Fun, funky and functional streetwear has been walking the streets of India far later than the Western markets but now it has permeated every segment of the fashion industry from global sportswear brands and premium fashion houses to a plethora of local brands. Streetwear as fashionable and casual clothing has social media and social influencers taking it places from a skate and surf, music and sporty athleisure outfits to entering haute fashion world of well-renowned designers. Streetwear as a category may have emerged in the 1980s in the US but it is only in the last decade that it has become a distinctive and iconic segment that is sometimes even the showstopper on European catwalks.
Local brands compete with global iconic ones
With the health and wellness overdrive, athleisure clothing is striding ahead of almost every other fashion segment with Gen Z becoming an intrinsic part of the affluent consumer segment willing and able to spend on apparels of choice. Global brands such as Adidas, Nike, Supreme, Vetements, Stüssy and Off-White are among the most recognizable streetwear iconic labels that have taken the world by storm and are now positioned well in India also. Along with them are, are some of India’s popular niche streetwear brands such as Crepdog Crew (CDC), Capsul, ADK by Avishi Dayal Kalra, Almost Gods, SIX5SIX STREET along with much-renowned fashion designers such as Masaba Gupta and Nikhil Mehra who are all a part of the streetwear segment.
In fact, CDC has been one of the fastest-growing domestic streetwear brands with almost 350 per cent year-on-year growth since its inception in 2019. It now plans to open even bigger stores in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities. As India’s one-stop shop for everything sneaker and streetwear related, the brand already logs in more than six lakh visitors every month. The company’s online platform delivers over 500 pairs of sneakers per week to customers spread across India every week and it plans to scale up its e-commerce business and community-based retail footprint.
Sneakers and bags are the best-sellers
The sneaker segment has always been one of the fastest moving sectors in India, currently growing at 12-15 per cent, and expected to catch up to the global sneaker market that stands at $6 billion. Its dominated by iconic brands like Reebok, Adidas, Nike and Puma among others. Start-ups such as Solesearch, founded in 2020 by Param Minhas, Prabal Baghla, and Rannvijay Singha are leading sneaker marketplaces that have a strong retail presence in both online and brick-and-mortar stores in Indian metros. The Mumbai store has a sneaker wall with over 75 pairs from renowned brands like Air Jordan, Yeezy, Crocs, as well as ive collaborations featuring ior, Tiffany, Off-White, Travis Scott, and more.
Innovative hybridization between Indian textiles and global streetwear influences for bags and shoes is also making a statement. Premium global brand Balenciaga showstopper is its blanket bag heavily inspired by tote bags available at local markets in India while English-born Iranian fashion designer Paria Farzaneh has used her Iranian textiles while fusing it with global streetwear silhouettes. Interesting prints and slogans on T-shirts, leggings, capris, tie-dye hoodies, oversized T-shirts, wrap skits and many other apparels make up the interesting segment.
Whether it is accessories, statement outerwear, or oversized clothing, it is all about versatility in interesting silhouettes and colour combinations that make streetwear funky in all settings. Streetwear doesn’t have to be the strangest thing you’ve ever seen in even a formal setting provided it is designed and accessorized right. And Indian designers are in a league of their own with rising roster of homegrown streetwear with a tweak that allows the wearer to reinvent their sensibilities and stand out instead of just blending in with popular fashion apparels. Being different while being comfortable is the new normal and streetwear brands are using that to maximum advantage.
