If you quickly scroll through the Instagram accounts of Ranveer Singh, Diljit Dosanjh or Badshah, you’ll come across pictures of them in oversized T-shirts, sweatshirts, baggy pants and, of course, sneakers, with logos of Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Balenciaga printed all over.
What started out as a niche subculture, streetwear is now the primary driver of the fashion industry. Every brand from Gucci and Louis Vuitton to Zara and H&M began to include streetwear as an integral part of their collections. Even designers like Masaba Gupta, known for her traditional Indian wear, came up with a streetwear collection in 2021. The “Trackee Set,” featuring one of Gupta’s iconic bold prints—bursts of ivory-pearl blooming flowers—was first seen on actor Deepika Padukone in anInstagram reel, which now has more than 25 million views.
“Fashion for many people was just a piece of clothing. They weren’t looking at it as a cultural and a conversational piece," says Dhruv Khurana of Almost Gods
Nought One's collaboration with rapper Raja Kumari was featured in the rapper's music video Cypher Rani
But does the appeal of streetwear only lie in brand logos on oversized clothing? Bhavisha Dave, the co-founder of Capsul, a multi-brand streetwear store, feels otherwise. “Lot of people think that streetwear is just about the logos; it isn’t. Even if the logo is the hook for people, it is when they learn more about it and figure their own journey with it that their personal taste begins to show,” she says. “Streetwear is an ethos, it’s a mindset, it’s a way of expression. The fact that sneakers and streetwear cross boundaries, cultures and languages means that they connect with people at a visceral level.”
The rise in popularity of streetwear is associated with that of hip-hop, with musicians and rappers such as Rihanna, Pharell Williams and Kanye West becoming fashion icons at the peak of their careers. In a survey conducted in 2019 by HYPEBEASTand Strategy&, 80 per cent of respondents said that hip-hop and rap music were major influences on their choice of streetwear, while 65 per cent regarded musicians as the most credible figures in streetwear.
It doesn’t come as a surprise when people wait anxiously for the latest Yeezy “drops”—Kanye West’s collaboration with Adidas—or for rapper Raja Kumari’s limited-edition collection of clothing with Nought One, a New Delhi-based streetwear label. “You need to make efforts to support artists and find talent that resonates with the same values as yours,” explains Abhishek Paatni, founder and designer of Nought One. “I connect with people who have some individualistic and cool stories to tell, who have something unique to give that can fill a gap in the market.”
Hip-hop and rap artists are bridging this gap by showing the world their unfiltered selves, be it through their music or designs. In India, this authenticity rose from the underbelly of cities in the form of “gully rap” in the early 2010s. Rappers like Divine, Naezy, MC Mawali and Emiway Bantai, while dressed in oversized sweatshirts, baggy jeans and high-top sneakers, spoke the truth about the struggles of growing up in the slums, the gritty reality of which a large section of the underprivileged youth of the nation found familiarity in. Gully rap amassed such a huge following that even filmmakers tried to capture the rawness of these artists in movies such as Gully Boy, and documentaries including Gully Life.
These shoes from basketball player Damian Lillard, available on VegNonVeg, is a result of his love for science and basketball
Capsul, India's multi-brand streetwear store, also has international labels like Market and Pleasures
But it was Puma that first managed to capture this cultural awakening in India in 2017 with their “Suede Gully” campaign. It featured eight rappers, seven street artists, four dance crews and over 36 dancers who came together to celebrate India’s street art, all of them wearing Puma’s iconic Suede Sneakers in the music video. With over 5.7 million views on YouTube, Suede Gully became one of the most popular rap songs in India.
What worked for this campaign was the amalgamation of the product with street culture. “Suede Gully was not only one of the most edgy campaigns of that year but it also made the product very popular. People looked at the campaign and realised that we were not aping the west. Instead we took inspiration from them and added our local language and identity to it,” says Meenakshi Singh, other half of Capsul, who, at the time, worked on the campaign as Puma’s commercial marketing manager.
