The boldest fashion styles weren't made in a studio. They came from the street.
Over the last few decades, there's been a seismic shift in how fashion trends have originated. Instead of mainstream designers choosing what people wear, it's been the other way around. Designers are being influenced by grassroots street fashions that emerge naturally in communities around the world.
DEFYING THE NORM
Street fashion, like street art, has no single defining style. It's constantly evolving as people experiment with new looks and improvise on old ones.
In fact, the only consistent rule to streetwear is that it breaks the rules. From the beginning, street fashion has been about innovation and defying the norm. It's also a form of self-expression, used to define an individual as well as a culture.
And, as soon as a style becomes stagnant or played out, somebody updates it and pushes it to the next level.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Fashion movements are often driven by youth subcultures in major urban centers. Each subculture is defined by its own constantly-changing styles. But sometimes, those styles can overlap and influence each other in surprising ways.
Consider hip hop fashion of the late '80s and early '90s: loose, baggy pants, oversized shirts, headwear. This gave rise to the ultra-baggy designs of brands like JNCO in late '90s raver culture.
And the big-name brands picked up on it, too. Think Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, which started incorporating streetwear styles into its "preppy" clothing lines and marketing them for mass appeal.
But those are only a few examples. Since the 1960s, dozens of youth subcultures have originated their own styles, all outside the fashion studio: punk, hippy, Rasta, Goth, greaser – each fashion movement has been unique, even when they've happened simultaneously.
STREETLEISURE & BEYOND
What influences us at a.fatti?
It starts on the street!
We're inspired by the amazing artists and designers who are innovating bold new styles all the time, often with little recognition. Their work and passion are the inspiration behind our STREETLEISURE brand.
The styles will evolve over time, but their root goal is the same: to be unique, fearless and boundary-pushing – just like the people who wear them.