Luxury Streetwear Brands
Luxury streetwear or smart streetwear as it is occasionally referred to, is the combination of performance apparel designs with high quality materials and craftsmanship. This merger of design patterns, fabrics and workmanship has delivered a relatively new and widely popular look, accepted amongst a wide range of social and financial demographics.
Until recently, streetwear attire was strongly associated with the skateboarder and break dancer communities. Street fashion has been in existence for decades and was synonymous with the meteoric rise of hip hop in the early 80s; most people who lived during that era would remember images of the hip hop group Run DMC (some may even view Reverend Run, DMC and Jam Master Jay as the pioneers of street fashion), we’ve often seen iconic imagery of the group dressed from head to foot in Adidas attire, an artist mixture of colourful hats, tracksuits and sneakers. Fast forward nearly four decades and street fashion has now branched out into other areas of society becoming more culturally acceptable as garments worn by all; cue the emergence and subsequent rise of luxury streetwear. Established fashion brands like Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Fendi, Hugo Boss and Louis Vuitton (to name a few) were relatively early responders to this culture shift, fully embracing this opportunity by manufacturing high quality and more affordable casual garments (these casual garments were more affordable when compared to their core fashion collections); the aptly named “diffusion ranges” consisted of street fashion apparel from hoodies to joggers, oversized t-shirts to crew neck sweaters; luxury streetwear or high end althleisure was now recognised as an affluent sector of the clothing industry following this endorsement by the big brands. It is now not uncommon to see sneakers and hoodies on the catwalks of Milan and Paris where prior to the turn of the millennium this would have been unthinkable. Aside from brands like Gucci, Fendi and Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, Balmain you now have more edgy street fashion (comparable to the couture catwalk collections of the luxury fashion brands) from creatives, such as rapper Kanye West and his Yeezy brand. Yeezy is a brand which has a strong presence at New York and Paris fashion weeks and it not rare to see people queuing up outside stores for hours if not days in order to get their hands on the latest fashion drops.
Prior to the inclusion of the aforementioned luxury brands (which merely incorporated smart streetwear ranges within their existing product portfolios) we had pioneer brands whose core objectives were to produce clothing for the street. The street apparel sold by these brands were designed specifically with skateboarders and break dancers in mind but as brand awareness and popularity grew the streetwear culture was adopted by a wider audience and unintentionally spilled over into the mainstream.
There’s certain criteria which separates luxury streetwear from all other street apparel on the market, it is often either one or a combination of the following elements:-
- Fabrics and Materials
- Craftsmanship
- Designs
- Brand Perception
- Exclusivity
- Price
It is worth highlighting that not all luxury streetwear is luxury. It is not widely publicised but often luxury brands will rely solely on their reputation when selling streetwear, where the only thing luxury about the garment is the brand logo and the price tag. It is not uncommon for these luxury brands to outsource manufacturing of clothing especially for their outlet stores and diffusion ranges to factories in China. These factories will often use low quality fabrics, child labour and toxic chemicals to create the clothing for these streetwear projects but with the licence to apply the luxury brand logo to the items produced. This is why the term “paying for the brand” is so applicable when it concerns low quality but expensively priced products.
This is why it is important to purchase smart/luxury streetwear from a streetwear brand because this is the core of their business and not merely a diffusion range.
Here are the luxury streetwear brands you need as part of your wardrobe to create that desired high end streetwear look. We have selected a total of 33 brands covering a range of casual to smart streetwear designs and everything in between.
1 Supreme
Arguably one of the most sort after streetwear brands of the modern era, Supreme officially launched as a brand in downtown Manhattan back in 1994. Founded by fashion designer James Jebbia originally created as a provider of street apparel for the New York City skateboard and hip hop scene, Supreme has grown into one of the most iconic luxury streetwear brands collaborating with the hottest artists, musicians, actors, brands and celebrities throughout its meteoric rise. It is not uncommon for the Supreme weekly drops to sell out instantaneously, in fact some people make a career out of purchasing these products to resell them for a profit. The Supreme brand clout coupled with the exclusivity of their products mean consumers will pay a premium to acquire these items. In addition to clothing Supreme also retail exclusive and qwerky product items such as their famous Supreme money gun. The brand is strong and instantly recognisable without being too overstated in many of the various Supreme product ranges, the iconic red box overlaid with the white Supreme typeface is unmistakable and always in high demand.
