Virgil Abloh Believe Streetwear Is On Its Deathbed
A creative mind can be a great thing then there are times where it’s bad to say what’s on your mind. Virgil Abloh, the creative force behind Streetwear brand Off-White believes that the ever-popular Streetwear genre will die off in the 2020s. While a bold statement, he could have a point. All trends will die someday but Streetwear has been one of those genres that has come, faded out, then remerged again as strong as ever.
This is what Abloh had to say regarding his statement.
I would definitely say it’s gonna die, you know?” Abloh said. “Like, its time will be up. In my mind, how many more T-shirts can we own, how many more hoodies, how many sneakers?
That’s understandable as he does have a point regarding the buyers. However, he has truly underestimated those same buyers. Off-White has a pretty decent catalog but much of their newer stuff has come from collaborations with other top luxury brands like Nike and Louis Vuitton. Abloh believes that buyers will no longer be on the lookout for hoodies and t-shirts and that’s false.
What Abloh has failed to realize is that if fans will stop looking for the new looks, that’s because brands like Off-White and Supreme are doing more collaborations than original pieces. But that doesn’ mean that the Streetwear genre has to die. For years, Supreme, Off-White and others have controlled the market but there are newcomers still walking into the light.
Up and coming brands like RichKid Clothing is one of the brands that can take the handoff from Off-White and keep the tradition going. It’s the same that happened with Cross Colours, Phat Farm, and FUBU. For a while, that genre did fade out. It took a while for Supreme to make its mark and when it did, Streetwear hit hard and has not slowed down.
The goal here is to keep that momentum going. Brands like Polo, Gucci, Prada, and Chanel will continue to thrive. And maybe this is what Virgil Abloh is talking about. If Streetwear stops merging with others, there may be a decline. But that’s not tue. It’s as if these high luxury brands understand the true value of the Streetwear market and will do whatever they can to get in. Streetwear is still a Billion Dollar industry and just for that to fall off within the next year, I can’t see that happening.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
