The fashion world loves to kill a trend as soon as it builds it up. This time, the target is on streetwear.
The man partly responsible for bringing one of the most hyped streetwear collaborations in history to fruition says he’s already growing bored by the emerging category.
Former Louis Vuitton menswear designer Kim Jones, who famously partnered with skate brand Supreme in 2017 for a coveted collection of co-branded apparel, footwear and accessories, alluded that the streetwear’s loose parameters have diluted the definition of the category.
Jones, who is currently the artistic director of Dior’s menswear, warned that good design is getting muddled with the streetwear trend. “I get so bored of that term ‘streetwear,’” Jones told Highsnobiety, a streetwear publication. “You wear clothes in the street, so everything’s streetwear. You can wear a couture gown down the street and that turns it into streetwear.”
Jones’ bold declaration clashes with the opinion of Frederic Court, managing partner and founder of VC fund Felix Capital and one of the first investor in luxury fashion marketplace Farfetch.
Felix Capital also invested $8.5 million in Highsnobiety earlier this year.
In a recent interview with Glossy, Court said streetwear “is here to stay,” adding that the category’s popularity is being fueled by a simple concept: good product.
“Since we invested in Highsnobiety, Virgil Abloh became head of menswear at Louis Vuitton, and Burberry brought on Riccardo Tisci, and the sneaker market has just been exploding—it will remain a big category and a great category for luxury,” he told Glossy.
“Younger people are growing up wearing jeans and sneakers and sweatshirts and T-shirts, so there’s a trend toward comfort, and it will evolve with streetwear. And brands we used to love—or maybe loved to hate—are coming back. It’s amazing to see them connect with a young generation, without a lot of context. They just love the product,” he said.
