Streetwear has always had a sense of belonging and exclusivity associated with its origins in subculture, but in our ever changing world and ties with technology, how is streetwear evolving and how does it create a sense of belonging within culture and this generation of technology.
Streetwear’s origins come from subcultures, but what are subcultures? According to Moffit 2015, subcultures are a movement or state of mind that tend to challenge social norms through symbolic forms of resistance and liking to live on the outskirts of society. Those who associate with subcultures have a tendency to antagonise the mainstream society. Notable subcultures that are associated with street wear are Teddy Boys, mods, rockers, punks etc. The styles and attributes of these groups were constructed through music, dance, make up, morals, race, socioeconomics and the media contexts of each subculture. Subcultures initially form through this resistance, leaving the greater society to perceive the subgroup as radical and non-conformists, giving subcultures a fearful reputation. Yet, most trends of subcultures bubble up and are commodified by mainstream, making elements of a subculture group that were once seen as a statement are then turned into just another influence to mainstream fashion. An example of this is expressed by King 2017, how the Edwardian jackets of the Teddy Boys that was once seen as a subversive and rebellious statement is now contained. As discussed by Moore 2017, this is considered by many as the moment a subculture begins to die and is dominated by the greater society. Leaving influential trends of the subcultures to bubble up and be encompassed by the mainstream.
athleisure styled garments. The values of the subgroup include honesty, loyalty and creative expression. Foley 2019 discusses the importance of the decades and the brands hip hop also brought to the scenes of streetwear, The 80s was the decade when hip hop first came to the world’s attention, and the uniform worn by the artists who brought the sound of the streets to the media was ingenuous yet impactful. It was important to be seen in a named brand yet one was expected to customise pieces to add an individual flair. Footwear was also a significant part of the look; trainers were white and high topped with chunky laces. The ‘90s were also a time when branding and marketing in fashion became custom. Logos took over and people started to associate themselves with certain brands. Associations quickly became their own subcultures; the brands you chose and identified with were deep-rooted in your personal narrative. From the Fresh Prince to Clueless, ‘90s pop culture inspired a new wave of styles. The 20th century combined multi-coloured jeans and neon windbreakers with punk-rock pleated skirts and grungy flannels. It was a decade that united many genres, and saw the rise of iconic moments in style history. Art and general artistic expression has roots within streetwear, as articulated by Knaster 2017, art is expressed through culture and experience, especially considering the hip-hop subculture where music Romero 2012 outlines hip-hop as and athleisure are great compoa significant contributor to nents in the image of the subgroup. streetwear. The subculture of hip- Streetwear is a more expressive hop submerged in USA during the form of self-creativity therefore early 1980s. According to Stolwor- art is closely tied in within the thy 2017, items such as tracksuits, subcultures of street wear. These hoodies and graphic t’s were being are the values and mindsets we worn by the subgroup and advertised still expect to see in streetwear by artists such as Run – D.M.C. today, and it can’t be argued that The origins of the hip-hop subcul- rap and black culture have a mature began in crime-ridden, poor jor influence within a major aspect neighborhoods such as the Bronx, of streetwear, within the types of New York. In the early 1970s black clothing, style and attitudes. youth created their own tribe with
Today, Streetwear is more about labels than the meaning behind subcultures, yet in a sense the hype around buying into certain brands ties with becoming its own subculture in a sense. Today streetwear, is all about the aesthetic and the status it hold to be able to keep up with the hype and latest drops. According to Bain 2019, Gen z are extremely conscious about their aesthetic and brand authenticity. They want transparency and to be genuine, therefore brands today can’t just sell their consumer clothes, they have to create an experience around it. As discussed by Wong 2019 Brands today, are exploring more on how to become a more engaging brand, product, place, people and personality are pillars brand today stand by and are key to creating a unique customer experience. That’s where streetwear excels, creating excitement or hype around their products creates an experience for the consumer. With every brand, comes a purpose, this purpose gives gen z and street wear consumers a reason to buy into the brands culture. The youth today want to be associated with brands that share their values. So wearing a logo in a sense represents who you are, and what tribe or again, subculture you belong to. Streetwear brands tend to have an edgy charisma, so wearing the products creates this persona about you, that you get the message of the brand, and you have this ‘cool’ stigma attached to you. Yet, it is argued by Fox 2016, that there isn’t much of a ‘subculture’ anymore, youths have an obsession over owning the right items to be accepted within society and have a certain knowledge of streetwear brands in order to fit into the niche. In the book ‘Subculture: the meaning of style’, Hebdige 1979 argues that “humble objects can be magically appropriated; ‘stolen’ by subcultural groups and made to carry ‘secret’ meanings which express, in code, a form of resistance.” This could be identified today by the exclusive items created by brands such as Supreme or Palace. Streetwear goers go mad over ‘drops’ and the idea of owning something unique. uniqueness seeming to be an obsession resonating with generation z. Today technology is the number once source of interaction, from communicat-
ing to one another to marketing. technology has revolutionised this decade and continued to develop. The concept of belonging has greatly played a role within understanding myself and my generation. The generations of today, (millennials, gen z), are already living digital lives. Belonging to gen z, and having researched it, I feel acceptance and belonging plays a huge role in how we fit into society and how we communicate. Our online personalities have become as equally as valuable as our offline personalities – the lines are beginning to blur. Technology has played a huge role in this and can be seen as a positive and a negative. The relevance of media technologies result in a greater sense of belonging to a community, within the sense of streetwear, we known that consumers today obsess over the idea of exclusivity and being unique, therefore how does this corollate into the world of streetwear? The internet simply has taken streetwear in a way into the mainstream. Online, everything is accessible therefore it makes getting your hands on drops and resales easier which takes away an element of exclusivity. As discussed by Pathak 2016 after decades as a subculture, streetwear is being slowly consumed by the lifestyle niche. The once urban skater brand ‘Stussy’, can now be found in the chain store, Urban Outfitters. What keeps the exclusivity is the price point. Once a vocation of the streets per say, Streetwear today being about labels, couture houses can take their counterculture street styles onto runways. Social media has been a huge enabler, it has taken an edge of exclusivity off of streetwear culture, especially regarding sneaker culture. Before the internet, hype followers would have to look and create an experience out of getting a pair of exclusive sneakers. Today, ressalas can be found on various apps, online sellers and even eBay. It completely contradicts the message of streetwear and the message behind where it came from. The future of streetwear needs to be revolutionised, as discussed by Virgil Abloh, Dazed 2019, the streetwear of extreme exclusivity and uniqueness is dying. How many more pairs of sneakers or hoodies can we own without the repetitive process wearing out. And therefore what is the future of the complex niche of streetwear?
