According to recent statistics, nearly 60% of worldwide streetwear customers feel that streetwear products are always in style, with another 22% believing that such products are only in vogue for a year. Whether you embrace the streetwear trend or not, it is definitely a style that is here to stay. Streetwear is so much more than fashion, but rather a social movement.
Defining streetwear
The dictionary definition of streetwear is rather straightforward: stylish informal clothing. However, that characterization undersells what has grown into a multibillion-dollar retail phenomenon with roots in 1980’s and 1990’s hip-hop.
In essence, streetwear is the production, promotion, sale, and resale of casual clothing – primarily footwear, such as sneakers, but also T-shirts and other items – outside of traditional retail channels, frequently subverting the fashion industry’s long-held definition and dictate of how “cool” is made profitable. The audience, and hence the target market, is primarily under the age of 25.
Because the communities that pioneered streetwear were predominantly male-dominated, the style was first adopted and developed by men, who portrayed classically masculine looks. Streetwear was simple at first, and it served as a contrast to the complex, complicated fashions that were popular at the time. The premise was simple: individuals dressed in T-shirts and hoodies because they loved them. This outfit was associated with both comfort and individuality.
The concept was already growing via local transactions on downtown streets before the name streetwear was formally adopted. A simple nod got you into the streetwear club: a stranger saw your sneakers, and you noticed theirs. Similar exchanges were taking place in the city, although the buy-in was the most expensive of luxury handbags. Streetwear arose as a counterpoint to mainstream fashion trends, influenced by countercultures such as skateboarding, surfing, and hip-hop. It also permitted a group that had previously been “forbidden” from expressing an interest in fashion to do so: men.
Streetwear today
Streetwear cultivates a close, almost cult-like relationship with its customers, perfecting the direct-to-consumer model that the rest of the business has been attempting to crack. Many popular streetwear items may only be acquired directly from a brand via the “drops” concept, in which customers are encouraged to be the first online or in-store to secure things that are launched at a specific location and time.
An example of a pioneer in the streetwear industry is Kola Tytler. Kola Tytler is a London-based entrepreneur and fashion investor who is best known for his involvement in dropout, a hotspot for the streetwear and sneakers scene in Milan, Italy. Apart from his involvement in fashion, he also has a passion for helping others. Kola holds a MBBS degree from King’s College London.
dropout was born
Kola claims that he was still in college when he planned to deliver the ultimate sneaker shopping experience to Italy, where prices, consignment rates, and sales were all determined scientifically by analysis tools. Because of his dissatisfaction with university, the company was dubbed “dropout,” a reference to Kanye West’s “College Dropout.”
Despite his struggles in college, he stuck to the course, and with what he describes as a “low average”, he qualified as a medical doctor. During the pandemic, he worked front line and juggled clinical commitments with the need to keep the business afloat despite their main retail location being in Milan, right by the European epicenter of the pandemic.
Since 2018, the brand has functioned in the secondary market for sneakers, with a physical and online store in Milan. More and more manufacturers are releasing limited-edition products in the sneakers market, with the goal of generating interest in their own brand and enhancing the perceived value of the same through the secondary market. Over the years, the brand has grown in popularity, generating over 1.5 million euros in revenue, 2 million website views, and 150 million social media impressions, including 5 million on YouTube alone.
Final thought
Looking back, Kola Tytler is pleased to see how far he has progressed. He actually came from nothing and, through hard work and networking, he was able to create a lot of chances for himself. Kola writes that he, on the other hand, is hungry for more and we are looking forward to it.
Streetwear, like every other important cultural phenomenon, did not emerge from nowhere. Streetwear should not be considered as a fashion fad, but rather as the fashion leg of a bigger change in popular culture that spans across fashion, art, and music.
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