4 Ways Streetwear Influenced High Fashion

You might think you're a step ahead of fashion trends by wearing a hoodie under a jacket to your cousin's wedding. Truth is, streetwear has been influencing fashion for a long time. The streetwear origins trace back to the '90s when skaters, surf culture and graffiti artists reigned supreme. Truth is, streetwear has been crossing over into high fashion for a little longer than that. 

1970s and 80s: Streetwear and Fashion Intersect 

If you look up photos of fashion week in the 70s and 80s, you’ll know that streetwear wasn’t the style back in the day. Before streetwear, the idea of putting a tracksuit or a pair of jeans on the runway was basically unheard of, even when we did see glimpses of "hippie" culture crossing over into high fashion.  

Those decades were all about individuality. Streetwear was originally the style of choice for punks and rebels hungry to make their mark on the world.

Soon, we saw young people of all kinds from coast-to-coast jumping on streetwear brands. Influencers like Run DMC and Beastie Boys pairing thick gold chains and bowlers with tracksuits and Adidas on the red carpet began to make fashion into something new.  

1990s: The Decade That Defines Streetwear

Then came the era of grunge, hoodies and Kangol hats in the '90s. Along with these influences on the runway, streetwear also changed the way that brands dropped new clothing lines. Brands like Bape and Supreme started dropping exclusive, limited-edition  items in only a few locations. 

As a result, everything a brand put out was the must-cop style. That led to a rise in streetwear subculture known as hypebeast culture. What does hypebeast mean? Hypebeast is the embodiment of a love for dope trends in shoes and clothing brands. It is a subculture of the streetwear lifestyle. 

Hypebeast brands put brands’ names on the map without companies having to do much marketing — this is where the empowered fashion influencer is born. It wasn’t long before other brands were following that model. 

2000s Streetwear Trend and New Demographics 

High-end streetwear gets a little bougie as luxury streetwear brands like Juicy Couture start sprawling into suburbia. Prior to the new millennium, if you wanted to dress like a runway model, you pretty much had to be a rich socialite or know where to cop their discards at consignment shops. 

Enter the 21st century and luxury streetwear starts showing up across all walks of life — coffee shops, yoga studios and even runways and red carpets. 

So the more streetwear seeped into high fashion, the more brands had to shift their focus from the upper elite to the upcoming generation. 

2020s Street Style Meets Haute Couture

Streetwear was the clothing of punks and rebels at a point in time, from California surfers to east-coast B-boys. But all you have to do is scroll Insta to know that we’re a long way from Stussy surfboards. Streetwear is everywhere — magazine covers, the red carpet and even the runway.

One of the biggest ways streetwear has influenced high fashion is the way it’s shifted its focus in the 2020s. Even though streetwear offers the kind of looks that consistently stay on trend, it’s never only been about the clothes themselves. It’s about self-expression, brand loyalty and the lifestyle. And that idea influences fashion to this day. 

Today's streetwear definition blends elements of West-Coast surf and East-Coast urban cultures with high fashion couture. Still, street style is still highly individual. 

Ready to express your street style? Rockstar Original’s urban fashion collections will give you all the latest and greatest streetwear looks you’ve been craving. Next thing you know, the world will be your runway.