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Streetwear isn't a particularly new phenomenon. In fact, the best streetwear brands have actually been around since the '80s. Once the official uniform for NYC hip-hop artists and makers of counter-culture, the sub-genre now features prominently at every major fashion week, swapping out couture suits for comfy tracksuits. While some might say that it has reached its peak, making up about 10 per cent of the entire global apparel market, to everyone else, streetwear is only just getting started.
Brands like Supreme, which started off as an independent skate shop in Lower Manhattan, now has fifteen locations across three continents, with each seasonal drop literally selling out within minutes (or even seconds).
Newer labels, such as Teddy Santis' Aimé Leon Dore and Lev Tanju's Palace are also dominating the game, with diehard fans fighting tooth and nail/queuing for hours on end just to get their hands on a T-shirt with a teeny, tiny logo embroidered on it. Which may seem chaotic. But to streetwearheads, it's totally worth it.
Why? Because just like the sneaker industry, this whole game traffics in hype. Securing items from these brands isn't as easy as just walking into a store, paying, and walking out. It takes a helluva lot of time, patience, and energy – and if you're lucky enough to cop, you'll get the rarest commodity of them all: exclusivity.
With hundreds (or even thousands) of streetwear brands out there, looking for the right one can be a pretty daunting task. If you’re not sure where to begin your search, we've got you. From Harajuku's old school to Manchester's new school, please, do make some more space in your wardrobe for the best streetwear brands. Maybe make some space in your savings account, too.
1 | A Bathing Ape
You just can't talk about streetwear without bringing up A Bathing Ape. Founded in Harajuku by multi-hyphenate Nigo, it's known for a heavy use of graphics and typography, which the creative director would later bring to Kenzo when he was named the house's artistic director in 2021.
In the past 30 years, A Bathing Ape has acquired a rich roster of A-list clientele, with Pharrell Williams and The Weeknd religiously wearing each collection. Bape (a nickname fashionheads like to use) also has hundreds of collabs under its camo belt, from Comme des Garçons all the way to… yeah, SpongeBob SquarePants.
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2 | Aimé Leon Dore
Even though Teddy Santis' Aimé Leon Dore has been around for less than ten years, it's managed to achieve more in the last decade than most brands do in a lifetime. Inspired by classic hip-hop, basketball, and just the right amount of prep-infused normcore, while the collections are a little on the pricier side, that hasn't stopped each and every one of them from selling out.
Hailey Bieber and Joe Jonas are just a few names that rock ALD on the daily, with the imprint's New Balance collaboration being a particularly popular choice among the sneakerverse.
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3 | Ambush
Ambush is just one of those brands that became very hyped, very suddenly. Founded in 2008 by Korean-American fashion designer Yoon Ahn, the Tokyo-based label started off as a jewellery company that was known its comic book-inspired pieces. Bold and bombastic, Ambush's “Pow!” pendants and glow-in-the-dark rings added a bit of much-needed spice to the traditional world of jewellery, and became very popular with members of K-pop royalty like Big Bang and 2NE1.
The word eventually reached out to the west in 2016, and Jay-Z and Lady Gaga started rocking Ambush on the reg. There's really no questioning why, two years later, Kim Jones would appoint Ahn as the jewellery design director for Dior Men's.
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4 | Ami
Ami just wants to be your friend. The brainchild of Alexandre Mattiussi, the label was founded in 2011, but it wasn't until 2018 when it became mega sought-after thanks to the “Menswear for Womenswear” collection that featured conventional men's pieces that were reworked to fit a traditional women's aesthetic.
Since then, every single collection has made its way to the world's biggest celebs, from Noah Beck and Usher, all the way to BTS' Jimin. We want to be your friend too, Ami.
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5 | Arc'teryx
Can you even categorise Arc'teryx as streetwear? Well, with the way things are going, you certainly can. Once a brand designed for professional mountaineers and hardcore explorers, the Canadian company has now become the go-to neo-gorpcore brand for brunch lovers and men who irresponsibly buy sighthounds.
Drake and Frank Ocean are big fans of their outerwear pieces, and the late Virgil Abloh was often spotted rocking coats from Arcy too.
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6 | Cactus Plant Flea Market
Cactus Plant Flea Market is on the weirder side of the streetwear thing. In a good way! Founded in 2015 by designer Cynthia Lu, who once worked alongside Pharrell at Billionaire Girls Club, CPFM is famous for its combination of asymmetrical typography and vibrant graphics. It's also know for its its signature four-eyes smiley face that makes a cameo across most of the brand's collections.
While Cactus Planet have been around for just 9 years, it is thriving and flourishing in its lane. Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi are just two of the A-listers who've been wearing the imprint, and in 2022, it collaborated with fast food giant McDonald's for an adult version of the Happy Meal. We're lovin' it too, actually.
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7 | Carhartt WIP
Like gorpcore, the workwear aesthetic has also become all the rage these days, and Carhartt WIP is leading the way. It always has. For almost two centuries, it's offered blue collar on-site essentials for people who actually work, and off-site wardrobe staple for people who just love workwear – and both camps remain committed to Carhartt.
