There is no definitive streetwear story. Anything claiming that title would be unwieldy, contradictory, and too mythologized to be useful. “IYKYK” may be a recent bit of slang, but the principle has undergirded subculture since the beginning — it was never meant for everyone. |
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Still, there’s no way to talk about fashion without engaging with this scene we’ve retroactively labeled streetwear. No two definitions are the same. Some are so broad and abstract they’re almost religious: Streetwear is self-expression. Some are precise and long-winded, many caveated and discursive (we’ll spare you those). Some folks hate the labeling exercise altogether. |
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At Highsnobiety, we feel there’s value in taxonomy and narrative — we have a long tradition of white papers, for instance. They are an acknowledgment that, with all the information slung around, sifting and sorting is required to make sense of the historical moment. |
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To celebrate Highsnobiety turning 20 (that’s right; we’ve been around since 2005), we spoke with 20 designers, brand founders, store owners, and creatives who’ve played a role in the past two decades of personal style. The likes of Heron Preston, Jenna Lyons, Tremaine Emory, and Emily Bode took us behind the scenes of streetwear’s explosion, from the streets of New York to the Supreme blowup to collabs with Louis Vuitton. |
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The conversations — available in full on our YouTube page — create a collage that spells out how streetwear became the dominant style of a generation. There are tangents unremarked upon and important figures left out. Because you’re probably reading this on your phone, feel free to Google anything that needs further context. Or try walking into a nearby store and starting a conversation about one of the moments or people mentioned here. Who knows what you might learn. |
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