STREETWEAR STARTUPS

From road to ramp: Start-ups leading the

streetwear movement in India
For years, streetwear category had been dominated by the US, UK and
Japanese brands, and it is only now that it has found its place in the Indian
market. However, India in the streetwear space right now is what the US was
in the ’80s – a harmonious mosaic of clashing subcultures right from disco to
hip-hop.
by Tanya Krishna 17-September-2020  |  13 mins read
Homegrown streetwear brands have emerged as one of the key wardrobe staples in our day-to-day

wardrobe.
It’s the democracy of fashion, it’s a specific fashion genre, it’s a style of comfortable
casual clothing, inspired by skateboarding, surfing, hip-hop, and has its own mix of
swag and punk – it’s Streetwear, a category in fashion apparel segment which has been
there since the 1980s, but which India has had a very recent encounter with. Inspired by
the sneaker culture and skateboards of California and hipsters of New York, streetwear
as a category emerged in the 1980s and has been developing ever since into one of the
most distinctive and iconic genres of clothing. Over the years, it has been building up a
reputation with the younger generation and now has entered into the high-end fashion
segment as well with the likes of Supreme, Palace, Champion, and Off White among
others.

The popularity of this distinct fashion category only recently entered the Indian borders
and even as it is at a whole different level globally, India is definitely catching up. While
big names in the likes of Supreme, BAPE, Off White, The Hundreds, etc. have found a
customer base in India, the category has over the last few years started witnessing a
rise in the number of start-up brands offering distinct streetwear collection to the
discerning. These include Six5Six Street which has a raw expression and authenticity
at the core of its brand’s ideology; New Delhi-based Almost Gods which aims at
integrating traditional ideals with modern design, cut and functionality; BISKIT which is
a multidisciplinary art and design concept label aiming at breaking the duality of men
and women’s clothing; Delhiwear which is a beautiful integration of street culture with
India’s cultural fabric; Jaywalking known for its rawness; Anand Ahuja’s Bhane which
is making street style all about people; Cricketer KLRahul’s Gully which draws on
international streetwear trends and Indian culture, and a number of others.
Dhruv Khurana, Creative Director, Almost Gods, asserts, “Streetwear, to me, is the
frame fashion is in at the moment that allows for self-expression using graphics and
techniques that had been shunned by the industry insiders for many years. For me
personally, Almost Gods arose – not around the idea of fashion itself but rather as a
need to create a platform that would act as a central point around which we may have
conversations about what drives and shapes culture. Simultaneously, we see it as a
means of connecting the different proponents and more importantly people, who
through their diverse storytelling and energetic actions are constantly shaping the lens
through which we as a global collective, view and engage with the world.”

The visual language that Almost Gods adopts is one of maximalist-minimalism, explosions of energy

followed by quiet pockets in its pieces and brand language.

Poised for growth and how!
Streetwear category had been, for years, dominated by US, UK and Japanese brands,
and it is only now that it has found its place in the Indian market. However, India in the
streetwear space right now is what the US was in the ’80s – a harmonious mosaic of
clashing subcultures right from Disco to Hip-hop. Avni Aneja, Co-founder, Six5Six
Street, maintains, “I think through social media and pop culture, a lot of the Indian
audience is now acquainted with the term streetwear, although for a lot of people
streetwear equals to hype. I have no complaints though because at least more people
are not trying to understand what streetwear actually is, and there’s also a niche but
growing market for it. It is only onwards and upwards from this point on. There is so
much that we have to offer as a country whether it is in terms of street fashion, art,
music, culture that is still undiscovered. While people are still wary of spending money
on streetwear unless it’s the hype brands and sneakers, they do care about what you
bring to them as a brand than just the clothes. They want to hear your story, they want
the clothes to say something.”
Avni and her brother Ambar discovered streetwear while pursuing their academic
degrees outside of India and later started the brand in India. SIX5SIX Street creates
pieces that have a satirical take on issues that are important enough to be talked about.

SIX5SIX Street creates pieces that have a satirical take on issues that are important enough to be

talked about.
With the help of social media, streetwear has emerged as one of the key wardrobe
staples in our day-to-day wardrobe and the #OOTD phenomenon is keeping the
streetwear category alive and kicking. People are now investing in a spectrum of casual
basics and streetwear pieces to create their own unique individualistic style statements.
Currently, India is in a revolutionary stage and is open to change and it is upto these
new homegrown brands to provide the nation with substantial content that leaves a
mark and sets the foundation for streetwear. While India hasn’t been an easy market
when it comes to unconventional fashion unlike the existing norms, but decades of
gradual acceptance and evolution in the Indian market has led this category to flourish.