“Fruit shop at the end of the world” T-shirt has posters of local fruit shops printed all over
"Diversity T-shirt" reflects on the idea that although we are all different, we are equal
"Colonialism was a start-up" print T-shirt toes the line between colonial enterprise and the entrepreneurial ideology
The Hundreds, considered as an iconic streetwear label, is available at Capsul
In an attempt to enable one to embrace their roots and identity, streetwear has made it cool to express one’s political, philosophical and cultural opinions through the medium of clothes. Take, for example, Nor Black Nor White’s “Colonialism was a start-up” print T-shirt—a collaboration with designer and artist Somnath Bhatt—which toes the line between the similarities of a colonial enterprise and the entrepreneurial ideology. Or Heumn’s “Diversity T-shirt,” featuring caricatures of different faces, reflecting on the idea that although we are all different, we are equal.
“Fashion for many people was just a piece of clothing. They weren’t looking at it as a cultural and a conversational piece, or even as a medium of storytelling,” says Dhruv Khurana, founder and creative director of New Delhi-based streetwear label Almost Gods. While the brand’s turtleneck tops and bicycle shorts have a map of New Delhi printed across them, the “fruit shop at the end of the world” collection features posters of local fruit shops and billboards printed over shirts and polos.
The idea of identity is something that the fashion industry has always toyed with, by bending conventional rules around gender, be it Marlene Dietrich wearing androgynous suits or Harry Styles in a dress on the cover of the US edition of Vogue. But it is the concept of unisex clothing that streetwear revolutionised in recent years. “Streetwear has definitely blurred the lines of gender and identity. It gives you the freedom from putting yourself into categories of any sort, regardless of size, race, gender and ethnicity,” says Paatni.
While streetwear might comprise elevated basics, it’s expensive to strut your swag on the street. HYPEBEAST’s Streetwear Impact Report from 2019 showed that 56 per cent of the participants spend around $100-$300 on a single item of streetwear. Indian homegrown labels like Almost Gods and Nought One operate with the intention of creating a limited number of pieces priced slightly higher than fast-fashion brands, and cater to professionals who can afford to splurge on them. “Our biggest customers are in the 25-40 age group. They are the ones who deeply engage with our brand, who have already figured out their identities and who have found something that speaks to them,” says Khurana, who has a price point ranging from ₹3,000-₹5,000 for a T-shirt on his website.
Paatni, too, admits that his clientele is more mature, well-traveled and can afford to buy from luxury brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. “Our clients look for something unique, something different and something custom-made, which is exactly what we provide,” he says. Nought One’s T-shirts range between ₹4,000-₹6,500. If you wonder why streetwear brands, despite providing just basics, cost so much, remember that what you are paying for is exclusivity for something that is made well and will last longer than any fast-fashion piece of clothing that is mass-produced in factories, primarily by women and children who are paid derisory wages and work long hours in appalling conditions.
“Our clients look for something unique, something different and something custom-made," says Abhishek Paatni
Bhaane is accessible to urban youth when it comes to the price point
Gundi Studios was among the four labels to showcase their streetwear collection at the 2019 LFW
You can even find the iconic Nike Air Trainer 1, with the forefoot strap for retro feels, at VegNonVeg
“It’s the youth that makes the culture of its time," says Isha Ahluwalia of Moral Science
The popularity of streetwear on social media is one of the key reasons behind the cult-like following of brands such as The Hundreds, Pleasures, VegNonVeg and Bhaane. “Social media has given creators and artists an independent platform. Streetwear, like social media, allows everyone, irrespective of their degrees or backgrounds, to speak their minds and bring about a change. You don’t have to be from a fashion school to be a part of this industry, you don’t have to participate in fashion weeks to be successful. If you have a voice, you’re doing something unique, and have a story to tell, you can use streetwear and social media as tools to present it to the world”, says Paatni.
The Indian fashion industry—which has largely been dominated by couture labels like Sabyasachi, Manish Malhotra and Tarun Tahiliani—too, acknowledged this shift towards streetwear. In 2019, Lakme Fashion Week introduced a separate category for streetwear called “The Street Feat,” giving four streetwear labels—Jaywalking, Gundi Studios, Six5Six Street and Biskit—a wider platform to showcase their collections.
Furthermore, we cannot ignore how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we dress, choosing comfort over trends. Most of our wardrobes have now been taken over by oversized T-shirts and tracksuits. We’ve even swapped our heels and loafers for a pair of sneakers. While streetwear definitely elevated everyday basics, Isha Ahluwalia, the founder of Goa-based streetwear label Moral Science, feels that the connection we have with streetwear goes beyond comfort. “It’s the youth that makes the culture of its time, and the streets are where our culture is made. We are just wearing our time,” she says.