The Future of Streetwear: Innovation, Technology, and Design

Shubham Anil Jain
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited
Bangalore, India
Email: shubhamajain125@gmail.com

Introduction:
Streetwear involves the creation, promotion, sale, and resale of casual clothing, primarily footwear, T-shirts, and other items, in urban environments. It is one of the most notable retail and fashion trends to have emerged in recent years. Social media is frequently used to rally customers to be the first to purchase things that are only offered from the company directly, either in-person or online. Streetwear brands and their customers develop a close-knit, almost cult-like relationship as a result of the anticipation of a brief window of opportunity to purchase. Due to this, streetwear has grown from a flashy fashion craze that drew inspiration from 1980s and 1990s countercultures like graffiti, hip-hop, skate, and surf into a multi-billion dollar retail industry.

Streetwear that Reflects the New World: Latest Technology

1. The Nike Adapt Huarache is a smart shoe:
What if your sneakers could adjust to your activities by getting tighter or looser? When put that way, the concept does sound ridiculous, but Nike executed it! a streetwear sneaker with Siri voice control capabilities in addition to auto-lacing technology. Yes, Nike’s newest shoe, the Hyper Adapt, has science fiction-like elements. But this notion is not brand-new! You might be surprised to learn that it’s from the 1980s. Do you recall the Back to the Future movie series? The well-known Marty McFly shoe served as direct inspiration for the Nike Adapt shoe. What started out as an effort to reproduce the movie’s iconic sneaker with a distinctive streetwear look ended up evolving into a brand-new technology! Your shoe laces are automatically tightened in accordance with your preferences using this method. What is your method? Thanks to the Nike app on your phone, with just one click.

2. The sabotage solution for verifying a shoes authenticity:
It is fact that, purchasing a bogus pair of used sneakers is the worst thing that can happen to anyone. It’s difficult to avoid being duped because there are so many counterfeit Yeezy, Jordan, and Nike shoes. Though that was earlier! A novel remedy for this ailment has been discovered by Sabotage: the blockchain! Yeah, the blockchain as in Bitcoin—you read that right! The history of the sneaker is stored on an NFC chip. By doing this, you can be certain that the sneakers you are about to purchase are real. A technology that the world of streetwear desperately lacked.

3. Kitty Yeung’s flowers: A dress for every mood:
This most recent piece of streetwear technology is truly amazing. “Flowers” is a light-studded floral garment. This outfit uses your heartbeat to generate a fully personal, coordinated light pattern. a special means of expression that would fit in with urban style. The technological advances that are poised to transform urban streetwear as we know it have come to an end. But, the fight is far from over; who knows what the future will bring? What seems revolutionary now will soon become outdated due to the computer industry’s exponential expansion.

Future Trends in Streetwear:
The new generation of streetwear designers will pave the streets of the future with practical clothing that surpasses the old regime as well as suggests a divine inspiration. Literally the global COVID-19 epidemic has caused trend forecasters and menswear authorities to shout from the rafters about how the coronavirus’s expansion has given rise to a brand-new set of consumer needs. In other words, adapting in the post-covid world means bringing about change. Consumer demands for protective features combined with comfort enhancements have set the wheels in motion. Future streetwear design is starting to see an increase in this.

Environmental Sustainability:
In general, the fashion industry has been using improved methods to create clothing with the smallest economic carbon footprint possible. In fact, through grassroots advertising and marketing techniques, next level streetwear designers and businesses have been creating eco-activist and (obligatory) sustainable statements that both inspire and elicit action. Even if it has been a consistent important factor for the previous ten years or so, the environment has recently emerged as the most powerful voice about the winds of change and the future of streetwear. Consumers are honestly yearning for peace and quiet of nature instead of what is coming down the virtual runway after being repeatedly instructed to quarantine at home, wear masks in public, and wash our hands.

Description about Streetwear Market:
Streetwear was valued at USD 187582.9 million globally in 2022. From 2022 to 2028, it is anticipated that the market will grow at a CAGR of 3.52%, reaching USD 230877.25 million. Streetwear is a casual clothing trend that gained popularity all over the world in the 1990s. It evolved from New York’s hip-hop culture and California’s surf and skateboard scene, fusing aspects of sportswear, punk, and Japanese street fashion. It usually focuses on “casual, comfy pieces like jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, and sneakers” and achieves exclusivity through purposeful product scarcity, with aficionados following particular companies and attempting to obtain limited-edition products.

Conclusion:
Many streetwear analyzer, can plainly see a whole new life of energy that’s interested on experimenting with hyperreal finishes like reflective materials or high shine product options that support a new updated aesthetic. These recent additions lead the charge of a seriousness in this fashion division with their finer lines than previous streetwear. Less aggressive techniques, a return to the environment, and retaining function are the key takeaways from this.

References:

https://tenshi-streetwear.com/blogs/streetculture/streetwear-and-technology-where-is-modern-fashion-headed
https://www.forbes.com/sites/josephdeacetis/2020/08/02/the-new-direction-of-streetwear-swivels-to-a-surreal-future/
Streetwear: the new exclusivity
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/streetwear-market-size-2023-share-075206390.html

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Mazharul Islam Kiron

Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. He is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.