Literally Street Fashion

Louis Vuitton commissioned graffiti artists all around the world to support the launch of their Stephen Sprouse Collection. This piece is by Skam from Toronto.  

So lets have a little conversation about this, shall we?   "This" being Big Name brands using trends developed by the people who can't afford to buy their products. Hard working youth, with a natural ability to make people stop and take notice.

 Now don't get me wrong, I am all for fashion reflecting the needs and wants of the consumer, but these days everywhere you look the streets are influencing the runways. 

 It seems like a pretty simple concept: Fashion for the people- By the people.  

But it wasn't too long ago that the roles were reversed.  I can distinctly remember sewing designer labels onto my Value Village shirts just so I could wear them to the 8th Grade dance.  Yes I remember now, it was a sky blue polka-dotted 70's shirt with a big fat Guess tag sewn onto the cuff!  Of course now that shirt wouldn't need the label.  Now it has its own label...Hipster! 

 

My point, and I do have one, is that we are fortunate enough to be part of a time where labels are becoming less significant.  In time of economic crisis, we all tend to become a little bit more "creative".  It is no coincidence that designers like Max Azria are doing collaborations with Miley Cyrus for Walmart or Jimmy Choo is designing $39.00 shoes for H&M.  The reality of it is that most young people simply can not afford to spend $1200 on a pair of shoes.  

So we get creative.  Now I will proudly tell someone that my tee shirt is "vintage", even if that means I pulled it out of a dumpster, brushed off the dirt and paired it with the only piece of designer clothing I have in my closet.  I do this, Not because I have to, but because I can!  I do this out of sheer gratitude.  Gratitude for the fact that I was not young in the era of matching designer label Vest/Jean combos. Or when the label on the back pocket of your jeans also acted as your passport into "popular".  

End Note:  It hurts to see some large labels take so much out of the streets and give nothing back.  That being said, we must appreciate how far we have come.  Appreciate the fact that designers are beginning to once again look at fashion through the eyes of the street.