The term "street wear" is thrown around loosely to represent a style of clothing worn that takes many influences from popular culture, skating and high fashion. The sudden influx of brands has caused the market to dilute itself into a pool of generic brands trying to make it by riding the latest waves of trend of that season. The brands I will be presenting will be in my opinion the most influential brands in this genre of clothing, with brands that stood the testament of time and are still strong today, to brands that are just up and coming juggernauts.
1. Supreme
NYC Probably the most recognizable logo of all time in street wear, Supreme NYC has garnered a cult following with the brand. The logo, yet simple is synonymous with exclusivity. The brand started in 1994 when James Jebbia opened the first store in the Soho district in New York. It started as a brand made for skaters but soon the designs became extremely popular and the exclusivity of the pieces became wide known due to the store being constantly sold out of the most popular pieces. Supreme almost became a status symbol due to amount of celebs wearing the brand and how expensive the resale market became, with pieces almost doubling or tripling in price when they hit the second hand market.
2. Bape
Bape is a brand from Japan that became popular due to their unique designs with custom camouflage and shark hoods as their signature pieces. The brand took off when then designer Nigo befriended Pharrell Williams. The star power of Pharrell skyrocketed the brand into the spotlight with him being seen wearing almost exclusively Bape. The Bape Shark Hoodie is an iconic piece in street wear and I don't see it leaving anytime soon.
3. STUSSY
Being one of the older brands on my list, Stussy has always been a staple for the street wear community. Being established in the early 1980's by founder Shawn Stussy in California, the brand started with a surfing and skate background. However standing the test of time, Stussy has cemented itself as a giant in the industry without selling out to major corporations. Walk into any mall and I will guarantee that one store in that mall will carry Stussy in their catalog.
4. Vans
Started in 1966 by Paul Van Doran, Vans has always been a staple in the footwear industry. Being adopted by skaters due to the shoes durability and gripiness of the waffle soles the shoe became a classic to those in the skating world. With an instantly recognizable silhouette Vans has always been a major part of street fashion. Being affordable as well as stylish, Vans has established itself as the go to shoe for many people involved in street wear.
5. Palace
Being an up and coming brand, Palaces future is very bright. Already garnering a cult following the brand has recently collaborated with sports powerhouses such as Adidas and Reebok to further legitimize its place in the brand hierarchy found in the community.
6. Gosha Rubchinskiy
Russian designer Gosha's brand has taken the street wear community by storm. With a lot of communistic and military vibes in his clothing, the Russian designer is looking to make a statement with his clothing, blending both high fashion and the streets together.
7. Fear of God
Fear of God is the project of designer Jerry Lorenzo (pictured above). Treading into the waters of higher fashion, the brands appeal is in there high quality basics, with an accentuated silhouette provided by layering the pieces. Popularizing band t-shirts into the street wear community again, the brand often provides its pieces to celebrities such as Justin Bieber, who just recently worked with Jerry Lorenzo on his Purpose tour merch.
8. Saint Laurent Paris
Saint Laurent Paris is the peculiar case when a luxury brand crosses over into the world of street wear. When designer Hedi Slimane took over in 2012 the brand went into a full rebuilding mode. With Slimane's vision in mind, SLP took up a new identity as the luxury brand for the youth. With Slim silhouettes and the rock star aesthetic SLP is seen as the brand in between high fashion and street fashion.
9. YEEZY
No matter what you think of Mr.Kanye West, his influence in street wear and fashion in general is unmistakable. Launching his own brand in collaboration with Adidas in 2015, his shoes are highly sought after and are seen on the second hand market at almost 4x retail prices. Other than his shoes, the YEEZY brand has also popularized the military aesthetic seen in a majority of his clothing.
10. OFF-WHITE
Virgil Abloh's OFF-WHITE is a brand that shows growth through the years. Starting off as a pet project by Virgil he sold shirts with the word Pyrex on the back to fund OFF-WHITE. As the brand grew so did the quality of the product, not seen in a lot of brands today. With an impressive group of people wearing the brand has garnered a following in both the street wear community and the high fashion community (debuting his collection at Paris fashion week this year).
11. Raf Simones
Truly a man ahead of his time, Raf is a designer who started out in men's wear before creating garments that are extremely influential in today's fashion world. Raf often collaborating with Adidas has revitalized the brands classic sneakers with his own twist and has found a dedicated following to whatever he does.
