Street Wear in 2018 - Marguerite Bysshe

We live in a world where 15 year olds will pay $500 for a white tee shirt. Sad, I know. A year ago, I may have agreed with the majority in that paying that much for a piece of clothing is ridiculous and overpriced. However, in the past year I've gained an uncanny appreciation for high fashion brands in all their glory. To be honest, I still don't celebrate those who pay ridiculous prices and don't even have a steady job, but I definitely understand the brands and the stories behind their fashion a lot better.

One of the most well known high fashion brands is Gucci. Gucci was founded in 1921 in Italy and was originally inspired by the horse racing style. A brand for the 1% since the start, every piece was extravagant and every stitch was perfect. Even today, their styles are very avant garde. Models on the runway continue to push boundaries and amaze audiences. Unlike a lot of other high fashion brands such as Yves Saint Laurent Maison Margiela, Gucci is known for being extremely colorful and vibrant. Prints on prints is a common design. Their signature icon is a snake, a simple "GG", and a red and green stripe. If you see anyone wearing any of the above, its probably Gucci or fake Gucci.

Today, much of the top 1% still strives to own some of the more intricate pieces, but more commonly, young fashion enthusiasts spend their money on signature items such as the Gucci belt, shoes, or wallet. Belts start at $280 and can get up to over $1,000. Sneakers, slides, and heels are all more expensive and less common.

(courtesy of gucci.com)

One of my personal favorite brands is Comme des Garcons. It is actually a Japanese company that was founded in 1973 and translates to "like French boys". Their clothing is less expensive (for the most part) and targeted towards all ages. Comme's most popular collection is called Play and features fun, young looking items with lots of red hearts on black and white. Like a lot of Japanese brands, Comme is very experimental. However, they also do a lot of collabs with other brands such as Nike and Supreme to produce limited pieces that can go for over $1,000. They definitely have a clothing line that focuses more on shirts and shoes more than anything else. Some of their most popular items are their Converse high top with the classic red heart and their box logo Supreme collab shirt. If it has a red heart or a split Nike logo, it's probably Comme.


(commedesgarcons.com)


When people think of Prada, they usually think of handbags and sunglasses. However, this Italian brand is so much more than a purse company. Their clothing items are practical and made for everyone. Both their women's and men's collections are incredibly diverse and include something for everyone. Celebrities often wear Prada to events, with their large collection of gowns and jewelry. A lot of their bags feature a triangle logo. While many of their clothes are traditional looking and inspired by current high fashion looks, most of their shoes are very futuristic looking. Both their men's shoes and their heels are often black with a pop of color like red or blue.


(www.prada.com)


The time has come to talk about one of my favorite brands, Gosha Rubchinskiy. It was founded by a Russian photographer and designer from Moscow in 1984. Gosha is pretty athletic looking and soccer inspired and they have collaborated with brands such as Adidas and Fila in the past. Most of their pieces feature bold Russian writing and very modern designs. One of the biggest factors that I love is that almost all of their clothing is gender neutral. Plus, they have different branches off the main brand such as "Rassvet", which features some staple designs on different silhouettes and is usually cheaper than some of the main Gosha pieces. Because it isn't one of the mainstream high end brands, only someone who truly knows street wear styles can spot someone in Gosha.


(www.doverstreetmarket.com)

There are so many other high fashion street wear brands out there that it's impossible to talk about all of them. As sports such as soccer and skateboarding continue to develop, so will these well known brands, since so many of them are dependent on what young boys living in cities around the world are interested in. So many of these brands that have previously been known for their expensive bags and shoes are moving towards marketing towards the younger generation, especially high school and college age boys in Europe and fashion hubs such as Los Angeles and New York City. Some other popular brands include Balenciaga, Supreme, Yves Saint Laurent, and Louis Vuitton. Every company has a unique set of styles and signature pieces. Hopefully this brief summary of some of the most popular street wear brands right now will help educate you on what's really in style and will hopefully allow you to spot some of these brands on the streets.