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Where luxury and streetwear collide
Streetwear has become increasingly popular over the past decade, with the help and prominence of social media, which has enabled wider publicity opportunities. Whilst the ‘Drop culture’ has begun intertwining with the luxury market, with many major premium brands looking to streetwear companies for eclectic and edgy collaborations appealing to the purchasing habits of the dominant generation Z demographic, who are driving demand for innovation within the luxury sector. Millennials are set to account for 45 percent of the global luxury market by 2025; therefore, tapping into Streetwear is a way for brands to gain competitive advantage and intensified public exposure.
Major streetwear meets high fashion collaborations consist of Tommy Hilfiger X Vetements, Burberry X Gosha and Louis Vuitton and millennial favourite Supreme which generated mass consumer hysteria. Louis Vuitton have even gone as far as appointing Virgil Abloh, creator of the popular Off-White brand as the new artistic director for Menswear; a drastic shift from the previous one off collaborative ranges with celebrity influencers such as the Kanye West X Louis Vuitton trainer range and the Pharrell Williams sunglasses collection. The LVMH group have utilised this unconventional transition to potentially to lead the brand in a new direction which caters more to the younger generations generating more hype over product releases. Hopefully we will be seeing many more Louis Vuitton collaborations under Abloh’s rule.
Words and research by Kalifa Ava Okezie