The Supreme brand is no stranger to the Paris Fashion Week scene having its collaboration with Louis Vuitton featured back in 2017.
Supreme is a street fashion superpower and its products are a must have in any luxury streetwear list.
https://www.supremenewyork.com
2 Stüssy
Stüssy was founded all the way back in the 1980s by Shawn Stüssy, a former California manufacturer of surfboards. Shawn Stüssy began by applying his signature to his handcrafted surfboards and then onto t-shirts which eventually lead to the launch of the successful streetwear brand. Having originated from the California surfer scene (which was in the ascendency during this time period) the Stüssy brand awareness grew and its apparel was also embraced by the hip hop and skateboarder culture. Stüssy is known for its original statement pieces and quality, embodying elements of its target market within its design visuals which vary from minimalist to loud and colourful.
Shawn Stüssy has also worked with James Jebbia (founder of Supreme) between 1991 and 1994 in the run up to the launch of Supreme.
An iconic Stüssy hoodie alongside various other items within their product range make this brand a welcome addition for any luxury streetwear list.
3 Kith
Kith was founded in New York City in 2011 by sneaker designer Aaron ‘Ronnie’ Fieg. Kith’s brand position is more akin to a fashion house with its collections featured on the catwalks of Milan or Paris than a standard streetwear brand. Kith was created as a hub for men’s sneakers and has since grown into a streetwear powerhouse, known for its minimalistic approach to clothing and its collaborations with other brands (predominantly sneaker brands) it now provides a head to toe clothing experience.
Kith is a must have requirement for any luxury streetwear list.
4 Off-White
Off-White is a luxury Italian brand, founded in Milan by American designer Virgil Abloh back in 2012. The brand provides its own unique take on street fashion, a very high end vision which blurs the lines between catwalk fashion and street apparel. All manufacturing is undertaken in Milan to ensure quality in terms of fabric, fit and fabrication.
Off-White clothing boasts collaborations with designers, other brands, artists and celebrities, its collections have been featured at Paris Fashion Week.
Off-White offers a range of clothing from formal yet edgy streetwear to casual smart streetwear, all elegantly crafted using high quality materials.
Off-White attire would be a welcome addition to any wardrobe and an essential inclusion in any luxury streetwear list.
5 Noah NYC
Noah NYC (as its name suggests) was founded in New York City in 2015. The brand was created by Brendon Babenzien the former creative director at Supreme whose experience provided a great foundation on which to launch a men’s streetwear brand. Noah NYC is also a sustainable clothing brand which is taking a stand against unsocial practices incorporated by the fashion industry which are detrimental to both our planet and to the consumer.
Inspired by the skateboarding scene and spurred on by a defiance of traditional fashion industry manufacturing methodologies, Noah NYC delivers upmarket, sophisticated streetwear via a transparent production process.
Noah NYC apparel is a must have for consumers which care about the planet as well as how they look, a luxury sustainable streetwear brand which appeals to many diverse audiences.
6 Undefeated
Undefeated was founded in Los Angeles, California by Eddie Cruz and James Bond back in 2002. It was originally an authentic sneaker boutique store but has since grown into a luxury streetwear brand regularly collaborating with other recognised streetwear brands to deliver exclusive items.
The Undefeated clothing products tend of adhere to a more oversized fit which is perfect for its hip hop and skateboarder audience.
A more casual look luxury brand than others in this list but clothing essential for a more relaxed and comfortable fit.
