Streetwear and the Cult of Personality

[UrbanComposition]

Ok, I screwed up the thread title on the CM side; let’s see if I can get it right over here...

Cross posting because I wonder if streetwear designers have more influence than store owners relative to how people shop. From the other thread:

In this age of the internet, where style and inspiration is just a click away, many comparison shop a particular item once they find what they like. This seems especially true with basics, like getting the best price on Hanes tees.

OTOH some stores become more niche in their offerings, and the proprietor(s) are often the buyers of what they stock their stores with. Particularly with the stores I like (NMWA, Brycelands, the Armoury) I find that I like most of what they choose, and what might be called an admiration of taste is simmering below the surface. The fact that you can contact them directly and get their thoughts on why they chose what they did serves to deepen the relationship between store and customer, so much so that I look forward to seeing how Greg & Kyle are going to wear their stores’ products on the rooftop.

In the absence of mom & pop shops and brick & mortar stores where personal connections are part of the shopping experience, this kind of Cult of Personality speaks to me. When chatting with George Wang of Brio yesterday, he admitted that many customers won’t even come in if they know he’s not at the store; they want to see him as part of their visit to get his thoughts and input.

What about you? How much of your clothes shopping is affected by this, if at all? More to the streetwear side: How many followed Tom Ford when he left Gucci? Love everything Ralph Lauren touches? Or were bummed when Phoebe left Cèline?

 

[London]

Thee people that you mention above aren't in 'streetwear'

 

[0ldb0y]

when I think of streetwear, I think of Supreme and all these other logo-driven brands that limit supply & increase demand/hype

 

[UrbanComposition]

Thee people that you mention above aren't in 'streetwear'

Forgive my gross misuse of thee word.

 

[UrbanComposition]

when I think of streetwear, I think of Supreme and all these other logo-driven brands that limit supply & increase demand/hype

By “Streetwear” I mean the SW&D side of the forum. In other words, fashion as opposed to CM.

 

[Lane]

vetements *cold shiver*

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Not really, Christopher Bailey and Alexander McQueen were the only designers that I really kept my eye on.

As to actual streetwear like Supreme, etc.. never had any interest, probably an age thing.

 

[Clouseau]

I always like to shop in little parisian boutiques, i try to avoid Internet. The owner/salesman is very important, especially if he likes and knows his stuff. Unfortunately this kind of little shops tend to disappear in Paris. There is one still interesting called 'Jinji' that sells SW&D favorites : Orslow, kapital, Real McCoys, Buzz Rickson, Valstar, etc. They also have from time to time some very rare vintage stuff.
Otherwise when i am in London i like to go to John Simons. This Guy has shops since the 60s and has been really influential, While staying quite 'Underground'. Among the many brands he sells he now has items under his own name. He is the guy who imported Ivy Style to UK.
Another famous Englishman who started as a shopkeeper is of course Paul Smith...

 

[dieworkwear]

Kanye is probably the best example of a cult of personality in capital-f fashion/ streetwear. An entire industry has sprung up around him, such as Off White and Fear of God. And while he's not fully in the fashion scene, he has one foot in it with his shoe line. People buy stuff simply because he's attached to it.

Demna, McQueen, and Bailey aren't really the same thing. They're just designers. Among designers who have a cultish following, probably only Hedi qualifies.

 

[UrbanComposition]

Kanye is probably the best example of a cult of personality in capital-f fashion/ streetwear. An entire industry has sprung up around him, such as Off White and Fear of God. And while he's not fully in the fashion scene, he has one foot in it with his shoe line. People buy stuff simply because he's attached to it.

Demna, McQueen, and Bailey aren't really the same thing. They're just designers. Among designers who have a cultish following, probably only Hedi qualifies.

Those two are probably the best examples of personalities who actually make huge waves in the industry. However, I'm speaking more toward store owners directly influencing how we shop by communicating with their potential clients, either directly (such as having affiliate threads here on StyleForum) or indirectly via their social media channels. Since we see them so often, and we know it's them choosing their outfits, we come to see them as an arbiter of taste, and their personality (as an extension of the store) becomes part of their influence.

For example, I follow a few stores precisely because I want to know how they wear some of their clothes, and while they sometimes use models, many pics are just the owner/workers showing how they wear their stuff:

nomanwalksalone
woodensleepers
mohawkgeneralstore
brycelands

 

[London]

Sweetu at CHCM is a Don