It is undeniable that streetwear is depriving of its exclusivity. Yet to move into the future, the niche could create more of an experience for the customer by connecting them back and reminding them that streetwear comes from a place of acceptance and belonging. As deliberated by Admin 2019, streetwear over the past few years has been intertwined within the world of luxury fashion. It is easy to predict that we will see more luxury brands collaborating with traditional streetwear brands, but we can’t expect it to last forever. Again, streetwear’s roots are within hip-hop subculture not high end fashion, therefore what we could expect for the future of streetwear is to regain its stance of protest. With global strife, we could expect streetwear to become a sort of uniform for the none conformists once more. It is fashion that is in representation of the progressive politics of generation z, the inclusive attitudes have raised a huge following, amplified by the internet and technology in general. An example is illustrated by Petty 2019, in 2015 after the Charlie Hebdo Office terrorist attack in Paris, France began to have a major increase in anti-Islamic hate-crime. Taking a stand, Theodoros Gennitsakis started a streetwear brand in purpose of refuting the negative stereotypes surrounding the Islamic community within the country. “The pieces are simple but the message is strong” (Petty 2019) As deliberated by Adz & Stone 2018 in ‘This is Not Fashion’ streetwear has always excelled as small productions, creating one of a kind customizations not mass consumption, otherwise is it really even streetwear? It is clear from research that streetwear comes down to being exclusive, unique and carrying a message or stance of protest, basically taking a stand for something, but as Maguire 2019 reflects, individuals want a space where they can express themselves without limitations. Brands don’t need to be pushing the necessity of being diverse and inclusive to their gen z consumers, they just need to be transparent in their values. Streetwear consumers also have a sense
of nostalgia in the buying habits. Wanting exclusive vintage pieces, as Virgil Abloh pondered in Dazed 2019, the future of streetwear is archive. Being able to create a collection or an experience of ones own. Gen z have a tendency to be captivated by aesthetics of the past, I guess in a sense where streetwear began and the want to be and look as authentic as they can. The younger generations appreciate these styles based on their ability to give meaningful association or cultural reference. With the industry going into a more transparent future, streetwear brands also have to tackle becoming more sustainable. Gen z are forcing major shifts by giving expectations of good standards of sustainability within the brands they follow, giving brands the opportunity to take a stand on ethical and environmental issues. As defined by Velasquez 2019, brands need to strive into becoming part of a more circular economy, with its principals to design out waste and pollution. Brands must also look to technology to influence and shape their future. Discussed in an article by Dazed 2018, the fashion world seems to be seeking to take consolation in the world of tech and artificial intelligence. Blurring reality with digitally rendered avatars. In a sense this does create a new sort of distorted hype towards streetwear brand if they are to pursue with AI, it is both disturbing and brilliant at the same time. Even today we have started to see hints of this with digital avatars that have been taking to social media platforms and gaining a large following doing so. I believe streetwear brands will succeed to create a new weird sort of following delving within AI and the possibilities it creates in making more of an interactive space, an experience for the consumer. In the same sense, gaming platforms will be taking more of a prominence in the near future, again creating more of an interactive experience for the consumer. Gen z want experience, they want a narrative with their clothes. Maybe this is the future of streetwear, a narrative that combines rich subculture history and binary codes of digitally enhanced models and spaces.
it was more brands to begin with to be honest with you, but the more I got "Yeah, I get subinto it the more I cultures, like learnt and kind thats wear of got the whole streetwear subculture thing comes from that goes with right. Stuff like streetwear. Like skaters, punk its cool it comes and hip-hop. Minorities or like a from somewhere with meaning not group of people wanting to stand just a trend". When I asked about the future of for something streetwear and the ‘death’ of streetwear, everyone agreed that it would die, as a together". lot of people do see it a trend based In order to further my research I also conducted several interviews with sources that have a great interest and intrigue within the field of streetwear and its future. From my interviews I gathered that, the participants were aware of subculture and their meaning and importance behind the meaning of streetwear and culture.
From my research it seems those who are dedicated to streetwear are aware of the meaning behind it all, but it’s not why they go into the hype;
"I didn't when I first starting liking the stuff,
rather than subculture or lifestyle. Therefore attempts to keep streetwear how it’s going at the moment would be futile, though there is a lot of stigma around ‘hype’ it cannot last forever. Though I belive technology could bring a new edge to streetwear it has far strayed from the roots of subculture, and maybe she be brought back to that meaning in collaboration with technology.
SHANNON EVANS