7 BAPE — A Bathing Ape
A Bathing Ape or as it is more commonly known as BAPE, is a Japanese fashion brand which was founded by DJ Nigo way back in 1993. The brand originally specialised in streetwear but now has grown into a lifestyle entity which boasted hair salons, art galleries and café as part of its impressive portfolio. BAPE regularly collaborates with other brands; some of the more exclusive items are very overstated and colourful and the brand was heavily associated with Pharrell Williams amongst other celebrities as their street fashion label of choice.
8 Billionaire Boys Club
Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream are streetwear and lifestyle brands which were both founded by Pharrell Williams and DJ Nigo in 2003. Pharrell Williams a long-time fan of the work by BAPE founder Nigo partnered with him and Japanese graphic designer Sk8thing to deliver the Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream offerings.
The clothing is very eye catching with bright colours and large graphics. This unmissable brand is a must have in any luxury streetwear line up.
9 Palm Angels
Palm Angels is a high-end streetwear brand which was founded in Milan by Italian Art Director and photographer Francesco Ragazzi in early 2015. The Palm Angels concept actually originated in 2011 from a photo book created by Ragazzi featuring skateboarder culture, following which the luxury brand was realised. The Palm Angels style is a fusion of Italian chic with American street culture delivering a very unique understated luxury look.
Worn by a plethora of celebrities and influencers Palm Angels attire is a must have for any streetwear look.
10 Human Made
Human Made is a Japanese fashion brand which was founded in 2010. This was the brainchild of the former founder of A Bathing Ape (BAPE), Nigo created this new brand to allow him the freedom to apply his vision, which he believed was not achievable under the BAPE brand. Human Made is very similar to Supreme with their unique product drops (for example a branded banana peel doorstop) in addition to their edgy clothing range.
Human Made are more than just a luxury streetwear brand and from a clothing perspective their overstated apparel is extremely appealing to a more eccentric luxury streetwear audience.
11 Vetements
Vetements is a French streetwear brand founded by fashion designers Demna & Guram Gvasalia in 2014. Vetements simply translates from French to mean “clothing” and the senior team within the company have a great pedigree formerly gaining experience at brands like Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga to name a few.
Vetements are reknown for creating masterpieces such as graffiti high top sneakers and handcuff bracelets as jewellery accessories. Not only does the brand provide streetwear but also activewear, beachwear, jewellery and underwear, the items vary in style from catwalk ready to grungy gothic street classics but all exhibit a “down to earth” approach to fashion.
Vetements meteoric rise to fashion notoriety took only 3 collections before it was featured in Paris Fashion Week in 2015.
Vetements as a brand has collaborated with a number of celebrities and speciality brands, it is the very embodiment of luxury streetwear from head to toe.
12 Balenciaga
Balenciaga is a Spanish luxury fashion house which was founded all the way back in 1917 by Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga. The brand reopened under new management in 1986 following its closure in 1972. The Balenciaga relaunch was with the aim to restore the brand back to its luxury fashion house status with a bold new collection. In 1992 following their revival the House of Balenciaga were commissioned with the prestigious project of designing the French Olympic team outfit and since then has only grown from strength to strength.
Balenciaga is more than just a luxury streetwear brand but it makes this list due to the uptake of their clothing by the millennials streetwear generation.
The brand retails a range of clothing items from formal shoes to jewellery but at the heart of their four annual collections is their luxury streetwear.
No luxury streetwear wardrobe would be complete without a Balenciaga piece in the line-up.
13 Jackson James
Jackson James is arguably a rising star in the world of luxury street fashion. The premium streetwear brand was founded in 2020 by ex-footballer Richard Offiong and business associate Tony Olanipekun, employing a team of expert fashion designers who previously worked at brands such as Supreme, Off-White, BAPE and Christian Dior to name a few. Jackson James is sustainable and ethical without compromising on style and delivers timeless smart street fashion pieces.
The brand has a minimalist approach to fashion and this is very apparent in their core collection but their limited edition range is more ostentatious and flamboyant.
The Jackson James unique approach to deliver high quality and highly fashionable, sustainable clothing is truly pioneering and a must have addition to any luxury streetwear list.
