Where Does The Street Dress That Dominate The Fashion Industry Go When The Craze Fades?

The trend of street costumes is a well deserved rule in the fashion industry in recent years. Luxury brands and mass consumer goods can find Street elements. Despite the gradual decline of consumer enthusiasm, the tremendous influence it brings will undoubtedly provide a lot of thinking for brand management.

Tokyo, Japan -- hooded sweater, sneakers and patterned relaxed T-shirts as representative products of street apparel are undoubtedly the top of the trend of high fashion, but the widespread impact is far from over.

30 years ago, the commercial blueprint of street clothing was born in the crowded Backstreet of Tokyo's Harajuku, which dominated the fashion, retail and consumer culture we know today.

In a joint report released by PWC and trend media Hypebeast this year, street apparel accounts for 10% of the global clothing and footwear market. In the past six quarters, Off-White has been ranked the top two among the top ten Lyst fashion brands in the world, and even the Hoodie has become the standard work clothes for Silicon Valley start-ups. But some fashion industry insiders believe that the street clothing that once dominated T and high street windows such as patterned T-shirts, oversize sweaters, sneakers and futuristic jackets has come to an end.

When street apparel is no longer sought after by the high fashion industry, what will it leave behind?

　 New look

In March 2018, Off-White founder Virgil Abloh became the creative director of Louis Vuitton's men's wear. The Dior men's wear series sought the cooperation of American contemporary artists Kaws. These breakthrough personnel appointments and joint cooperation rapidly promoted the rise of street apparel in the luxury industry.

Dior x Kaws 2019 spring summer series photo source: brand official website

Luxury brands, formerly the number one fans of street apparel, are turning to new styles. On the Calvin Klein 2019 spring and summer show, the former creative director Raf Simons called for the new profile and new form to let men's models walk down the T stage in a jewel colored Satin jacket. "There are too many printed hoodies outside," he said in the background.

Another fan of street clothes fans is Helmut Lang. The brand 2020 spring summer series focuses on tailoring the exquisite profile (no white shoes nor super large T-shirts). Dior's latest men's wear series reflects on the brand's iconic grey suit.

Song for the Mute brand director Melvin Tanaya told BoF in an earlier interview: "we have held several meetings with the buyers in Showroom, and they mentioned that street clothes are disappearing and are looking for new things."

According to the retail data platform Edited, the number of men's luxury T-shirts has dropped by 9% compared with last year, and there is a similar downward trend in women's sports shoes.

People have yet to reach a consensus on what the next trend will be, or whether consumers will welcome other aesthetics with the same enthusiasm. Thakoon Panichgul and others believe that tailoring will be "New Street apparel". Kubo Mitsuhiro, founder, creative director and chief buyer of GR8, a Tokyo trend buying shop, bet on the Alyx of Matthew Williams, Kubo Mitsuhiro. Oliver Smith is the buyer and brand manager of Nepenthes boutique boutique in London. The latter is a pioneer in the Japanese fashion world's contact with American retro style. He noticed that the brand spring and summer series quietly joined the work clothes elements.

　 Metaphors, trends and Catchwords

The word "street clothes" is everywhere in fashion PR language and marketing activities, but enthusiasts believe that many people understand (and outwardly think) street clothes are only visual and verbal buzzwords. "The word becomes irrelevant... It has been completely diluted, "says Smith of Nepenthes.

For Smith and other enthusiasts, street clothing is rooted in such a way, that is, wearing the brand clothes of skateboards and surfers means loyalty to the urban youth subculture. "St ssy is a typical reference, when the brands were expressing their values." He said, "this is a declaration about wearing, and you feel that you have become part of it."

For its part, making clothes and accessories from the words of street clothing can not make a brand a street dress brand. In addition, many public relations and marketing activities fail to realize or accept the deeper cultural roots of street clothing.

"I think street clothes are being occupied by fashion luxury goods and are losing their advantages." Teng Yuan Hao said that he was a designer, consultant, founder of Fragment, a creative consulting company, and was known as the "tide Godfather" by the public.

"It is a misunderstanding that street clothes are a trend." Highsnobiety's special editor, Christopher Morency, told BoF that considering the history and influence of street clothes, its influence on the fashion industry has surpassed the recent impact on the market of luxury goods and consumer goods. "It's just a superficial way of diverting Street elements. It's not the way people used to make fashion dresses."

