Urban Fashion, [/'3(r)bən/ /'fæs(ə)n/]: “It is the style born of the street”
Where the neighborhoods from Berlin, from London and from Bronx know no borders. The world becomes one and we get to wear them on, as we please.
Man, was that the Apocalypse?
As religion and Hollywood very diligently taught us, miracles my friends do happen. And so did the revival of the Holy Urban style, after its heinous massacre at the 90′s. You know, when Marc Jacobs officially marked the movement as mainstream with the launch of his “Grunge” line. From dark basements with Kurt Cobain’s plaid shirts to flashy catwalks? No uh, the end was coming, and it surely wasn’t pretty.
Alice in Hardcoreland!
What is ripped, space-y, wears creepers and has studs all over? The new and improved urban. It found its way out of the rabbit hole and took over the streets once again. The next generation of the movement bears some serious hardcore trademarks on: Tights. Sneakers in every color of the iris. Mini backpacks. Ripped boyfriend jeans. Studs, literally from head to toe. And many, many patterns of the galaxy in order to get that universal feeling. We are the people who rule the world, now.
Messiahs on a Skateboard!
Since the urban heaven got restored, designers and all kinds of artists got down to work. Urbanism was left in a premature stage and surely refreshment was needed. The last couple of years the ground has been fertile for the most intense talent-blooming. And with the creative freedom that street-born style gives, the results are more spectacular than ever.
Turn your Radar on:
BOY : The notorious brand was a survivor of the Urban Apocalypse. In 2007 it got successfully re-launched by Stephan Reynor, the founder of the label which initially started it in 1977. Like it hasn’t even been a day, BOY remains influential and sassy, basing its signature around the powerful London culture.
MICHAEL KAMPE: Expressive in his very own, creatively pluralistic way, Michael Kampe has already put his mark on the industry. He arrived on the fashion scene from the prestigious Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts and set the bar high with his statement 3D menswear designs. Kampe’s work, is outstanding and not suitable for just anyone. He is a rule breaker and this is why he earns one of the highest spots on our Urban list.
http://www.michaelkampe.com/index.php
GBMEi : Be careful, the G is silent. This fact alone can make you curious about the brand of the London-based Alice Oluyitan. Her graduate collection of Brighton University is called “Happy Homes” and represents her idea of what homes will look like in the future. Like a “Techni-coloured pleasure dome, a vibrant recreation centre, a domestic amusement arcade, somewhere that will free the spirit, delight the senses and unleash the personality”. And these kinds of sensations are her designs. Happy with a big dose of attitude. Don’t get fooled by the pastels; only the tough street-cookies can pull them off.
ROBERTO PIQUERAS : Roberto Piqueras’s creations define the next step in Urban design: overwhelming, badass and kaleidoscopic. If you pay his website a visit, you can tell immediately that he lets the images do the talking. And this is a very important value in a designer especially when we talk about urban style. He loves what he does, and lucky for us, the street loves him back.
http://www.robertopiqueras.com/
XENIA LAFFELY : Imagine a world where pale-skinned boys will strut down the street with pearl-embellished hats and psychedelic-printed colorblocked coats. Her BA 2012 collection was designed for “ the unworthy son, rebellious, flamboyant. The witness of my emancipation”. Definitely one of the emerging urban talents to keep an eye on.
Soon after this little glimpse into the new Urbanverse, you will start to feel the power of it on you. Relax. Take a breath, a scissors and your jeans. Rip them off and go conquer the streets. It won’t pass. It’s just the beginning.