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High-end luxury brands seem to grab the attention of the streetwear subculture as they increase the amount of collaborations with streetwear brands, introducing new ideas. The collaborations are successful as it brings together heritage brands with the current clothes young adults are wearing now, and these collaborations aim to influence these millennials that appear to be intrigued by vintage clothing.
High fashion brands always tried to reference streetwear and urban clothing within their new designs and their range of clothes. It is evident in high fashion brands such as, Louis Vuitton and Burberry that have already worked on crossover projects with streetwear designers such as Supreme and Gosha. Celebrities and fashion influencers such as Jaden Smith, Luka Sabbat and Kaia Gerber support and celebrate these collaborations, which make their fan base appeal to the clothes as well, introducing the next generation of luxury and streetwear brand lovers.
@vogue
As well as celebrities, social media and contemporary lifestyle has further enhanced and increased streetwears relevance among today’s youth. Streetwear brands such as, Vetements, Off-White and Supreme have built a strong fan base in recent years, with the help of social media (Instagram and Twitter) and paparazzi photos of celebrities being seen in those clothes. Through celebrity ambassadors, luxury brands manage to reach their young fan base, which will now be young consumers that are attracted to luxury brands.
@vogue
Some have even used streetwear talent to lead their creative team, for example, Virgil Abloh a man who designed Kanye West's merchandise, had an intern at Fendi in 2006 and Off-White in 2013 and has now recently been offered the job of creative director as Louis Vuitton. The reasons for this was simply to encourage new diverse and youthful buyers that will keep the old brands young. Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief at British Vogue stated “Virgil is one of the few designers who truly marries street culture with high fashion – and the first black designer to be given such a position in the gilded halls of LVMH. His appointment is a step in the right direction for diversity.” Implying that Abloh is introducing a variety and importance of culture, that is already being expressed in streetwear, in high-end luxury brands. Additionally, Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton’s chairman and CEO, stated that Abloh’s “innate creativity and disruptive approach have made him so relevant, not just in the world of fashion but in popular culture today”. Abloh said of Louis Vuitton: “I find the heritage and creative integrity of the house, key inspirations and I will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times.”
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Therefore, luxury fashion houses will always try to incorporate streetwear and urban fashion to come up with collections which use sporting, skateboarding and subculture activities. “Urban streetwear has influenced high fashion in a big way,” says Anupreet Bhui, WGSN’s senior editor of global street style. “A lot actually started to happen when athlete's leisurewear made its way into young consumers’ wardrobes. Young consumers want 24/7 living solutions for their changing mobile lifestyles.” This is true, as seen with Kanye West's YEEZY collections, worn by the celebrity family name, to advertise and promote it. Yeezy is fresh, young and active which is what the streetwear youth want. Over the last seasons, this trend of encouraging athlete's leisurewear has inspired high end luxury brands to do the same but adding their own signatures, for example, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, and Burberry have a clear distinguished monogram that can be easily added to any clothing piece.
@vogue
Overall, streetwear is infiltrating high fashion brands and states the trend has made high fashion more “wearable and approachable with a cool, grunge attitude that never existed before." High fashion used to be driven by designers with years of experience but now, with luxury streetwear pioneers, they have used urban influences on luxury runways by introducing oversized or distressed clothes, logo hoodies and monogram prints. The collaboration trend is fuelled by millennials as they believe in individualism. Streetwear brands do exactly that as the brand's focus is on individual style rather than trying to fit in and copy other brands. In order for luxury high end brands to stay current, they need celebrity influence, as well as, incorporating urban elements into their runway collections.