The Return of Streetwear

They say that fashion has a 20 year cycle: we repeat the same trends, only 20 years later. This has certainly rung true for streetwear clothing with brands like Stussy making a return on the highstreet in Topman, since their initial birth in 1980, and Adidas rereleasing the Torsion Integral S with two new colour ways. 

Stussy

Streetwear originated in the West Coast, derived from surf and skate culture yet with many other cultural influences such as hip hop fashion, and generally encompasses a relaxed and laid back casual look. Shawn Stussy helped to create this movement, as a surfboard designer who put his designs onto T-shirts, which became incredibly popular, and the brand still is very popular today.

Adidas Torsion Integral S

Already established sportswear brands like Adidas attached themselves to the streetwear style and the emerging popularity of hip hop in the early 80s. Brands such as Carhartt and Timberland joined the scene in the late 80s after Nike began to dominate the streetwear style with Michael Jordan backing them and their urban footwear.

Carhartt

Now, in 2013, there has been a full revival of the streetwear scene, with brands like Other taking inspiration from the hip hop lifestyle and being stocked in JD Sports, and Y'Oh, established in in 2005 which combines skate wear and African influences to create a clash of patterns.

Other

So what do you think about the revival in streetwear? Is it as good as the original style in the 80s, or has it lost it's edge by becoming too high-fashion?