In the last decade, high fashion brands have been trending towards a more casual/streetwear centric catalog for their pieces. Brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior are creating pieces that are more casual and less haute couture, especially when it comes to men’s fashion. These brands have been following suit with some of the more dominant streetwear names such as Supreme and Off-White, brands that provide pricey pieces for a sense of exclusivity. High fashion brands have even started collaborating with brands like Nike and Adidas. This in turn allows them to increase their own brand awareness and highlight the willingness to target a new audience.
The evolution of casual fashion among the younger generations was heavily influenced by exclusivity, social media and social influencers. Hard-to-get pieces was starting to become more popular midway early in the 2010s and began peaking between the years 2015 and 2018.
Early on it was mostly streetwear centric brands that had the most coverage. Exclusive brands like Supreme was becoming extremely popular with the younger generation. This followed suit with Nike and Adidas becoming more and more dominant in their space with unique and exclusive sneaker releases that would sell out almost immediately during the peak of the popularity.
The sneaker industry was what really started this “hype” for exclusive clothing. Nike and Adidas were primed to take over the market with popular influencers such as Kanye West and later on Travis Scott, collaborating with Adidas and Nike, respectively, to release exclusive sneakers that sell on the resale market for a higher price than its retail value.
This sneaker resale market shifted towards exclusive pieces of clothing. With the collaborative efforts from Louis Vuitton and Supreme (2017), Dior and Nike (2020) and Off-White and Nike (2017-present) to name just a few of the highlights.
Even through these collaborations between high fashion brands and streetwear brands, brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior and Gucci etc. are all embracing this new audience by creating and tailoring catalogs that cater to them.
Each season, high fashion brands create more and more articles of clothing and accessories that are increasingly enticing to the younger generations. The general tone seems to be less about elegance and wealth and more about representing stylishness, fun and innovation.
The 2010–2020 decade of fashion has seen a shift towards a more casual market and audience. Who knows what the next decade of fashion has in store for the consumer. Was this collaborative effect due to popularity and hype or will this trend continue into the future or will it slowly wittle away. What we do know, is that fashion is definitely changing; it is changing constantly and rapidly.
