Every September and February the whirlwind of New York Fashion Week comes and goes in what feels like the blink of an eye. In a season filled with a laundry list of shows, events, activations, and parties it is easy to get lost in who and what to tune into. Not only does the lack of a centralized location add to the chaos, but a double checking of different official and unofficial schedules can make for a dizzy day. Amidst the frenzy, however, one thing that seemed to catch the right attention this season was the addition of more streetwear designers to the calendars than in previous years.
As a few heritage brands took the route of becoming outliers this season, opting out of the “official” schedule, to a surprise, four brands, considered by the consensus as part of the streetwear verse, were included in the CFDA and NYFW lineups. Amongst those showing were the Godfather of streetwear Off White, the next in line, Who Decides War, and rapidly growing celebrity brands Young Thug’s Sp5der and Kid Cudi’s Members of the Rage.
In a moment where the streetwear industry has begun to feel oversaturated by luxury brands adopting the wave and new sweatshirt lines popping up daily; the need for potential resuscitation has felt imminent. While the tides appear to be turning in some manner, this season begs even further the question of whether streetwear is hanging on by a lifeline or finding a new life.
At the beginning of the week, Who Decides War presented for the fifth time on the CFDA’s official calendar in a triumphant return. The Spring Summer 25 collection shattered the boundaries of streetwear, dedicating nearly half their looks to an exploration into women’s wear, while others investigated refined tailoring and avant-garde silhouettes. In speaking with one half of the design duo Tela D’Amore the blurring of lines is exactly where she feels the industry has always been, “Honestly I just feel like there is no streetwear right now there is no high end right now. I don’t know if there ever has been streetwear really, I think that streetwear is clothes that are found on the street. The same way someone wears something thrifted to the bodega is the same way someone wears couture Balenciaga to the bodega.”
The design duo is undoubtedly making quite the impact, with their cult following growing larger and more famous by the season. Already beginning to receive their much-earned seat at the table the LVMH prize semi-finalists and proteges of Abloh himself feel to be a major element of this moment of both reclamation and ascension.
Following a similar path, Kid Cudi’s young label Members of the Rage presented their FW24 collection for the first time in NY, with an interactive installation. Reflecting a sense of all the diverging elements, the collection dives headfirst into colors and texture play while encompassing many elements typically aligned with streetwear culture such as oversized proportions. Though not self-described as a streetwear brand, much of Cudi’s creative inspiration can also be linked to luxury streetwear superstars such as Abloh and Nigo.
While streetwear designers are understood by many of the Gen Z, and Zillenal generations to be leading the charge of fashion many of these names are still not found to be interchangeable with luxury designers. As some brands have finally knocked down the door between the two, only a handful reflect black designers or creative directors. Even amongst quick Google searches, only a few streetwear brands are mentioned in search results for notable fashion brands of the year. Unless of course the word fashion is swapped with the word streetwear, finding overlap in both categories primarily includes mention solely of Off White and Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God, in regards to black designers.
It is clear however that amongst the shapers of the industry, that not only is there an undeniable cord between the two, (streetwear and luxury) but their space on the fashion calendar is also undeniable. Tela D’Amore shared the importance for Who Decides War of Showing in NY, “(New York) Is the epicenter of a lot of culture. It’s where we came up so we know this place back and front. The main thing is making sure that we’re continuing to come back here and make noise. I don’t believe that the New York fashion scene is dead, and I don’t believe our culture is dead within it. I think that it is what you make it and that energy is real and that energy is here, it’s always gonna be here.”
The overarching feeling of rejecting the idea of choosing a lane between streetwear and fashion seemed to hit home for each of these brands this season. Making their runway debut Atlanta-based brand Sp5der, presented their collection entitled “Nocturnal Highway”. Described to be “designed from a luxury perspective with a punk spirit, standing at the juxtaposition of nostalgia and invention”, Sp5der honed in on the root of it all, the culture. Reminiscent of the original era of streetwear, Sp5der’s AW 24 collection encapsulates a 90s NY feel. From fur-lined hoodies and monogrammed matching sets juxtaposed with leather chaps and loafers to the runway sightings of current fashion superstars such as Alton Mason and Kyle Kuzma. Sp5der envisions everything that streetwear and fashion are heading to be, an amalgamation of styles displayed equally and unapologetically at every level.
Whether the streetwear industry is dead or hanging on by the thread doesn’t appear to be the question these designers are attempting to answer. Instead, they are dictating a new future of fashion, where for designers of color, streetwear is an added description to their brand rather than a pigeonholing label. Predicting this adjustment himself, was the late great Virgil Abhloh. Going on record shortly before his untimely passing, Abhloh envisioned the future of streetwear dying out in a certain sense, and transitioning into a strong presence of expressing one’s style, and knowledge, with an emphasis on vintage.
