Crocheting in the Street: A New Kind of Streetwear
Kaitlyn Carney
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
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Using clothing as a form of expression is no new trend. For decades, designers and stylists have kept people in the know about what is trendy and what is “so last year.” Fashion houses like Gucci and Chanel have dominated the market and established themselves as the best of what fashion has to offer. But with the newfound freedom of the next generation of fashion designers, new trends and designs are popping up everywhere.
Streetwear is a subsection of the fashion scene that encompasses styles from many different influences and fashion cultures. Seen as highly individualized, the style pulls inspiration from skateboarding, basketball, and hip-hop cultures that became popular on the East Coast around the 1980s (Rajendran, 2012).
Industry Analysis
Stüssy
Credited as being the first streetwear brand, Stüssy focuses on the skater and surfer lifestyle of clothing that many streetwear connoisseurs are familiar with today. Shawn Stussy, the creator of the brand and the man for which it is named, started as a surfer in Laguna Beach, California selling hand-shaped boards to his friends and fellow surfers. Every board came with a graffiti-influenced, handwritten signature at the bottom which was then printed onto t-shirts and shorts and sold alongside the boards as promotion, planting the foundation for what the brand would become (All about Stüssy, 2022). The iconic signature still stands as the brand’s logo.
Stüssy gained popularity through its use of eye-catching graphics and innovative designs while staying true to the Californian style (Meyer, 2022). It targeted young surfers and skaters and grew organically into the iconic brand that it is today. The simplicity of the pieces is what really catapulted it into the spotlight. Shawn Stussy described what he made as “pants and shirts…and jackets and hats” creating what was essentially well-made, visually appealing, affordable garments that catered to the liking of skateboards, but also more popular figures like rappers and celebrities (Tashjian, 2021). The brand not only capitalizes on its own creative work but also through collaborations with other well-known brands such as Nike and Vans, allowing it to stay at the forefront of fashion and helping to broaden its audience and reach (Victorine, 2017). Stüssy also established multiple storefronts and partnered with multi-brand retailers, as well as having an online shop, making it very accessible to customers which helped it gain popularity. Customers are drawn to the rich history of Stüssy and the impact that it has had on streetwear culture as a whole.
Shawn Stussy opted out of the business in 1996, leaving the reins to co-founder Frank Sinatra Jr., whose son, David, now acts as current CEO (Tashjian, 2021). With this change in leadership came some quarrels between the current and former owners. Stussy has criticized the brand for reissuing his original designs, although it can be assumed that he gave up the rights to his work when he left the company. Still, the original creator of the brand criticizing the reuse of his original designs is not a good look for the fashion label.
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Bape
A Bathing Ape, simply known as Bape in the streetwear world, is a Japanese brand born in Ura-Harajuku, Tokyo. Creator Nigo, whose real name is Tomoaki Nagao, is a well-known DJ and cultural icon, which helped launch the brand into worldwide success. The brand is built on Japanese streetwear trends and is known for its colorful graphics and in-your-face designs (Meyer, 2022). It is also known for its characters, including Baby Milo and Ape Head, that have somewhat of their own cult following. The name A Bathing Ape comes from Nigo’s love of the movie Planet of the Apes and the Japanese idiom ‘A bathing ape in lukewarm water,’ referencing a person who overindulges, essentially sitting in a bath until the water becomes cold–an ironic reference when viewed with the consumption of the brand today (Foley, 2019).
Bape was the first big Japanese streetwear brand to hit the United States market. What helped launch the brand was its exclusivity and scarcity–mainly brought on by Nigo’s lack of funding–but also his distaste for oversaturation in the fashion scene. The brand was stocked in 40 different shops around Japan until Nigo decided to only sell from one flagship store in Tokyo (Foley, 2019). Bape got its biggest cosign when Pharell Williams began wearing the brand after befriending Nigo, although access to the clothing in the States was scarce due to the absence of American stores. The first stores in the United States were opened in 2005 and 2006 in New York and Los Angeles, respectively. With its iconic Bapesta shoe being featured in Soulja Boy’s 2007 video for his hit song “Crank Dat” and the line “I got me some Bathin’ Ape,” the brand solidified itself into streetwear history.
