Streetwear style guide: from skateboarders to fashion celebrities

Over the years, the streetwear style has become ever more popular. Born as skaters and rappers style, thanks to its versatility and simplicity, it has become a worldwide sensation. Thanks to these characteristics, anybody can incorporate a bit of streetwear into their personal style.

What Is Streetwear?

It is a casual fashion style that first became popular in the 1990s. It incorporates comfortable and trendy clothing, such as graphic tees, hoodies, sweatpants, and sneakers. Streetwear takes inspiration from hip-hop and rap culture and skater style. Although born as an underground, cheap style, streetwear has grown in popularity, with few designers offering rare and expensive fashion items. The biggest fans of streetwear style, normally known as hype beasts, will go to great lengths to buy limited-edition designer items like baseball caps, hoodies, and sneakers.

Where and when did it all begin?

The first brands appeared on the US West Coast when surfers started selling T-shirts to promote their handmade boards in the 80s. Inspired by the Los Angeles skateboarders’ street style and surfers’ and hip-hop fashion, skateboarding shops in New York City started producing their outfits in the 90s.

In the 00s, sneaker culture, which centres around expensive sneakers, influenced streetwear fashion. In the 10s, streetwear developed into luxury streetwear. As youngsters and influencers made streetwear a key element of their lifestyle, the fashion industry got involved, from sportswear to high fashion brands.

Image by José Manuel de Laá from Pixabay

Characteristics of Streetwear Style

Although streetwear can encompass a wide variety of fashion styles, it often focuses on three key concepts:

1. Comfort: Streetwear clothing comprises casual clothing and athleisure staples like sweatshirts and joggers. After all, streetwear is supposed to allow skaters to skate!

2. Menswear styles: Although streetwear is one of the ultimate unisex styles, it incorporates some items that are traditionally associated with menswear styles, like bomber jackets or workwear.

3. Modern design: Some of the most successful graphic tees and streetwear logos borrow from the work of contemporary artists or poke fun at classic pieces.

   Tips for Styling Streetwear

   1. Sneakers. They are often the most important (and costly) part of a streetwear look. If you want to make a big style impact with just one clothing item, sneakers are the one to invest in.

   2. No logo. With brand logos, you have two options. Either you go hard, Japanese style, in particular Kyoto style. Or, go totally quiet, with no logos at all, like in Europe and the USA.

   3. Go large. One of the streetwear’s biggest wins was bringing sweatshirts into high fashion. Fans of streetwear often wear baggy denim, oversized sweatshirts, and other loose-fitting garments, breaking the rules of proportion to fashionable effect.

   4. Spice up your fabrics. Streetwear clothing was, until recently, things you could happily fall off a skateboard while wearing; hence, the fabric of choice was denim or heavy cotton, in loose-fitting clothes. Modern streetwear styles have moved out of the skate parks and designers have reviewed the fabric of their clothes into something you wouldn’t want to risk on the concrete.

   5. Be yourself. Streetwear originated in counterculture and DIY. Although it has developed into something luxurious, true streetwear is still about being yourself. Don’t be afraid to try unexpected combinations, as you may find yourself ahead of the curve.

   6. Simplicity. Streetwear is all about the mixing-and-matching; pieces from different brands and cultures that together reflect your own personality and interests.

Image by Martín Alfonso Sierra Ospino from Pixabay

Cover photo by form PxHere