Welcome to Fairfax and Rosewood Ave, locally known as "the block."
For nearly 20 years, this strip has founded and housed the most influential streetwear brands due to the prevalent skate, hip-hop and celebrity culture.
The way that the block has changed in demographic, styles and brands is a microcosm of how much streetwear itself has evolved and in some cases, veered off from its roots.
While it difficult to tell where streetwear is now headed, some are taking the lead and putting its future into their own hands…
The State of Streetwear:
Los Angeles
Where does this sector of fashion stand and where is it headed?
PARIS WISE
The state of streetwear touches on so many aspects of our everyday lives and has affects on art, politics, activism, self-expression, environmentalism, technology and identity. What people wear is an extension of themselves and can tell stories without having to say a word.
While the block has been such an influential place for many, there are those who feel it may have lost its luster after so many years and adaptations, feeding into the reflection of what is happening in the streetwear industry.
The block’s place in streetwear has simply moved along with the wave of how shopping and brands have changed. Brick and mortar may not be such a priority for people the same way it was pre-COVID and therefore consumption will also be affected. This has created new ways for streetwear to emerge as well as new communities within the industry.
Here is where a few people in the industry think streetwear is headed and their observations of its current state...
“I remember when streetwear first started, you were just producing like black and white, like graphic types and now it’s heavy cotton hoodies with puff print and all that extra shit,” said Andrew Martinez who is native to the area and has worked on the block for over 15 years. “I think [streetwear] is definitely evolving into like different types of designs and everything. I think it's sick.”
“I think the future of streetwear is innovative, it's ever growing. I think streetwear is going to crossover into the metaverse,” said James Washington another Fairfax native who works in fashion and music. “Streetwear is just the energy that you can't leave behind this like just the underdog of fashion, and that's always going to exist.”
“I think streetwear is now very much just a part of the general term of fashion. You know, I don't think there's much separation between the two anymore,” said Lei Takanashi style writer for the streetwear and culture hub Complex magazine. “But I think it’s really sustained itself as this thing that is supported by subcultures and the underground.”
An ode to the old days
Andrew Martinez started interning nearly 15 years ago at a few of the original stores on the block and now works as an E-commerce and Fullfillment coordinator for called Diamond Supply Co., which is one of the few legacy stores still standing on Fairfax Ave. Martinez always knew that this was the industry he wanted to go into.
“I was born and raised on Fairfax, so it was like my backyard,” said Martinez. “Growing up as a kid and being exposed to all these new streetwear stores and everything kind of just helped build my character and my personality and even how I dress.”
Martinez started his own clothing brand called Guava which utilizes vibrant airbrush art that has been a traditional artform passed down from his father and grandfather.
His early experimentation with streetwear and art was through graffiti and selling t-shirts in high school.
Now, he works on collabs with artists like Saweetie and even Biggie Smalls’ estate. The most recent collaboration was for Burna Boy's tour, which sold Martinez's designs in Madison Square Garden.
Martinez has also collaborated with local businesses such as Cofax coffee shop on Fairfax. Some of these connections came from people Martinez has worked with on the block, which can play a big part in accessibility to creating a successful brand.
The streetwear industry could see a lot more brands bringing back vintage styles like this but Martinez has an upperhand when it comes to authenticity.
Credit to the Community
Graffiti and street art are foundational pillars of what streetwear is and who make up its community. Since streetwear has become so popular worldwide, there are fashion and culture motifs that are becoming trendier among people who don’t necessarily understand the history or communities from which they originated.
“I see huge brands like Louis Vuitton doing airbrush and that's crazy, because I don't really know the true foundation of airbrushing and how it started but I do know it’s attached to lower class and middle-class communities,” said Martinez. “I feel like airbrush is kind of like an art form that's not really like paid attention to much. But I feel like it's getting it's shine right now, which is kind of cool.”
Although certain styles and artforms are getting more exposure, it is still important that brands don't contribute to erasure of particularly underrepresented cultures and communties. This could lead to brands profiting off of people without those communities benefiting in any way.
"The one problem I have is that people wear clothing that they think looks cool, which is fine, but it always kind of makes it feel weird where if you wear a jacket that was popularized by certain people or you don't actually know who those people are, I think that's just a weird look,” said Takanashi. “Like if you wear like a Louis Vuitton piece today or a Gucci piece today with monograms covering the whole jacket, you should know that Dapper Dan was the first person to do that.”
This is where authenticity plays a huge role in a successful streetwear brand but it is hit or miss in the large market today. Recognition of communities who started certain fashion and style trends is important but putting people who are actually from those communities in charge of design for big brands is so much more impactful.