Bape targets young hip-hop fans and skaters while also collaborating with brands such as Adidas, helping it continue the hype around itself. Another aspect of the brand that sets it apart from others is its line of products outside of clothing. Fans of the brand can buy everything from kitchenware and toiletries to fishing hooks and furniture created by the brand (Foley, 2019). This extensive product line also helps to draw in customers and gives Bape an edge over competitors.
Bape has announced that it is working on an NFT (non-fungible token) launch and has dropped teasers of its design on its Discord server. The designs feature a realistic-looking ape with different accessories in each design. Controversy arose when the company released an image of said ape with a darker complexion than the rest of them and sporting a traditional Native American headdress. This caused an uproar of unhappy and offended internet goers who accused the brand of racism and stereotyping (Servantes, 2022). Supporters of Bape have claimed that since it is a Japanese-based company, the creators may be unaware of the negative connotations of the design, but it is the brand's duty to understand the implications of the work it puts out.
Supreme
Known as the most popular streetwear brand of all time, Supreme has anchored itself at the forefront of streetwear culture. The brand was created by James Jebbia to cater to the skating community that was forming in the 1990s (Rajendran, 2012). Supreme mixed rebellion with art, which was a popular theme amongst the youth at the time. It started small, selling only t-shirts, but soon branched out into hoodies and fitted caps.
Supreme targets skateboarders with deep roots in punk and hip-hop culture (Rajendran, 2012). Its main demographic is 18 to 25-year-olds who “want to buy cool stuff” (Sullivan, 2017). The hype around Supreme is created through their limited production and iconic red box logo. Like Stüssy and Bape, Supreme has also done collaborations with other brands, including Louis Vuitton and Burberry, but it is the collaborations with unexpected brands–like the one with Coleman Powersports to create a Supreme motorized minibike– that makes Supreme stand out from the competition (Sullivan, 2017). These kinds of collaborations drive up interest in the brand due to their small product batches and the fact that consumers are getting two brand names on one item.
The company also has a unique way of driving up allure. Typically, the brand will release two new collections a year, teasing the release with an online look-book followed by a few pieces being released every Thursday, both online and in stores (Sullivan, 2017). This form of marketing is what really creates the hype around Supreme, with some devoted fans camping outside of the store for days in advance to try to score the newest releases.
Supreme has run into issues when it comes to releasing the sourcing of their products. Unlike other major brands, Supreme tends to keep quiet about where, how, and who produces its products and the materials in its products (Rauturier, 2018).
Another controversy Supreme has found itself in involves the building of its newest store in Los Angeles. The store will be located in the former location of Tower Records in West Hollywood where residents are wary of the store's arrival. Locals held a meeting to discuss the impact the new store will have on the community, citing the disturbances the location in Fairfax causes to residents there (Servantes, 2022). These locals do not want people camping outside of their houses waiting for the next Supreme drop or fights breaking out, as has happened in Fairfax.
Creating the Brand
STITCHES
STITCHES is a streetwear brand that features crocheted pieces including t-shirts, cargo pants, balaclavas, bags, and more. Each piece is handmade by talented artists with a keen eye for both fashion and the arts. STITCHES aims to provide customers with wearable pieces of art that double as the latest trends in fashion. The brand's mission is as follows: We believe in the intimate creation of fashion as art to bring customers the most up-to-date and in-style products by handmade and ethical means. The marketing of the brand also follows this same line of thinking by creating tangible crocheted advertisements that double as art installations in order to spread the word of the brand and focus people's attention on it.
The yarns used in the products are made from wool, silk, organic cotton, or upcycled material, including but not limited to thrifted or second-hand materials and even plastic bags. The brand targets eco-conscious and stylish young adults ranging from 23 to 30 years old and living in more urban areas. Due to the labor-intensive work put into each piece, the cost of materials, and the exclusivity of the products, prices start at $75 for smaller bags, hats, and accessories and go upward, with bigger items such as hoodies and cargo pants costing $600 or more. The brand's logo is the word ‘STITCHES’ in a muted medium green font, paralleling the idea of the brand being eco-friendly and “green.”
