From the Bronx to the burbs, streetwear is about to have the fashion industry spinning on its head.

A once-thought dying trend is back, making a miraculous reincarnation before our eyes. With urban consumers purchasing close to $500 billion in 2005, it's hard to ignore streetwear as a major player in the fashion industry today. An estimated 24 million young shoppers are opening their wallets, and they may not be buying what you think.
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Because of branding influence from Japan, along with major crossover from the hot designer market, a new form of "urban" is taking shape. Consumers are paying more attention to luxury and don't mind forking over the green if the product is worth the price. Urban consumers want premium, something that looks expensive and will position them as fashion-forward leaders rather than trend followers.

Retailers and designers attribute this shift in fashion to entertainers such as Sean "Diddy" Combs, Kanye West, Usher and Jay-Z. They have made a tailored-designer look very popular in hip-hop culture. Music has always been a huge influence over streetwear. With the growing attraction to hip-hop in addition to high-priced recording contracts, it's no wonder the style is going from dingy bling to tailored clean.

Urban youth are known to stay true to brand; however the use of overstated logos might not be the ticket anymore. Billy Rudnick GMM of a major urban retailer here in New York City, is quoted saying that logos are still strong but have focused on cleaning their image up. A far cry from the overstated logos of the past. The industry agrees: The customer is looking for cooler design in graphics as opposed to giant brand names printed upon baggy T-shirts.

Denim, a usual staple of streetwear, is also undergoing change. Jean treatment is hot with an emphasis on screen-printing, embroidery, pocket design and the use of raw, selvedge denim. In fact, the Magazine of Men's Retailing reports that Akademiks' bestseller for this spring has been their basic, raw jean with a simple cursive stitched logo.



The whole industry is changing, not just in fashion, but in business operations, as well. The market has benefited from new shipping methods employed overseas. The urban manufacturer ships a limited quantity to niche retail stores, finding success by pricing goods at the premium level. This is a technique made popular by the Japanese streetwear company, A Bathing Ape. The technique has also been used for the new line by hip-hop artist Fabolous.

Streetwear and hip-hop have always been at the cutting edge of culture and fashion. Now with demographics blending together, new styles and techniques are expanding a booming market. Consumers seek individualism, which could mean good news for streetwear manufacturers.

For more information about the USA Streetwear Market, Starting Your Own Fashion Company, or for a complete listing of Streetwear manufacturers, call our 212-398-5505 for further details!

Publisher: infomat
InfoMat serves as a one-stop information source for international apparel, textile & accessories professionals. This is where retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, and service providers interact with our network of over 350,000+ fashion companies. We make it easy to source, connect, compare, research and assess industry-wide business opportunities.
Web: www.infomat.com
Published: may 2006
Market: mens
Region: usa
Industry: apparel accessories
Editor: nathan zubal

DISCLAIMER
Information in this report relies on sources including Trade Shows, Associations, News Releases, Government Reports and other public sources. Infomat can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for loss or damage caused by any use thereof.