Lei Takanashi is a style writer for Complex who grew up in New York surrounded by streetwear, sneaker culture and other subcultures like graffiti.
Takanashi covers a lot of top trends and brands in fashion and streetwear as well as some of the roots and origins of popularized styles and the people and communities from which they came.
Clothes represent and mean so much more than just what they appear to be to Takanashi. He says people always want a nice t-shirt or hoodie but it's really about the narrative you push and what your brand represents that will make it stand out.
He believes brands need to push better and deeper storytelling as well as celebrating more diversity in the industry.
While Takanashi grew up on the East coast, he admits that Los Angeles is very important for the fashion and streetwear industry.
“If you want to make clothing, you go to L.A., if you want to elevate, if you want to level up your brand, you go to L.A. because it's supposedly easier to produce a lot of different garments there,” said Takanashi. Both New York and Los Angeles are key cities to be in if you want a successful brand. New York has a very rich history in streetwear and Los Angeles is the home of a lot of resources. Location is just one of the factors that make certain streetwear brands stand out and become successful.
Design is a whole other beast and is the first impression brands make on their consumers. Brands are moving from the typical box logo or simple graphic on a plain tee, into cut and sew higher fashion with more wardrobe options in order to distinguish themselves. Consumers have higher demands now that there is a larger market that some might say is oversaturated. There is a lot more care and consideration now that goes into what brands people are supporting and the ethics and practices of a brand could determine their success.
“Nowadays a lot of streetwear is lost in this language of commerce and hype and resale value,” said Takanashi. “I think it's important now, especially in 2022 that we just kind of give back to the communities that make fashion so great.”
L.A. local James Washington, aka Jimmy Stone, also grew up in the Fairfax area with influence to get into fashion from members of his family who were also in the industry.
Washington trademarked his brand Rich Minority in 2016 starting off with art and photography and working with music artists. His initial intentions for the brand have evolved as he feels the messages in his merch have become more necessary and urgent.
Washington felt a calling to create lines in response to racial injustices past and present, tapping into issues he authentically cares about.
These lines by Washington have organically transformed in response to important issues and while he points out that his brand isn’t a political one, it prides itself on community, authenticity and potent individualism.
Merch with a Message
“I want to build something where you genuinely live life and embrace life like you are a rich minority,” said Washington. “Now, I just dropped the Free Huey capsule, which is essentially about freeing your mind, the liberation of the mind, breaking free from mental cages and boundaries that people put on you.”
Washington's brand exemplifies the power that streetwear can have in conveying powerful and impactful messages that resonate with historically marginilized communities. This can build unity among people who may not know each other but can share admiration for a brand that prioritizes such a message. These lines are statements within themselves, whether that was Washington's initial vision or not.
“You know, I had this idea of what I was going to do to launch the brand, but instead I ended up doing the Human Campaign first, just because it was something going on in my community that I had to address,” said Washington. His designs for the Human Campaign were created as a call to action to promote the message that we are all human at a time of heavy social and racial awareness which connected to his next designs in response to erasing racism, called Eracism. “Fast forward to 2020, when I did the Eracism movement, which I also didn't consider the official launch because that was just me doing something that I was inspired by the George Floyd shit that was happening.”
Washington giving back and building community is something that is a need for streetwear today. He believes brands who have longevity need an authentic story and message behind them rather than simply doing whatever is trendy at the time. Growing up in Los Angeles gives Washington a unique perspective and experience with streetwear in seeing how it has evolved.
Washington wants to eventually make his brand more luxury and high-end as it is a natural evolution and next step for him in his vision. He says designers like Kanye West and Vigril Abloh paved the way for creators like himself and he has a very unique outlook on the industry, especially since he grew up in Los Angeles. “L.A. has been special pretty much in every era, like skateboarding in L.A. was such a huge thing and skateboarding was the dominant reason for streetwear at a point in time. Now, there's like such a mixture of things going on in L.A. and I think that's why it's a special place for fashion creators or any type of creator, just because there's so much influence.” Certain streetwear brands could continue to follow this path similar to Washington's by creating brands that do more than just make clothes and build community with deeper meanings and raise awareness.
Accountability and Authenticty
Now that a brand can be created and manufactured so easily and it is becoming more appealing due to lucrative opportunities however, this comes at a cost. The streetwear industry is teetering between high-fashion and fast-fashion in which brands have to take accountability in how their products are being created and bought as well as their impacts on the environment.