Blitzer’s Rhetorical Situation and STITCHES
STITCHES is competing in the market with other giants such as Stüssy, Bape, and Supreme, all mentioned previously. What sets STITCHES apart from these brands is its dedication to the environment and the craft of making things by hand, not mass-producing products solely for profit and consumerism. While pricing models between this brand and the others are similar, the craftsmanship is incomparable.
The exigence of STITCHES is that it is the first crochet-only streetwear brand on the market. With this newfound market comes newfound needs. The products in this line will be produced in smaller batches with ethical materials, leading to less waste and overproduction. This will persuade eco-conscious individuals to gravitate toward the brand. Also, the new market will attract streetwear fans as they will be enticed by the exclusivity and unique look of the products.
STITCHES targets 23 to 30 years olds, who are at the perfect stage in life to act as mediators of change. This demographic is typically starting their careers and looking to find a more grown-up, sophisticated look. Since STITCHES is a crochet brand, the look of the pieces is distinct and has a more put-together and uniform appearance than something like a Supreme box logo t-shirt. People in this age range are also starting to be able to afford nicer quality garments, meaning they will be able to afford the products and seamlessly make the change over to STITCHES. This age range is not typically targeted as consumers for streetwear, usually, it is a younger audience, so the added benefit of targeting a new audience and making them feel included will increase their drive to purchase from the brand. STITCHES offers a new look for garments, making people interested and willing to buy a new product.
Every product has constraints. For STITCHES, the biggest obstacle is competing with other brands producing similar products. Bape has a similar product line, Bapy, that also sells crocheted pieces, but it is a small product line within the bigger brand. STITCHES’ biggest selling point that sets it apart from other brands is its focus on ethics and proper sourcing and materials. The extended time that it takes to create some of the pieces in the brand can also cause some constraints due to the time it takes to make the products and their availability. STITCHES will also be able to use other streetwear brands as a guide on what not to do, such as exploiting Supreme’s lack of transparency to show people what the brand is not going to do.
Streetwear is ever changing and there is always room for new designs and ideas. The style is supposed to reflect the personal identity of the buyer, meaning almost anything can be considered streetwear. Crochet pieces are something new to streetwear that people will be interested in. The idea of the pieces being handmade and ethical will also help to draw in customers. While there is no moving the mainstay brands that are Stüssy, Bape, and Supreme, there is room to forge a new identity and eventually have everyone crocheting in the streets.
References
All about Stüssy. Stussy.com. (2022). Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.stussy.com/pages/history-of-stussy
Foley, G. K. (2019, April 15). Bape: Everything you ever wanted to know & some things you didn't. Highsnobiety. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/bape-a-bathing-ape/
Meyer, M. (2022, February 16). 33 Best Streetwear Brands in the World in 2022 (Underground & upcoming). The VOU. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://thevou.com/fashion/streetwear-brands/
Rajendran, Mayan. (2012). The development of streetwear and the role of New York City, London, and Supreme NY. Theses and dissertations. Paper 924.
Rauturier, S. (2018, November 19). How ethical is supreme? Good On You. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-is-supreme/
Servantes, I. (2022, March 10). Bape's unreleased nfts include racist Native American imagery. Input. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.inputmag.com/style/bape-nfts-nft-native-american-headdress-racist-ape
Servantes, I. (2022, January 28). Supreme's plans for a new Los Angeles store are causing controversy. Input. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.inputmag.com/style/supreme-new-los-angeles-store-tower-records-west-hollywood-residents-controversy
Sullivan, R. (2017, August 10). Charting the rise of Supreme, from cult skate shop to fashion superpower. Vogue. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.vogue.com/article/history-of-supreme-skate-clothing-brand
Tashjian, R. (2021, May 10). How Stüssy became the Chanel of streetwear. GQ. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.gq.com/story/stussy-revival-2021
Victorine, J. (2017, August 14). The continued cultural relevance of Stussy. Grailed. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.grailed.com/drycleanonly/stussy-master-class