Streetwear - Modern Streetwear

Modern Streetwear

Modern urban streetwear was born out of the subcultures in American metropolises such as New York and Los Angeles. The movement was generally accepted to have been born out of the surf culture in late 1970s / early 1980s in LA. Local surfboard designer Shawn Stussy started printing his tag on T-shirts and sold them on the beaches.

Early streetwear brands took inspiration from the DIY aesthetic of punk, and later hip hop cultures. Established sportswear and fashion brands attached themselves to the emerging early 1980s hip hop scene such as Le Coq Sportif, Kangol and Adidas.

Nike's capture of soon-to-be basketball superstar Michael Jordan from rival Adidas in 1984 proved to be a huge turning point, as Nike dominated the urban streetwear sneaker market in the late 80's and early 90's. Other clothing brands such as Champion, Carhartt and Timberland were very closely associated with the scene, particularly on the East coast with hip hop acts such as Wu Tang Clan and Gang Starr sporting the look.

The mid to late 90's saw the professional American sports franchises have a huge impact on the look of the scene, from the LA Raiders and Chicago Bulls caps and jackets in the early to the oversized team uniforms of the late 90's that were very popular.

With the advent of "bling" culture, the turn of the century saw an increase in established luxury brands beginning to make in roads in to the market such as Burberry, Gucci and Fendi all making appearances in hip hop videos and films. The most popular shoe of the era was undoubtedly the Nike Air Force One, immortalized in the song by Nelly.

Brand launches by the chief execs of record company's were the next fad in the scene with Russell Simmons of Def Jam launching his Phat Farm label, Sean Combs of Bad Boy with Sean John, and Jay-Z and Damon Dash of Roca-Fella launching Roca-Wear. Rap superstar 50 Cent a few years later launched his G-Unit clothing label, with the sneaker rights given to Reebok.

There seems to have been a slight backlash against the over-exposed, easily available streetwear brands from major followers of the scene, and vintage / limited edition sneakers and apparel have become popular. Original Air Jordan MK1's have been seen on eBay for $800. There are web sites dedicated to hard to find sneakers and apparel.

Japanese streetwear giant Bathing Ape revolutionized the scene with its 2004 US launch. The camouflage items are often difficult to obtain, and come at a premium price.

Current streetwear is more of a mix of skate clothing, surf clothing, and some hip-hop clothing than before, but it still mainly takes after skate clothing.