What’s trending?
Streetwear has grown tremendously from its evolution on the streets to its presence in
the luxury fashion segment. Street styles basically capture the pulse of urban dressing
and every city has something unique to contribute to its fashion legacy and streetwear
represents that style curation. And so, the category does not represent any one visual
aesthetic. In this category, a group of people identify with certain cohesive aesthetics
which brings out a unique blend of fashion aesthetics. Dhruv Khurana elaborates, “For
Almost Gods, we really want to create a story of energy and positivity, a celebration of
the members of our community. We want them to feel powerful and creative, such that
they themselves can go ahead and change the world. In that vein, the visual language
we adopt is one of maximalist-minimalism, explosions of energy followed by quiet
pockets in our pieces and brand language, wherein we want the customers to find and
insert their own voice as well.” The bestselling product right now at Almost Gods is its
‘Black Sabbath’ pieces; as for Six5Six Street, they are the brand’s oversized T-shirts
with interesting prints and slogans and tie-dye hoodies.
Homegrown streetwear brands need to represent the cultural gamut they exist in while also not
isolating themselves from global attitudes.
Today, India boasts a sizable community that is into streetwear. Oversize fits, logo t-
shirts, chunky ‘dad’ sneakers, snapback and bucket hats, long sleeve tees, coach
jackets, tactical apparel, fanny packs, slides with interesting socks, tracksuits, are some
styles in this category. While some streetwear enthusiasts are those who are fans of the
OG streetwear brands, for their heritage, storytelling, role in building sub-culture
communities, there are others who love streetwear inspired luxury or street-luxe, and
few who love the ‘hype’. Now hype is the hottest drop and these merchandises are
usually celebrity driven or collaborative collections; however, brands need to keep in
mind the brand identity and what it represents before collaborating with artists or stylists
or celebrities.

‘Drop’ it like it’s hot

Unlike the usual Spring/Summer, Autumn/Winter season collection, streetwear brands
mostly go for drops which offer limited edition streetwear and sneakers and sometimes
even just one style. A drop is released often as a marketing technique by streetwear
brands. They give exclusivity in different street-level dressing. In fact to keep it more
interesting, celebrities and social media influencers also collaborate with big brands to
make streetwear more coveted. Even the likes of Louis Vuitton and Alexander Wang
are taking cues from streetwear and are adopting the ‘drop model’

“The Drop Culture is definitely a more western concept at this point in time in terms of
clothes. The idea behind it is to create a sense of exclusivity for the people who manage
to purchase the particular dropped item because of scarce availability. Standing in
queues, waiting for days, camping outside stores- it’s a way to reiterate the no pain, no
gain philosophy,” avers Avni Aneja. The first drop by Six5Six was called ‘The Global
Traveller’ and dealt with everything happening around the world with respect to the
refugee crisis; and its second drop ‘Humanity in the Digital Age’ focused on dependence
on screens and fascination with technology.
The journey ahead
As diverse a market as streetwear, homegrown brands face the dual challenge of
representing the cultural gamut they exist in while also not isolating themselves from
global attitudes. Talking about the challenges facing this segment, Avni Aneja asserts,
“Awareness and understanding of what we do and why we do it is definitely a struggle.
Streetwear is still in a nascent stage in India, so the size of the market is relatively
smaller. Also, hype takes over most of the time when people think of streetwear, so
constant comparison with international brands is another issue.” Besides, the current
situation in the wake of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has proved to be a
game-changer and has forced start-ups to take a break and restrategise on most of
their plans, moving forward.

Even as modern fashion is branching off into as many different and distinctive
categories and it’s becoming more difficult to distinguish between fads and mainstays,
streetwear is one category that’s here to stay. As the entire generation of hype beasts
and skate rats call him, Bobby Hundreds has once said while explaining the category,
“Streetwear is about culture and not about clothing.” And culture might change or vary
from civilisation to civilisation but does not die. “With the internet and technology being
what it is right now, there’s democratisation by the people to choose which voices they
want to hear and streetwear is overwhelmingly what people are connecting to. The
future is going to be one of a lot of evolution of the voice and the stories that brands
within the space choose to tell. Besides, there has been demand from Tier-2 and Tier-3
towns as well which ensures further growth coming from those communities,” concludes
Dhruv Khurana.

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