How high fashion is embracing the realm of streetwear to open up a new world of possibilities.
How high fashion is embracing the realm of streetwear to open up a new world of possibilities.
One doesn’t often get fashionable socialites, designers, musicians and young influencers together in the same room, but, again, it also isn’t every day that Louis Vuitton launches a collaboration with a streetwear brand.
In late April, the French luxury house unveiled its collection with Japanese niche label Fragment Design at a launch party at local high-end streetwear boutique Surrender in Singapore. Among the 400 guests was long-time Louis Vuitton customer and social-scene regular Dana Cheong. She deems the party “incredibly successful” and tells us that she was “pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response of the guests that evening”. Think packed spaces, and long queues to enter the venue or even to pay for purchases.
MORE THAN A SUBCULTURE
Clearly, a lot has changed in the past two decades. Also in attendance at the Louis Vuitton X Fragment party was Nicholas Cho, the 30-something co-founder and director of strategic planning for local streetwear company Flesh Imp. He notes that the scene has greatly evolved since Flesh Imp first got its start in 2000: “The general perception of streetwear back then was that it was very young, casual and rebellious. But the next few years saw streetwear mature and gain mass acceptance as a culture that was here to stay.”
While streetwear, with its counter culture character, has always had a certain cachet among younger consumers, it has in recent years also gained a significant presence in the world of luxury fashion. Beyond collaborations with traditional premium brands, there has been palpable growth in the high-end streetwear category once dominated by players such as Japanese brand Bape or Y-3 (a collaboration between avant-garde Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas).
INTO THE MAINSTREAM
Moving further into mainstream territory, streetwear has also been leaving its mark on traditional fashion brands. One of the leaders of this style shift is Demna Gvasalia, head of design for both the hallowed house of Balenciaga, as well as edgy label Vetements. Hailing from the former Soviet republic of Georgia, Gvasalia has been putting a twist on Balenciaga’s traditional tailoring with his brand of streetwear influenced daring. The brand’s Fall/Winter 2017 collection, for example, included coats with exaggeratedly broad shoulders, as well as padded coats bearing Kering logos – a nod to, or perhaps a dig at, Balenciaga’s parent company.
Over at Mr Porter, Todd agrees that streetwear has hugely influenced today’s fashion landscape: “Many contemporary brands have taken inspiration from it. Many luxury houses, including brands like Gucci, Prada, Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen, are creating more streetwear-influenced pieces with their own distinctive touch. At Mr Porter, refined-luxury T-shirts, sweatshirts, sneakers, hoodies, bomber jackets and trackpants by Gucci, Givenchy and Thom Browne are performing incredibly well.”
On why he thinks these elevated casual pieces are so popular, Todd says: “They are easy to wear and to style, and are versatile, making them great investment pieces.” With the lines between formal, sporty and casual dressing increasingly blurring, streetwear-inspired styles can fit easily into the wardrobes of its fans, who according to Todd tend to be “those who work in creative fields or have a more relaxed and adventurous style when off duty”.
TWO-WAY STREET
At a time when retailers are trying to figure out what makes millennials tick (and open their wallets), it is clear that many creators of high-end fashion see incorporating streetwear influences as a way to make their brands more appealing to a new generation. Cho, who eventually got a Louis Vuitton X Fragment cardholder (two bags that he had had his eye on sold out quickly at the launch party), believes that this is an effective move that can help luxury brands “connect to and retain the attention of fashionable youth”.
He muses: “Streetwear culture has always been anti-establishment and rebellious. These traits seem to be the very elements that luxury brands are attracted to. For a brand, it’s a constant challenge to keep your audience engaged and your concepts fresh. While collaborations like these might not bring in the sales volume – because they are produced in limited quantities – they create the noise and get the attention of the younger crowd who find relevance in brands they connect with.”
What might be less obvious, however, is that creating new products with these younger, edgier brands can also give established names a rejuvenating boost that reinforces their appeal to existing clients. Dana Cheong, for instance, picked up a beret and mobile phone pouch at the Louis Vuitton X Fragment event. “The collection was a breath of fresh air”, says the mother of two millennials aged 20 and 24, adding that these joint efforts are a win-win exercise. She adds: “These collaborations can help to connect a younger audience to brands like Louis Vuitton, while introducing existing luxury clients to a different world of fashion.”
