Streetwear Generation: will sneakers replace stilettos for good?

Fashion is a perpetual global change. Whether it has cyclic movements or breathtaking stops, fashion is the way to roll for almost everybody. Whether you want it or not!

Fashion, nowadays, though, is saturated, is mixed, is androgen and feminine all in one. One trend, still, has the power to resource and to take over the market.  It's streetwear! This style has become a must-have at all levels, even if you don't really are aware of it. It's manifesting at every level and the luxury brands are following the line creating luxury streetwear.

Streetwear, back in the 1990s

The trend goes back to the American subculture and it had a big influence in the 1990s. It was a mix of jeans, fuck t-shirts, belts, accessories and icons like Aaliyah, Neneh Cherry, Gwen Steffani were part of it and great promoters. Fashion designers like Nobu Litamura (and, yes, we can recognize that Japanese fashion had a big influence on the streetwear part) or Patricia Field. Sarah Andelman with the boutique Colette in Paris has been one of the most influential stores run by a woman with her luxury streetwear formula.

In the beginning, the streetwear belonged to men. But, starting from the 90s the female power showed her teeth, becoming a big business opportunity. With the media's pressure, even, women are becoming a must for the industry and the sales are growing when women are part of it. Moreover, women are the biggest fashion consumers and their role is unmistakable. So, brand focuses very much on women and on the hottest trend right now, the streetwear. This one fits perfectly what the nowadays society looks like and the focus on sport and leisure lifestyle.

Unisex fashion?

In a 2009 Harvard Business Review article with the title "The Female Economy," Michael J Silverstein and Kate Sayre wrote, "Globally, women control about $20 trillion in annual consumer spending, and that figure could climb as high as $28 trillion in the next five years. Their $13 trillion in total yearly earnings could reach $18 trillion in the same period. In aggregate, women represent a growth market bigger than China and India combined." This economic pressure convinced brands of their necessity of including women more at every level of business. Therefore, the unisex products many brand launch!

"The unisex conversation is important in streetwear, as women's product isn't traditionally feminine," said Muscat from Yoon Ahn.

Influencers and social media

The importance of the influencers nowadays leads to collaborations and extensions of the brands' strategies that involve social media and its lego pieces. The Adidas commercial, "All in for my girls" put the focus on sport. Just like Nike who has collaborations with pop figures and sports athletes. New pop figures like the seventeen years old singer, Billie Eilish, are using a lot of streetwear to promote her image. Elle Who, the influencer, creates impact with this style. With 2019 developing on the fashion part, it looks like the streetwear has become more and more part of the daily's outfits. This perfectly describes the society we live right now: comfort, leisure, movement.

In a world of sneakers, the place for stilettos remains a personal choice. Still, take a look at the young generation: we start wondering, will stilettos disappear? 

Author: Andra Oprea