From A Bathing Ape to Junya Watanabe, Carhartt WIP has quite a few major collabs under its corduroy belt, and power couple Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber are big, big fans, wearing the Detroit Jacket almost daily.
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8 | Fear Of God Essentials
Just because loungewear is made for, well, lounging, that doesn't meant it should be schlubby. With this in mind, Jerry Lorenzo carved out an entirely new genre of the stuff that balances both comfort and style, known as Fear Of God Essentials.
A sort of spin-off to his high-end FOG brand, Essentials became extremely popular especially during the coronavirus pandemic when socks and Crocs were everything. And they still are to the likes of Michael B Jordan and Selena Gomez.
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9 | Heron Preston
The streetwearverse loves Heron Preston. A fact. Introduced at Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2017, the label is lauded for its rugged and ready capsules that put a focus on utility.
One of its most hyped collections:the New York City Department of Sanitation collab which was created with zero waste in mind. Heron Preston's project with NASA is also (literally) out of this world, with stars like Gigi Hadid and Lil Uzi Vert wearing it on the daily.
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10 | Kith
You honestly can't talk about brands approved by Hollywood without bringing up Kith. Founded by Ronnie Fieg in 2011, the label started off with a single store in NYC, and now, it has a total of 12 locations across three continents.
Known for its luxury streetwear, Kith has applied this unique aesthetic across all of its collaborations, including 2016's sporty Adidas range and 2017's industry-shifting Versace collection. The imprint also recently teamed up with BMW for an exclusive version of the BMW M4 Competition. Makes sense that legends like Bryan Cranston and Jerry Seinfeld are such massive stans.
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11 | Off-White
Virgil Abloh's Off-White will always be one of the sickest, most hallowed streetwear labels of all-time. Originally called Pyrex Vision, it was eventually renamed in 2013 and the rest is history. Described by the late and great designer as “the grey area between black and white,” it has collaborated with everyone from Rimowa to Takashi Murakami. But its most significant project is perhaps 2017's “The Ten” with Nike, which allowed the brand to rework the Swoosh's most iconic silhouettes.
This partnership single handedly changed the trajectory of the sneaker game, redefining the meaning of hype and blurring the line between streetwear and luxury fashion. It would probably take us a week (or two) to name all of the A-listers who have worn Off-White, but Bella Hadid, Kylie Jenner, Naomi Campbell, and Rihanna are a good few names to kick off proceedings.
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12 | Palace
Finally, a brand founded here in the UK. While the Americans own the lion's share of the streetwear market, Palace is living and breathing proof that Brits have a knack for it too. Established in 2009 by Lev Tanju, Palace was a little side project that came to life after uni.
Since then, the skate-centric imprint has worked on major collabs from the likes of Adidas, Gucci, and Ralph Lauren, and its celeb roster includes ASAP Rocky, Dua Lipa, Jonah Hill, and Travis Scott, to name a few. How it's possible to achieve all of this in just over a decade is beyond any sort of scientific explanation.
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13 | Represent
Founded in 2011 by brothers George and Mike Heaton, while Represent isn't as big as the other cats in its class, it has one thing that all of these other brands don't have: A tightly-knit community of loyal fans who rock nothing but Rep on Rep (on Rep).
Based in Manchester, the streetwear label is known for its seasonal collections that sell out in seconds. From the fitness-focused “247” to the minimalist “Blanks,” one range that's worth mentioning is the “Owners' Club” that's worn religiously by hip-hop titans like Diddy and Rick Ross.
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14 | Stüssy
In the early ‘80s, Shawn Stussy manufactured surfboards out in Cali and had the habit of scrawling his signature onto every one that he made. Eventually, this made its way across to a range of T-shirts, shorts, and caps that he sold out of his car around Laguna Beach.
Fast forward almost 40 years, and Stüssy is now regarded as one of the most legendary clothing brands in history. An amalgamation of surfwear and streetwear, every collection is also infused with a bit of punk for an archaic vibe that A-listers such as Tyler, the Creator just love. Some collabs that are definitely worth shouting out include Dior and Dries Van Noten, which seriously shook up the streetwear game at the end of 2022.
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15 | Supreme
And last, but by no means least, we have Supreme. Probably one of the most recognisable streetwear labels of all-time, it was created by James Jebbia back in 1994. Originally a cult skatewear shop, it's now worth over one billion dollars with 15 locations under its Box Logo-branded belt. Known for its graphic-heavy aesthetic, exclusive drops, and coveted collaborations, the New York City imprint has partnered up with everyone from The North Face to Louis Vuitton.
The latter was significant as it marked the first time that a luxury fashion house fully embraced the idea of streetwear with open arms. It's also pretty major because, back in 2000, LV actually filed a lawsuit against Sup because of a skateboard deck design that the Parisian company deemed way too similar to its own monogram pattern. Who would've thought that, 17 years later, they'd be besties.
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