Today we are tackling the topic of fashion’s fastest growing phenomenon – streetwear. So we invited the streetwear experts from 4 Seasons Store to let us in on what they think are the hottest streetwear brands are for 2014, and why they are so influential in their own niche.
Streetwear fashion is notoriously hard to define because it has evolved rapidly from its original roots on the American West Coast. In its infancy surf and skate culture took on ideals of laid back, comfortable and practical clothing. Inspiring designs created especially for the sport. Fast forward to 2014 and the style has grown to encompass elements from very bling hip hop to ultra-modern minimalistic fashion. An influx of independent designers have taken the lead, opening their doors (or e-store) to showcase their eye-catching, original designs. We are going to demonstrate the dynamic streetwear landscape by picking out our top independent designer, skate influenced brand and hip hop inspired style.
Though apparel sales took a nosedive through the recession.. The one area of growth was in streetwear. A 2014 report by US company, “We Connect Fashion,” states that five years ago this was only a half-billion-dollar portion of the fashion industry across the pond. One year later, in 2010, that doubled to the $1 billion mark. Now the streetwear industry is valued at just over $12 billion in USD and it is not just the Yanks cashing in on this success…
Independent Designer:
A relative newbie to the streetwear scene by starting out in 2003, Trainerspotter is one of the few truly independent UK streetwear brands. The brand take their blueprint from the original streetwear designs but completely redefined with their own their unique style. They take lots of inspiration from key moments in sports history, retro cartoons and old school statement prints, which that hold as much meaning today as they did in the past. See the Trainspotter clothing range here.
Skate Designer:
One of the originals that is hard to beat: Diamond Supply co was founded in 1998 when Nicholas Tershay (aka Nick Diamond) created a skateboarding hardware line from his humble one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco to help solve his friend’s board problems. Business went so well, in 2000, Nick moved to LA and began building a range of skate clothes, tees and baseball hats. The brand collaborates with lots of other skate companies such as HUF, New Era and Osiris.
Hip Hop Styles:
The Crooks brand grew out of the street lifestyle of the founders. They got mixed in with all the city villains, the ‘Crooks’ sometimes became ‘Castles’ – the guys that got rich from being Crooks! The brand takes a strong influence from hip hop culture with celebrities including Jay-Z. Their most iconic t-shirt is the “Cocaine & Caviar” slogan. See their range on 4 Seasons here.
Keep up to date with streetwear style tips by liking the 4 Seasons Store Facebook page.