14 Travis Scott Astroworld
Travis Scott is an American rapper who founded his own streetwear range in 2018. The Travis Scott Astroworld clothing brand was launched in conjunction with his 3rd studio album also called Astroworld. The brand initially started out as tour merchandise but due to former collaborations with brand such as Nike (on their Air Jordan sneakers) and the success of the merchandise sales, Travis Scott (following in his mentor Kanye West’s footsteps) continued to capitalise on this opportunity.
The brand like its creator are heavily influenced by the rap scene but it also incorporates a playful, relax approach to fashion with its weirdly unique collaborations (like the one with McDonalds for example).
15 Dsquared2
Dsquared2 was founded in Milan by Canadian fashion designers and identical twin brothers Dan and Dean Caten. The brand was launched in 1996 and perfectly encapsulates the glamour of the cat walk with the edgy nature of streetwear. Dsquared2 effortlessly blends Italian chic influences with Canadian heritage to deliver an alternate luxury concept.
The clothing delivered by the brand is diverse, ranging from catwalk ready to overtly distressed but always luxurious and guaranteed high quality.
16 Balr
Balr is a luxury streetwear brand which was founded in Holland by former professional footballer Demy de Zeeuw with Juul Manders and Ralph de Geus. Inspired by his own experience De Zeeuw created the brand to make the footballer style more accessible to the streetwear audience. The brand gain recognition when it was worn by a number of professional footballers and exuberates that classic luxury athletic disposition.
A Balr fashion piece is a necessary addition to any luxury streetwear wardrobe.
17 Sacai
Sacai is a Japanese luxury fashion brand predominantly delivering high end streetwear, founded way back in 1999 by pattern cutter turned fashion maverick, Chitose Abe.
Sacai clothing is street fashion but not as casual as other brands mentioned in this list. The Sacai brand is a definitive inspiration in blurring the separation lines between formal and casual clothing. The clothing is so diverse it has items which can be worn in the office or out on the street shopping or casually chilling. Every piece oozes luxury and is directly influenced in terms of look and feel by Abe.
18 Helmut Lang
Helmut Lang was founded way back in the 1986 by the brand namesake Helmut Lang, an Austrian fashion designer. The brand has evolved over the years but Helmut Lang has always stayed true to its core values and foundations in minimalist fashion. Helmut Lang is known for its simple yet refined designs and elegant patterns; the brand has been featured on runways in Paris and New York over the years. The luxury streetwear brand famously partnered with Prada in 1999 and following some fundamental direction changes it relaunched in 2006 with a contemporary sportswear collection affirming the brand shift into the luxury street fashion space.
19 Heron Preston
Heron Preston is a high end streetwear brand founded by American artist, designer and creative director Heron Preston Johnson in 2016. Johnson has a strong history in the world of street fashion having worked with Virgil Abloh (founder of Off-White), Kanye West and Supreme coupled with his career experiences as a DJ at events for Ford, GQ and the world famous festival, Coachella.
As a brand Heron Preston has exploded onto the luxury street fashion scene. In 2017, Heron Preston featured its “For You, The World” collection at Paris Fashion Week and in the following year collaborated with NASA to deliver a collection to celebrate their 60th anniversary.
Heron Preston clothing and accessories have mass appeal as they are an awesome mixture of loud but carefully selected and complimentary colours blended with minimalist designs and eye catching pieces.
Any luxury streetwear wardrobe would not be complete without a Heron Preston item.
20 Amiri
Amiri is a rock and roll inspired street fashion brand created by American/Iranian fashion designer Mike Amiri. The Amiri street fashion style draws its inspiration from the experiences of Amiri who used to work as a stage hand for rock and roll groups such as Guns and Roses and Aerosmith. Launched in 2014 and working to a bi-annual collection calendar, Amiri delivers a distinct look of distressed fabrics, graphic t-shirts, grungy denim and rock and roll leather which has been featured in Paris Fashion Week.
The Amiri identity strongly promotions individuality and irreverence for what is considered to be the norm (common or overtly commercial), the collections are described by the founder as casual luxury or elevated streetwear.
