Streetwear

Streetwear is a style of casual clothing that gained global popularity in the 1990s. Emerging from the fusion of African-American and Latino hip-hop fashion in New York with elements of Californian surf culture, it evolved to incorporate elements of sportswear, punk, skateboarding, 1980s nostalgia, and Japanese street fashion. Streetwear is seen as an aspect of African American culture and fashion, and is associated with African American musical traditions, particularly RnB and hip-hop.

Streetwear is commonly linked to exclusivity, as many brands limit production through artificial scarcity to drive demand. This has led to practices such as limited edition releases and resale markets. In the 21st century, streetwear intersected with haute couture, as luxury fashion houses adopted streetwear influences, while streetwear brands incorporated aspects of high fashion including runway presentation, designer collaborations, and premium branding.

History

Streetwear has been defined in many different ways, such as: a movement of widespread references from American culture in the 1990s and skater culture, as hip-hop fashion from the East Coast, as a distinct style within African American culture, or as a generalized synonym for any locale's street fashion.

Streetwear style is generally accepted to have been born out of the emerging hip-hop culture of the late 1970s and early 1980s in New York City, consisting predominately of African Americans as well as Latino Americans; it then migrated to the West Coast and incorporated elements of Los Angeles surf culture and skate culture. Early streetwear in the 1970s and 1980s also took inspiration from the do-it-yourself aesthetic of punk, new wave, heavy metal.

Surf Culture

In the 1980s.