To Survive, Streetwear Must Abandon Sexism

HYPEBEAST Features Friday March 9, 2018 [hypebeast] To Survive, Streetwear Must Abandon Sexism Streetwear as a culture is built on an unwavering sense of community, leveraging a grasp on authenticity that the fashion industry has become desperate to capitalize on. At the core of this is streetwear’s unique ability to appeal to men in ways that have eluded mainstream fashion. Where traditional brands have long cultivated an air of unattainable luxury marketed primarily toward women, streetwear has done the exact opposite. The industry at large is only now beginning to give due respect to this movement, but the seeds of streetwear were planted decades ago and can be traced back to countercultures of the ‘80s and ‘90s. With global outposts, the constantly evolving face of streetwear originally rose from communities like graffiti, hip-hop, skate, street and surf — all of which have traditionally been male-dominated. “From the very start, streetwear has been this weird, strangely male thing,” says Bobby Kim, owner of The Hundreds, a Los Angeles streetwear label founded In 2003. “But I think the reason why it was like this from the very start is because of the subcultures that this fashion was associated with.” Ironically, the very idea of streetwear was, in the beginning, that it was the antithesis to “fashion.” But whereas men and fashion had traditionally neglected each other, streetwear was a game changer, enabling men to express themselves through style without having to worry about societal labels they deemed unbefitting. “Streetwear was an easy way for guys who were interested in clothes to get into it and also not be seen — in a homophobic sense — as being gay or trying to be like a girl,” adds Kim. Streetwear gave men yet another space to socialize and stick together. Only this time, the camaraderie that has long dominated politics, sports, music and art would find its way into fashion. “The [streetwear] industry is predominantly white men, which is not a bad thing, but it started off with white men running the show, hiring white men over and over again, and predominantly selling to men in a very closed off space,” adds Kim. On this foundation, streetwear was set on a path to gain prominence within the fashion industry and also in other cultural industries, shielded by its reclusive community: the “boys’” club.” Bolstered by male privilege, as streetwear became a well-oiled machine and fortified a new type of style, it also found itself grounded in sexism and the objectification of women. [hypebeast] Streetwear’s Roots of Sexism The harsh reality is that this boys’ club mentality often creates a toxic environment, particularly for women. “There are certain stores in New York that have staffed a whole group of predatory men who many of my friends have been assaulted by,” says Married to the Mob founder and president Leah McSweeney on the early culture and environment in streetwear circles. McSweeney, who founded her brand in 2004, was an early pioneer in women’s streetwear and has long fought to both fill the void of a streetwear offering for women and to combat the industry’s treatment toward women. One of her most iconic early designs that read “Supreme Bitch” landed her in a $10 million USD trademark infringement lawsuit with Supreme, who — ironically — directly appropriated their own logo from artist Barbara Kruger. [READ FULL ARTICLE ON HYPEBEAST →]( More HYPEBEAST Features [[hypebeast] Prada's Spring/Summer 2018 Collection Gets Dragged Through an Abandoned Wasteland]( [[hypebeast] Nigeria's First Multidisciplinary Skateboarding Movement "Go Skate Nigeria" Brings Hope to the Youth]( [[hypebeast] Jeff Hamilton Just Wants "Recognition and Credit" For Supreme's NBA Collab]( Follow Us Download Our App Free on iOS and Android 2017 Hypebeast Limited. All Rights Reserved. [Unsubscribe](