21 Cole Buxton
Cole Buxton is a luxury British streetwear brand which notably takes its inspiration from the performance sportswear sector. Founded by namesake Cole Buxton the brand really took off when brand director Jonny Wilson joined the team.
Their look is inspired by the sweat tops, hoodie and joggers worn by sport icons like Muhammad Ali or even the fictional Rocky Balboa when training at the gym prior to a big fight. The fabrics are soft, comfortable and luxurious with loose fitting yet stylish cuts; in addition the brand prides itself on being sustainable with mass appeal to the millennial market.
22 Acne Studio
Acne Studio is a luxury fashion house which was founded by creative director Jonny Johansson in Stockholm, Sweden back in 1996. The name Acne is an acronym which means Ambition to Create Novel Expressions, and the brand delivers on this statement.
The clothing is mostly minimal but very akin to high end street fashion, this can be attributed to the well-crafted nature of the products and their use of high quality fabrics. The Acne Studio garments heavily incorporate the use of pastel colours but every so often will deliver a loud random piece with a combination of vibrant colour and graphics.
Acne Studio as a brand are very influential in bridging the dichotomy between formal clothing and casual streetwear, arguably achieved this standard with their emphasis on tailoring and a heterogeneous use of materials and custom-developed fabrics.
23 Maison Margiela
Maison Margiela is a luxury fashion house which was founded in Paris, France by Belgian designer Martin Margiela way back in 1988. The brand can be loosely associated with street fashion but it is predominantly renowned for delivering haute couture inspired collections over its “ready to wear” or smart street fashion items.
Maison Margiela has teamed up with a number of brands from Converse to Hermes and from G-Shock to Swarovski, a very diverse list of collaborations. The brand potentially gained the attention of the streetwear audience when it designed the wardrobe for Kanye West on his 2013 Yeezus tour and since has gain more popularity, notoriety and gravitas with the audience.
Maison Margiela is a brand which creates more than just clothing items but luxury lifestyle products however when focussing purely on their clothing almost anything from the “ready to wear” range would come highly recommended for inclusion in any luxury streetwear list.
24 Aimé Leon Dore
Aimé Leon Dore is a street fashion brand which was founded by Teddy Santis, in Queens, New York City in 2014. The brand is heavily influenced by classic hip hop which is inherent in Queens, New York street culture. Aimé Leon Dore prides itself on delivering simple yet powerful design, the brand always aims to create timeless pieces and not seasonal trends. This unique aesthetic is an inspired fusion of Uptown New York tailoring combined with Downtown street style.
The brand has engaged in a number of collaborations and creates the kind of hype which has been associated with brand like Supreme, this has been achieved by delivering authentic pieces whilst remaining exclusive and low key.
25 A Cold Wall
A-COLD-WALL* is a UK luxury menswear brand which was launched by graphic designer Samuel Ross in 2015. The brand was created as a direct response to the increasing street culture in London with the aim to celebrate youth whilst remaining socially conscious. The brand’s founder had great industry experience having worked under the guidance of Virgil Abloh, the founder of Off-White.
A-COLD-WALL* leans more on the formal side of streetwear, with a mature, clean style and very elegant use of colour. The craftsmanship of the garments and products are comparative with Saville Row tailoring, the brand appeal is amplified by their limited number of stockists and exclusivity of their collections.
26 Fear of God
Fear of God was founded by Jerry Lorenzo in Los Angeles, California in 2013. The LA-based brand is the royal standard and global advocate of the West Coast street style. The garments are crafted to be timeless and heavily influenced by athletic apparel reminiscent of historic baseball t-shirts and oversized Mike Tyson ring walk short sleeved sweatshirts.
Similar to brands like Supreme, Fear of God products can command up to seven times their value in the resale market such is the demand.
Their exclusive athleisure pieces should be included in any luxury streetwear look.
27 A.P.C.
A.P.C. (Atelier de Production et de Création) was founded by Tunisian-French creative director Jean Touitou in Paris, France in 1987. The brand quickly established itself as a leader in luxury, urban men’s and womenswear, with its minimalist designs and simple patterns.