In any case, once people look at street clothing beyond the original aesthetic value and no longer regard it as a dress influenced by youth culture, its real influence will be highlighted. "(luxury and popular market brand) has been influenced by the way the youth dress up," Morency said. "If children wear more formal clothes tomorrow, they should be treated as street clothes."

After a lot of publicity

Even if the tailored profile is more revealing in the series, the dominant Street dress will leave a legacy for the comfort and leisure style. "Consumers are accustomed to being comfortable now, and I think clipping will never be as important as it used to be," Smith said.

The significance of hooded sweater and sportswear is to make work wear become casual. Besides, street dress attracts more and more consumers into luxury brand stores and creates high-end sports shoes, which is the embodiment of fashion democratization nowadays. Street apparel is a great equalizer in the fashion industry. Its brand and style cross the geographical and class gap and connect consumers together. The recognition of young and avant-garde designers has been proved.

At the same time, the influence of street clothing is that the interaction between fashion brands and consumers will transcend its aesthetic appeal, regardless of whether the brand is sold on the Drop, the design of street clothing audiences, and the less traditional way of marketing.

The latest store of Supreme is located in San Francisco. The store has Mark Gonzales sculpture and skateboard bowl.

"The new way of doing business has not yet reached the top." Seiya Nakamura, founder of Seiya Nakamura 2.24, a global brand research and consulting firm, said: "culture and community are not so entrepreneurial now. It's all about human relationships, rapid action, collaborative culture and the way people cultivate communities today, and it will last longer. "

Such examples are everywhere: from the Moncler Genius project of Moncler to the new Drop model of Glossier, the wide commercial influence of street clothing has changed the business mode of consumer behavior and fashion industry.

"The biggest influence of street clothing is the subversion of the luxury industry's definition of luxury," Morency said. Luxury brands are driven by high price, exclusiveness or brand value inheritance, and turn to products that focus on cultural reputation, community and responsive market. "Just last month, LVMH invested in the young street brand Madhappy, which has attracted much attention from the Z generation in the United States, reflecting its interest in the culture of start-ups, aiming at the layout of emerging business models.

The upsurge of street costumes also has other effects, from seasonal publication to the influx of commercialization and gender mobility. More and more fashion and beauty brands are marketing more than ever before, through Drop selling and media exposure, and at the same time introduce more rich lifestyles to the most loyal consumers, ranging from candles to towels. Street clothing has been leading the trend for decades. Luxury goods are just beginning to realize this. "

Although many brands have crossed their own positioning, they have chosen street style. Morency points out that the success of Noah and Martine Rose like Matthew Williams Alyx, Brendon Babenzien is beyond the visual cues of street dress tradition, interacting with their target communities, and sticking to their position to defend the unique brand DNA.

"All these labels have traces of street clothes, which transcend the external aesthetic of street clothes, but capture the core of the style - rooted in the community and cooperative drive."

　 Loyal to life style

As luxury brands and high street consumers gradually embrace the new trend, loyal Street apparel consumers are unlikely to leave. In fact, street clothing may be returning to its roots.

"We have a history of more than 30 years, and there are regular customers who are constantly repurchasing these brands." Smith adds that Nepenthes consumers reach 75 when they reach the age of 14. "This has become part of their" self ". He believes that no matter how the mainstream attractiveness of street clothing changes, the market demand for brands like Braindead remains strong.

"Street clothing is certainly going downhill." "If you are a real skater, or if you want to have a nice sweater or sports shoes, you will continue to buy street clothing," said Kurino Hiromitsu, co founder and creative director of Japanese retail giant United Arrows (Hirofumi Kurino).

As a loyal supporter of street clothing, GR8 chief man Bao Bao Guang Bo devoted himself to this life. "Anything that reaches the summit will slide. This is the fashion cycle." He told BoF, "but street wear is just for me everyday, so nothing is at its peak. Street clothes will not change - the so-called "peak" is only related to those who are keen to pursue new things.

Like Teng Yuan Hao, Kubo Mitsuhiro and Kurino Hiromitsu, these fashion styles and authority, as well as the loyal consumers of retailers, will keep the street apparel brand going on while developing other fashion trends. "They will continue to do what they are doing now," Smith said. "If the price is right and can get in touch with the original street dress culture, that's the real street dress."