Streetwear, also called streetsyle, is a very common term in the fashion world, referring to a style that's rooted in casual, comfortable clothing, which has now embraced traces of high fashion and haute couture, but we'll talk more about avant-garde streetwear next week. This week, we'll be focusing on the more casual version.
Streetwear is said to have originated as early as the late 1970s. By the mid-1980s, Nike dominated the urban streetwear sneaker market, and other clothing brands such as Champion and Timberland also became closely associated with the scene. Streetwear then became global in the 1990s. New York's black hip-hop artists and their fashion scene combined Los Angeles' surfer/skater culture (Shawn Stussy, who made surfboards, also started making T-shirts (with the now iconic logo) and selling them) brought about streetwear, which contains elements of sportswear, punk and Japanese street fashion. It consists of comfortable pieces such as track pants, jeans, hoodies, T-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, baseball caps, and sneakers, which are sometimes styled over-sized.
It is very easy to put together a casual streetwear look, especially if you get pieces secondhand. Thrifting and finding pieces that maybe are a little bigger than your normal size is perfectly fine in the world of streetwear. That's the cool thing about it, there really aren't any rules to follow, even when it comes to the more avant-garde side to streetstyle, the kind you see people wearing at New York, Paris and Milan Fashion Week (which will be talked more about in the blog post for next week!)
As a black woman who doesn't confine herself to one aesthetic, I personally love streetwear. Some may argue (*cough* my mom *cough*) that the outfits aren't fitted properly and don't look "right," but all boils down to what you feel confident and comfortable in, and streetstyle outfits are some of the comfiest. Here are some ways black women can style streetwear, in neutral tones or with bright colors.
Neutral Toned Casual Streetwear
All images are from Pinterest
Colorful Casual Streetwear
All images are from Pinterest
What are your thoughts on streetwear? Do you see yourself dressing in this style anytime soon? Remember, if you liked this post, be sure to give it a like!
Happy Fashion Friday!
Arrivederci,
Brianna