Streetwear is a constantly evolving grassroots fashion movement influenced by what is currently happening “on the streets”. It focuses on casual and comfortable clothes, often featuring bold colors, graphic prints, and retro designs and logos. Streetwear arose in the late 20th century as a reaction to mass-produced “mall” style and offers an alternative to it. It is often based on comfortable, casual basics such as jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, and sneakers and is influenced by hip-hop, skate styles, and 1980s nostalgia. Streetwear clothing is often expensive and includes limited edition or collector pieces.
Streetwear is notoriously difficult to define, even for those who wear it. This may be because, as the name implies, streetwear is very much a grassroots fashion movement influenced by what is currently happening “on the streets” and is therefore constantly evolving. However, it is possible to isolate some general principles of streetwear. First of all, it usually focuses on casual and comfortable clothes, such as jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, and sneakers. It is also influenced by hip-hop and skate styles, as well as 1980s nostalgia, often featuring bold colors, graphic prints, and retro designs and logos.
Many streetwear enthusiasts maintain that the movement arose in the late 20th century as a reaction to the mass-produced “mall” style. While drawing some of its inspiration from existing hip-hop and skate fashions, the streetwear movement also offered its participants the opportunity to express their individuality by adding playful, quirky, or edgy pieces to the styles that came before it. By creating their own look, streetwear advocates felt they had established an alternative to “mall” fashion. It is perhaps ironic, then, that at the beginning of the 21st century, many mass-produced fashions began to show a clear urban influence.
As the streetwear movement constantly evolves, it’s hard to categorize the specific pieces that belong to it. In general, however, streetwear style is often based on comfortable, casual basics such as jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, and sneakers. In addition to skate and hip-hop, streetwear clothing is often influenced by 1980s nostalgia as well. Therefore, streetwear pieces often feature bold graphic prints in Day-Glo colors and tongue-in-cheek retro logos. The sneakers of choice for streetwear enthusiasts are often inspired by classic ’80s designs.
Streetwear is generally seen as a movement of people that doesn’t have strict rules and is always changing. However, these democratic partnerships don’t necessarily translate into affordable clothing. One of the central elements of streetwear clothing are limited edition or collector pieces, such as small sneakers from major sportswear manufacturers. Buying and wearing such hard-to-obtain pieces helps streetwear enthusiasts show individuality and avoid looking like a member of the masses. This route to individuality often comes with a steep price, however, as special-edition sneakers, caps, and other pieces can cost $200 US dollars (USD) or more.
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