Young And Restless

Streetwear is making its presence prominent through youth-fuelled mutiny, and the Indian fashion landscape seems to be the perfect canvas for its expansion.

- Tanya Mehta

How does one define streetwear? In strict sartorial terms it’s a turbulent melee of retina searing puffer jackets, slogan Tees and an acidic pastiche of leather, latex and graphics. A slew of jersey tops, varsity jackets, racer trousers and sheer socks. But streetwear can’t be straight jacketed into a quotidian trend. It’s a movement that runs beyond the surface of fabric. The eruption of streetwear on an international terrain is unmissable; it’s an undeterred form of self-expression, be it culture, sexuality, beliefs or political views. We’ve arrived into an era where clothes aren’t merely conversation starters but legitimate talking points. A foray of international labels have set the foundation for this post-modern phenomenon such as Kanye West’s Yeezy, Rihanna’s Fenty, Off-White, Public School, Hood by Air and the nonpareil Vetements.

At one of Yeezy’s earliest shows, West sent down a military-esque troop of models of all races and shapes dressed in shredded clothing as on ode to the London riots of 2011. Hood by Air, known to infamously collaborate with Pornhub on its past collections, chose to scorn corporate culture for its spring 2017 collection by sending out reiterated versions of suits accompanied with slogans that yelled ‘Wench’ and ‘Hustler’. And for her A/W 2017 line-up for FentyXPuma, Rihanna chose to revive her delinquent days by portraying a brash take on preppy collegiate style through a risqué collection of plaid babydoll dresses and navel grazing jersey tops.