A.P.C. has collaborated with a number of brands and artists over the years. The brand’s easy-to-wear wardrobe embodies casual elegance throughout all its pieces.
28 Ahluwalia
Ahluwalia is a contemporary ready to wear brand which was founded by designer Priya Ahluwalia in South West London, UK in 2018. Ahluwalia is an environmentally conscious brand which utilises surplus clothing to create their collections.
Although relatively new to the fashion scene, Ahluwalia has already collaborated with Adidas and been featured at Paris Fashion Week and London Fashion Week.
The clothing will not appeal to the masses as it boosts a very unique and edgy look with its use of fabrics and colours but it is definitely a brand to watch out for as it builds its awareness.
29 Represent
Represent is a UK streetwear brand which was founded by creative director George Heaton alongside his brother Michael Heaton back in 2012. Heavily inspired by their Manchurian roots blended with street casual skateboard culture, the Represent brand insures its high quality standards by manufacturing where it was founded in the UK.
In addition to collections inspired by rock and roll/motor city influences, Represent also caters for a wider audience with their blanks range and have been featured in New York and Milan fashion weeks.
The moto is “British Designed Everyday Luxury” and they definitely provide this in abundance.
Represent is a brand worth adding to any credible luxury streetwear list.
30 Ader Error
Ader Error is a luxury streetwear brand which was founded in South Korean in 2014 by a group of creatives specialising in a range of disciplines (not just fashion but also graphic design, illustration and even surprisingly architecture).
The brand specialises in unisex designs and seamlessly combines retro and futuristic fashion to create their unorthodox product lines. Ader Error use bold colours, graphics and slogans on a large cross section of their collections toying with elements of youthful irreverence and anarchic.
The Ader Error collaborations with other brands have created some truly memorable pieces as they continue to push the boundaries of creativity and street fashion.
31 Flagstuff
Flagstuff is a Japanese streetwear brand which was founded in 2014 by Nobuyuki Murayama. The brand is heavily influenced by the American skateboard and music scene from the ’90s era, forming a natural fusion of East meets West fashion.
Flagstuff has been cited as a “counterculture” label featuring anime inspired imagery and references coupled with their eccentric prints, the brand has truly captured the attention of many fashion gurus globally.
The Flagstuff brand provides a flamboyant clothing contribution to any luxury streetwear range.
32 AMI
AMI is a luxury Parisian brand founded by designer, Alexandre Mattiussi in 2011. Mattiussi came with a wealth of experience having worked at Marc Jacobs, Dior and Givenchy and launched the brand with the aim to deliver an effortlessly stylish, minimalistic wardrobe for men and more recently women (in 2018).
AMI product range is not too dissimilar to A.P.C. with both fashion houses taking inspiration from the Paris city streets with a nonchalant authenticity laced with the occasional flamboyance.
AMI has been featured on runways all over the world and leans more towards a smarter, chic streetwear audience than the skateboard culture with a collection consisting of casual suits, trousers and shoes as well as your hoodies, sweatshirts, cardigans, t-shirts and accessories.
With its iconic logo (which is a clever utilisation of the “A” as in AMI paired with a heart, reminiscent of the Ace of Hearts in a deck of cards), the AMI collection transcends across a large audience and definitely deserves inclusion in this luxury streetwear list.
33 L’Estrange London
L’Estrange London is a UK luxury streetwear fashion brand, they are unrepentantly London-and-proud having been founded in the UK capital by Tom Horne and Will Green.
Their mission is to create clothing which is “never overdressed and never underdressed”, this is achieved by developing luxury smart garments which are suitable for every occasion.
Although they are not officially a sustainable brand, L’Estrange London have very respectable set of core company values, the champion “essentialism” which means clothing is created for purpose and not merely to satisfy fast fashion trends.
Luxury oozes out of every piece created by L’Estrange London, their range is simple, clean and tailored to near perfection.
“Nothing is finished until it is perfect, nothing is perfect” the founders of L’Estrange London
