At the Paris Fashion Week in January, Louis Vuitton debuted their latest collection for the season—a collaboration with the skateboard clothing brand, Supreme.
The buzz isn’t on the products ranging from keychains and wallets to denim baseball shirts, leather goods, and even a designer clothing trunk that comprises the collection. But rather the collaboration between a leading international fashion house, and an urban streetwear label.
As many are condemning the cross-pollination of luxury brands to street fashion, we can only avert our eyes for so long until we realise the scene has grown past a trend, and into a global phenomenon. Blossoming into ‘Luxury Sportswear”
Despite the apparent fashion sacrilege, many high-profile brands and designers are recognising the youthful vitality of the culture and are embracing it.
GIVENCHY
Brands like Givenchy are blurring the lines between high fashion and urban style with their diverse collection accommodating both styles.
ALEXANDER WANG
Former Balenciaga creative director, Alexander Wang launched his own fashion in exploration of the urban aesthetic.
ROLEX x BAPE x NEIGHBOURHOOD JP
Even Rolex is jumping on board with their Bathing Ape and Neighbourhood collaboration with their $3000 timepiece.
Streetwear is understandably intimidating not just because it is taking the world by storm, but also because it’s difficult to define. It’s a cultural movement that is in a constant state of evolution of style & creative direction. Centring on “casual, comfortable pieces.”
Apart from its harmonious function and form, luxurious sportswear is often seen as a revival of 90’s hip-hop fashion. With contemporary hip-hop icons flooding the scene with a mix of Gucci and Nikes, It’s hard to tell if streetwear is rising up, or luxury brands stooping low.
The influx of R&B appreciation makes associations like ASAP Rocky & Dior a no-brainer.
Professed Rap-God, Kanye West is no stranger to collaborating with Louis Vuitton on their designer collections.
So with the playing field seemingly levelled, should luxury brands sink to the common level just to stay afloat, or risk suffocating in exclusivity? Perhaps the movement is the fountain of youth for a veteran brand to embrace in hopes of staying relevant.
So what’s in your brand’s Holy Grail?
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