It’s among the most significant fashion trends in the last 30 years. But despite more sharper styling and direction than everbefore, the fashion industry’s top designers tell Design Week that the key authentic streetwear is rooted in the grassroots.
With an estimated value of $165 billion globally streetwear has emerged as 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 pioneers of streetwear were skateboarders as well as surfers from the US.
In the early days the streetwear industry was created by the people who wore it in the form of surfers and skaters designing clothing with personal slogans and logos. As time passed the emergence of brands took off and emerge, starting with Stussy and Freshjive becoming popular in the 1980s, with other brands like Supreme, 10.Deep and Bape coming in the late 1990s.
In the past, fashion subversives were the mainstay and their ilk, today’s labels is largely due to deep knowledge of social media as well as polished graphic design and prominent collaborations. Fans wait for hours to get their the first batch of Supreme releases; they’re willing to pay more than the price of the item to purchase special edition Bape merchandise.
However, while the brands of today are more sophisticated than their predecessors of the past and their style is more popular than ever before, staying in touch with their own DIY and local roots is a major aspect of the operations of many brands. This strategy, which is followed by established and well-known brands alike, adds a whole new degree of loyalty to the fanbases of brand-loving streetwear that proponents are eager to encourage.
“Pushing the entire culture”
In 2008, prior to when Mikey Trapstar was established with the Trapstar brand, the now global streetwear brand was printing images onto t-shirts with Snappy Snaps located in West London. Then, after a while, moving into a screen-printer using more of a graphic-oriented approach, Trapstar began selling its merchandise on the social network Myspace.
“We (Mikey and co-founders Lee and Willhave] used to buy burner phones and then give our numbers to Myspace,” says Mikey. “And once you’d placed your order for clothing then we’d drive you to the store and drop it off in an empty pizza box. Then you called us up and we’d take 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 the endorsements of celebrities and Instagram likes aren’t the only thing that matter and the most important factor to Trapstar’s success is its position in the eyes of its followers.
“We’ve had a lot of fun working with this concept since the year 2008, which was young within the UK streetwear scene . As it has developed, we’ve been very involved in it,” he says. “It was not just the intention to promote this particular style of clothing; it was the entire society that revolved around it.”
From the beginning of pop-up events which were held in store (what we refer to as “invasions”) Mikey says that the brand has created an intimate community. Mikey says the fact that they are part of a community is the reason people are drawn to it.
“A like-for-like trade-off”
The idea that brands should create their brand identity around their local communities is a tenet shared by a variety of streetwear brands. For example, in this case, Done London, what began with a few friends creating t-shirts to friends of theirs has grown into a global company that has recently unveiled a desired capsule collection that is endorsed 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 to get to know our friends and then, as we began selling t-shirts we realized that people were willing to buy into the work we were doing since they appreciated the work that we put into creating things.”
Rowley-Conwy and founder Tom Andrews are quick to declare that this market as a crowded one “There’s 100 streetwear companies popping up on Instagram each day, but how many of them last?” To preserve their individual style, the two have nurtured their local community by directing Done as an online community for artists rather than a single brand.
“We assist artists and musicians design their products, and we also assist other streetwear brands create their own designs,” says Andrews. “People are drawn to brands they love and when you assist them in creating their own brand, it’s like a trade-off.”
“Real members will imagine it”
The collaborative fashion label Collusion is a step furtherby creating complete collections through partnerships with the larger community. Since its inception in 2018 Collusion has been inviting generation-z and millennial creatives to create clothes, describing the selection “[a celebration ofthe people who wear it”.
“[Our customers] want 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 states 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 states: “The brand model sets up to evolve continuously and will never be fixable… the actual members of the Collusion group] are going to always be invited to redefine and redefine it.”
One of the initial collaborators designer Jebi Ndimuntoh Labembika explains the method: “Back home [in CameroonEach tribe has their own distinct way of life which is why when they enter the world, every tribe is distinct. The clothes, collaborators models, the message of Collusionthe brand] – all of it is the tribe.”
“A method to identify ourselves”
With well-established communities and established, the graphics of streetwear brands acquire a deeper meaning. Beyond being a means to add style to clothing, logos are now recognizable badges. Mikey describes: “[Our Trapstar logo] is an ode to strength, and it reflects the strength we imitate every other aspect of the brand.
“People are looking to be a part of that inner strength and power The logo is a means for us to communicate that message to others who are within our community and beyond it.”
The Done by London’s TfL collection, which is emblazoned with the various compass marks of the capital, creates the same impact. “People including us have pride in where they came from and are very proud of the communities they live in,” says Rowley-Conwy.
“For certain people, it may seem odd to wear a t-shirt which declares that you’re from South London however, many people would like to identify themselves as belonging to an identifiable group, and these images provide a means to achieve it.”
Mikey concludes: “Trapstar will always keep the essence of its initial brand’s philosophy in order to let people know the community they’re a part of whenever they put on our clothing We believe in the same principles.”
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