“If we're thinking about the time, fashion is doing so much damage to the Earth,” said Ceason Gonzalez who has worked in fashion and streetwear for over 15 years and currently works for Fear of God, a clothing brand with global success. “It's all a cycle that just repeats itself and it plays into the time and what society is going through and what people most relate to so Fear of God is something that has again evolved from an idea and concept that was planted and rooted in streetwear.”
While fashion has cycles, success is not guaranteed yet Fear of God has found its space in e-commerce since it sells out within seconds creating a high-demand and an aspect of exclusivity. With a deep understadning of customer service and digital marketing, Gonzalez points out that the intention behind the brand’s use of high-quality materials is because it is something that people are willing to spend their money on and they want to provide something that their customers will want to hold onto.
Resell sites or sustainable practices such as thrifting are making rifts in the market as people become more and more concerned with what they are putting on their body and where they are putting their dollars.
“I think that's definitely something more mainstream consumers are thinking about now, which I think is really dope because it kind of goes into caring things like diversity as well,” said Takanashi. “We should also care about where our clothes are made, who's making money, where’s the cotton sourced, how much are workers getting paid in these factories for these hoodies.”
A brand’s ethics are at the forefront more than ever before because consumers are doing more research and paying more attention to the people involved and what they represent. In order for consumers to understand a brand, it is the brand’s responsibility to have something more substantial in their identity.
“I think what stands out the most to me about a brand is the story it has. I think it's really important for brands to build a narrative,” said Takanashi, illuminating on brands like Supreme that can be looked at as just a box logo design but are rooted in a rich story and foundation of underground skate culture and rebellion.
It is not possible to talk about the state of streetwear without recognizing the late Virgil Abloh who was a fashion designer and all-around creative force who is probably most known for his brand Off-White and for successfully infusing Louis Vuitton with skate and streetwear elements as the luxury brand’s Artistic Director. His work informs us on the state of streetwear and gives us clues as to where it could go.
Abloh took great care in colliding street culture with high-end, luxury fashion brands.
His influence on streetwear and fashion can be looked at as a precursor to what is next as he will continue to reincarnate in brands and creators who aspire to make an impact in the industry.
His work also influenced pre-established brands to take more risks in their work but some of this was lost since not many people had the direct connection to street culture like Abloh.
“What I loved about Virgil's work specifically is that he kind of destroyed that boundary between high-class fashion and low-class fashion. But he also celebrated black artists, graffiti writers, skateboarders and he put them on to that level of Louis Vuitton,” said Takanashi. “I think we need to see I just like more of that in general, you know, like celebrate more diversity in the industry, celebrate stories that aren't told.”
Abloh's work is celebrated and therefore this makes room for more diverse communities and creators to also be celebrated by an industry and environments that exclude them. Even Abloh's success in high fashion brought about some instinctual protective feelings towards the culture.
Gonzalez noted that Abloh successfully brought skate and street cculture to the masses and while there are predatory designers looking to capitalize off of marginalized communities, it is important to look deeper. "I think when it first happened, it was like anything where you feel like someone's just trying to capitalize off of something. But you always have to be careful about having that idea in your mind where Virgil actually lived the lifestyle, he appreciated the lifestyle, so he did do something respectfully," said Gonzalez. "I feel like he did his research, he didn't just take an idea and concept and throw it out there. He always had some history or knowledge or experience with the ideas and concepts he brought to life, whether it was a skate or graffiti."
While Abloh took a lot of elements from street communities, it remained authentic because not only did he appreciate these lifestyles he lived them himself. This is important and transcends across brands to maintain their authenticity, be in tune with their ethics and values, build community and give back. Abloh elevated the way people approach design and intention and this will continue to become more apparent as we see more brands tap into what is authentically important to them.
Even after Abloh's passing these ideals continue to live on through other creators influenced by his work. The distincitive lines between high and low fashion and the various genres between styles have continued to be blurred and streetwear continues to shift and evolve. Some parts are even becoming obsolete. The block is no exception to this.
“I think it definitely has that nostalgic feel but a lot of the businesses there are just trying to be a part of something that once was,” said Ceason Gonzalez who has worked in fashion and streetwear for over 15 years and currently works for Fear of God, a clothing brand with global success. “I think Supreme is going to be moving their location away from Fairfax so once that happens, it's literally just going to be a memory.” Gonzalez likens this to the cycles of fashion as a whole.
Streetwear is hardly a classification for a lot of brands now even if they have some of the markers, yet it is still something people want to be a part of and replicate and be a part of so badly. This genre of fashion will continue to ebb and flow as more creators and stories emerge. The state of streetwear may no longer be a destination but a constant place we reside independent of time. One thing for certain is streetwear is not what it once was and this is not good or bad, but just a new version of recycled concepts continuing to borrow and elevate the one before it.