the brand to make people aware of the community they’re joining whenever they put on our clothing We believe in the same principles.”
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