Understanding Streetwear: Insights from a Head Designer

Summary

Streetwear is a diverse and evolving fashion trend that reflects the contemporary street culture and targets the youth market. It can be categorized into original, noisy, and luxury styles. It is not limited to one particular genre of influence. Let’s find out the pro tips for streetwear brands facing the challenge of breaking free from stereotypes and appealing to a wider audience while adapting to changing consumer preferences. Running a successful streetwear brand requires a deep understanding of the target audience. It requires you to keep up with the latest trends and develop a unique aesthetic that sets the brand apart. In a recent interview with Fashinza, Ali, the Head Designer of Breakbounce, shared his insights on the challenges of running a streetwear brand. And about how brands develop their streetwear line of clothes. Let’s delve deeper into these topics and explore what streetwear is all about.

The Role of a Head Designer

As the head designer of Breakbounce, Ali's responsibilities are not limited to just designing clothes. A designer for streetwear is involved in strategy, research, conceptualization, administration, and communication. A head of the design team needs to have a deep understanding of the target audience, keep up with the latest trends, and develop a brand aesthetic that resonates with their customers. This involves not just designing clothes, but also developing a brand voice, and marketing strategy, and creating a cohesive brand image. This ideation will largely determine what, when and how of the procurement processes.

The Role of a Head Designer

As the head designer of Breakbounce, Ali's responsibilities are not limited to just designing clothes. A designer for streetwear is involved in strategy, research, conceptualization, administration, and communication. A head of the design team needs to have a deep understanding of the target audience, keep up with the latest trends, and develop a brand aesthetic that resonates with their customers. This involves not just designing clothes, but also developing a brand voice, and marketing strategy, and creating a cohesive brand image. This ideation will largely determine what, when and how of the procurement processes.

What is Streetwear?

Streetwear is a term that is often associated with skateboarding, US hip-hop culture, and graffiti art. However, Ali argues that this is a narrow way of looking at it. Instead, he believes that this fashion statement is a reflection of street culture. And that its fashion and designs are not limited to just one particular origin or influence. Streetwear can be divided into three categories: original, noisy, and luxury. It is mainly targeted towards the youth market and what they are wearing. The youth market is not age-specific but includes anyone who feels young today.

The Challenges of Streetwear

Streetwear has traditionally been viewed as a niche market, with a limited set of customers who are interested in this style of clothing. However, streetwear has now evolved into a vast market, with a range of styles that cater to different tastes and preferences. One of the challenges of running a streetwear brand is to break free from the stereotypes that are associated with this style of clothing and appeal to a wider audience. Brands also need to keep up with the latest trends and adapt to changing consumer preferences.

How do brands develop a streetwear line of clothes?

When developing a streetwear line of clothing, brands must carefully consider what their target audience is looking for in terms of style and functionality. Comfort is key when it comes to streetwear, allowing wearers to move freely and easily. At the same time, streetwear must be trendy and up-to-date, drawing inspiration from a range of sources including music, cinema, and pop culture. It is a fashion that spawns an identity culture. The design and the brand voice have to be focused on this critical aspect. Many streetwear brands also use their designs to convey important ideas and messages, reflecting the cultural and social trends of the moment. Whether it's through unique graphics and patterns or the use of bold colors and edgy cuts, streetwear is designed to be a reflection of the times. For Breakbounce, this meant drawing inspiration from the world of art, music, and sports, while staying true to their signature aesthetics. This creative and strategic approach helped to set them apart from other streetwear brands, while also ensuring that they stayed relevant and up-to-date in the eyes of their target audience.

How do brands develop a streetwear line of clothes?

When developing a streetwear line of clothing, brands must carefully consider what their target audience is looking for in terms of style and functionality. Comfort is key when it comes to streetwear, allowing wearers to move freely and easily. At the same time, streetwear must be trendy and up-to-date, drawing inspiration from a range of sources including music, cinema, and pop culture. It is a fashion that spawns an identity culture. The design and the brand voice have to be focused on this critical aspect. Many streetwear brands also use their designs to convey important ideas and messages, reflecting the cultural and social trends of the moment. Whether it's through unique graphics and patterns or the use of bold colors and edgy cuts, streetwear is designed to be a reflection of the times. For Breakbounce, this meant drawing inspiration from the world of art, music, and sports, while staying true to their signature aesthetics. This creative and strategic approach helped to set them apart from other streetwear brands, while also ensuring that they stayed relevant and up-to-date in the eyes of their target audience.

How to be a successful streetwear brand?

To be a successful streetwear brand, companies must be able to strike the right balance between creativity and commercial appeal. While innovation and uniqueness are key when it comes to designing streetwear, brands must also be able to create clothing that their target audience will actually want to wear. This means paying close attention to trends and current events, while also staying true to the brand's core values and aesthetics. By understanding the needs and desires of their target audience, streetwear brands can create clothing that is both functional and fashionable, with an array of fabrics that appeal to a wide range of customers. Marketing and promotion are also key to the success of a streetwear brand, with social media playing an increasingly important role in reaching target audiences. By using mainstream platforms and hiring influencers, streetwear brands can connect with customers directly, showcasing their latest designs and engaging in conversations around the latest trends and styles.

Key Takeaways

Streetwear is no longer a small niche market, but a vast industry with different styles such as original, noisy, and luxury, targeted mainly to the youth. Successful streetwear brands need to have a signature aesthetic that sticks to brand identity while adapting to current trends and market needs. Social and digital media heavily influence consumer choices, and brands need to stay up-to-date with these platforms to effectively market their products to their target audience. Fashinza can become your trusted partner in launching and running a successful streetwear brand. Our one-stop fully-integrated digital platform connects you to global vendors and trends.