As the streetwear category grows and makes more money so has coverage of it by the media, which for a very long time thoroughly ignored or snobbily looked down upon it. Case in point WWD [subscription only] has a story today titled “Designer Parodies Test Legal Boundaries In Streetwear. ”
The article mentions designer Brian Lichtenberg (who we discover is showing during NYFW on September 6th), plus brands including Ain’t Laurent Without Yves, Conflict of Interest, Damage, LPD New York, Reason Clothing, Rich Kids Brand, Ssur and Unif.
On the trend itseld, WWD states:
Luxury labels — and their famous logos — are being co-opted by streetwear makers in a blossoming marriage of high and low, chic and street. The trend is indicative of the pervasive appeal of luxury brands and the ongoing dialogue between high fashion and youth culture.
Commenting on the trend, Olivia Wolf, cofounder of American Two Shot aptly observes, “High fashion has been grabbing from the street for ages. The script got flipped, and now the big brands don’t like it,”
One of the leaders of the parody trend, Supreme, is surprisingly left out of the article, though perhaps it was just a matter of including brands willing to be quoted and Supreme is famous for having zero to say to the press.
The reporting in the article is solid, though we view the trend as one that will probably peak in Spring ’14 and by Autumn will crash and burn as the trend goes mass via much less clever copies cooked up by the H&Ms of the world.
