How Long Can The Street Craze Dominate Fashion Industry?

Cross border fusion of fashion and street has long been a commonplace topic. Though decades ago, Oversized shoes and sneakers went on the stage of fashion, but they appeared in such a large area and high frequency for nearly three or four years. Many people attribute the key figures behind this trend to fashion operators such as Virgil Abloh, Kim Jones and so on, which are deeply influenced by street culture.

Looking back at the LV x Supreme, which is the sensation of the world, it is a traditional luxury brand with high prestige and high status. One is a rebellious Street gangster. It seems to have clearly divided the 38 lines. Now, we have become accustomed to this mode. In the face of a series of joint projects that have been popping up, there is nothing more than "one more!" Although there will be positive attention to the relevant developments, the first sense of wonder has disappeared.

From Virgil Abloh to LV Trainer inspired by retro basketball shoes, to Kim Jones in the show, "hug" street artist KAWS, and then to the first two years of the limelight no two, redefine the contemporary sports shoes form Triple S, or even recently landed on the 2020 early autumn men's show DIOR x x, the fashion designers and related fashion houses are racking their brains, trying to dig out the rich Street elements for their own use, bringing fresh presentation methods, so that consumers' aesthetic fatigue comes a little slower.

But everything reaches its peak. This is the law of the so-called fashion cycle. According to the current trend, the street wave will continue to ferment in the fashion circle, which will profoundly affect all aspects of fashion products, culture and aesthetics. But at the same time, fashion brands are actively exploring new styles.

During the spring and summer show of Raf Simons 2019, Simons changed the design of the hat in the previous quarter and returned to the tailor of high fashion. "The fashion industry needs new trends. I used to be a member of the design of a printed Hoodie, but there are so many designs that must be changed. "

Coincidentally, in 2019 Balenciaga autumn and winter show, creative director Demna Gvasalia gave up her own street modeling and Oversize tailoring, focusing on the dress itself, her trim and slender shoulders. She paid tribute to the Cristobal Balenciaga's attention to the design concept of shoulder and waist, and reconstructed the Demna Gvasalia's impression of Paris streets.

Even Off-White Ji, the pioneer of the combination of street and high-end fashion, recently released the 2020 spring and summer Lookbook, which has weakened the usual Street expression techniques, body repair leather jacket, slender trousers, shoulder line and double breasted suit. Deepening the image of high fashion, we can clearly feel the importance of Virgil for fabric and profile. In his manuscript, Virgil said Off-White is no longer a novice, and is exploring a brand new direction to transform the brand.

What is the next trend? No consensus has been reached. But some brands are moving away from street style to explore different aesthetic orientation. Maybe consumers are not ready for the new trend, but anyway, it always comes.

　　 Street fashion and street brand capitalization?

In an interview with BoF, Highsnobiety special editor Christopher Morency said that street clothes redefined the definition of "luxury" in the luxury industry, and shifted from luxury to exclusiveness to popular culture and broader culture.

Following the trend of haute couture, the street apparel market has been developing vigorously in recent 10% years. Street and fashion influence report is jointly released by PWC and HYPEBEAST. Street apparel accounts for about two of the global clothing and footwear market. In the 2019 fashion report released by fashion search platform Lyst, "Streetwear" is still the key trend this year.

"In fact, compared with the past, street clothing consumers are now more mainstream groups, and once seen as a real" niche "brand, business has already done more. Highsnobiety fashion editor Jeff Carvalho said in an interview. In the face of market capitalization of hundreds of millions of street clothing market, with a sharp sense of capital will never put aside this "salvage Holy Land", the most popular street brand has become an attractive takeover target.

In 2017, Carlyle, a private equity giant, spent $500 million to acquire a 50% stake in Supreme, with a transaction value of more than $1 billion. In the same year, the skateboard brand HUF sold its 90% stake to 63 million TSI for Japanese investment company TSI Holdings, and TSI Holdings also invested in St, ssy, UNDEFEATED and Margaret and other brands.

By this year, the news of brand acquisition and investment seeking is still frequent. In August, Off-White New's parent company, Guards Group, was bought by a well-known e-commerce platform Farfetch at a price of 670 million US dollars. In September, PALACE, the British skateboard with shoulder to shoulder Supreme, was exposed to seeking external investment.

If things develop too fast, they will inevitably come to the stage of commercialization. Even the street brand with mutual exclusion of business and capital system is no exception. Capital can inject 100 times of capital to those limited skateboard units or underground brands, effectively expand the team size and market share, and further exert influence on the masses.

But relying on a strong strategic partner is also a constraint. The brand must sell more products and show better performance to make behind the big guys happy. It can be said that this is contrary to the deep-rooted anti cultural tradition of street brands.

　　 Street culture rooted in the community is never out of date.

With the demand of the times, the trend of the tide will emerge from the stage of history. When the bubble of the street boom has burst, the real value of street culture to the society will be highlighted. Printed Tee, Oversized Hoodie, sports shoes, these popular street products can be regarded as concrete representation of street culture.

And the real foundation of street culture, or in other words, it can gather a group of like-minded young supporters, mainly due to the cultivation of street culture communities for many years, linking fresh ideas and crowds, and exporting unique lifestyles. Young people in the community can also get to know more friends here, exchange views, share hobbies and output values and give back to the community, so as to achieve the positive growth cycle of the community.

The early street community can be traced back to the International St ssy Tribe (IST) organization created by Shawn Stussy. Shawn hopes to build an international St ssy community through IST, each with its own personalized Jersey. They not only make brands look cool, but also brand ambassadors, friends and collaborators, contribute to creative ideas and nurture brand culture.

By now, almost influential street brands have built up their own or large or small community culture, so as to interact with the target audience and consolidate the cultural foundation. Supreme, PALACE, VANS, Carhartt WIP have set up their own skateboard team, and regularly produce professional skateboarding films, collecting a group of young people who love street culture, and resonate with a unique way of life.

The media and channels for spreading brand ideas and values are becoming more and more diverse: electronic publications, paper books, long videos, radio broadcasts... Bodega, disguised as a grocery store in Boston, has exported unique aesthetics through its unique retro posters and styling features. At the same time, it also uses excellent Bodega Pirate Radio platform to link itself with fashion, art, music and other culture.

In recent programs, Bodega Pirate Radio has brought DJ and filmmaker Mikkoh's Mix, DJ 7L, DJ TOY recommendation, and so on, to explore the global street culture in a variety of creative ways. And one of the founders, Olive Mak, said that the way to go deep into culture has gained more loyal supporters.

If one day, this street fever is out of the fashion stage, we need not be sad. The fashion trend itself contains the characteristics of "new and old." Ebb and flow will leave people who are chasing people. Street culture will be left behind. They will still contribute to their respective street culture communities and do what they have been doing.