No Images? Click here INTRODUCTIONThis issue of the Central London Retail update focuses on Streetwear – with a feverishly devoted fanbase, it has dominated the fashion landscape and in turn the retail strategy of savvy brands over the last year. Collaborations between luxury brands and cult streetwear brands, as with Louis Vuitton’s much publicised hook up with Supreme, often brings together two unlikely bedfellows, creating huge excitement. With Gen-Z and Millennial consumer spend on track to account for 45% of the global luxury market by 2025, these collabs are a soft introduction to established luxury brands. The products from each ‘drop’ tend to be limited in number and hyped for weeks, leading to long queues of ‘hypebeasts’ outside stores. COLLABS ARE KINGSome of the most hyped, recent collabs SPOTLIGHT ON GLOBAL STREETWEAR HUBSLONDON Where are they: in some cases no more than a few steps apart, focused in a tight quarter mile radius from Peter Street. Who’s there: Supreme, Palace Skateboards, Mitchell and Ness, Drop Dead Clothing, Carhartt, OVO and Patta. Why Soho? Its densely packed, narrow streets draw a creative crowd from the film and music industries. It is the epitome of urban cool. Latest entrants: OVO’s flagship in November 2017.
PARIS Where are they: Stretching from Supreme on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré to the soon to open BAPE store on Rue de la Verrerie. Who’s there: Supreme, Pigalle, Comme des Garcons, BAPE. Why there? Once considered so squalid, city officials wanted it flattened, the labyrinthine cobbled streets of Le Marais now boast the coolest retail in Paris. With its history as a refuge for artists and bohemians, a Marais address is instant credibility for edgy streetwear brands. Latest entrants: BAPE opened in December 2017.
LOS ANGELES Where are they: Fairfax Avenue, Melrose & La Brea Avenue. Who’s there: Supreme, Union, Undefeated, Joyrich, OVO, Stamp, Hall of Fame, RIPNDIP and AAPE. Why La Brea? La Brea is extremely diverse, serving as the ethnic melting pot and artistic epicenter of LA, which has historically attracted actors, artists and pioneers of fashion and street culture. Latest entrants: AAPE, BAPE (Melrose).
NEW YORK Where are they: Lafayette, Howard and Mercer Streets. They have taken locations off the “main drag” of Broadway, Prince and Spring in order to achieve more reasonable rent deals. Who’s there: Supreme, Carhartt, KITH, BAPE, OVO, Billionaire Boys Club, Palace Skateboards, VFiles and Asics Tiger, Diamond Supply Co., WESC, HUF. Why Soho? Soho’s industrial loft spaces have long inspired New York’s creative communities. Whilst high-end brands now co-exist with their edgier cousins, the cast-iron architecture and cobbled streets have meant the area has retained its gritty character and is now one of the city’s most fashionable neighbourhoods. Latest entrants: Asics Tiger, Palace Skateboards. FEATURED DEALSELLESSE A prime example of a brand that has come back to life, Ellesse have been one of a cluster of brands to benefit from the recent explosion of heritage sportswear with their newest collection seeing minimal changes to their mid ‘90s designs. The recent renaissance in the brand has led to them opening their first standalone store in the UK. Their Neal Street location benefits from a young shopper in Seven Dials, as well as being a stone’s throw from Covent Garden. CHAMPION With Champion coming up to their 100 year anniversary, this is a brand that has seen peaks and troughs in popularity. As the official outfitter to the NBA, the quintessentially American sportswear brand has been able to take full advantage of the recent move towards athleisure to open a standalone store in the heart of Soho. Champion joins Carhartt, Stone Island and Palace Skateboards on Brewer Street reaffirming the location as a streetwear hub. OCTOBER'S VERY OWN (OVO Soho) OVO originally started as part of the rapper Drake’s record label. One off garments were sold at music venues on his global tours and in time started to include collabs with brands such as Canada Goose and NBA team Toronto Raptors. A 2015 pop-up store in LA increased awareness of the brand significantly and illustrated the a huge demand for the brand giving them the confidence to to open a store in London. The European flagship is located just off Broadwick Street in close proximity to Axel Arigato and Supreme - close enough to capitalise on the flocks of streetwear fans picking up the most recent drops.
PATTA Patta started out by selling exclusive collections that could only be bought online and on the back of huge online demand, a boutique store was later opened in Amsterdam city centre. A family business that was started for the love of sneakers to ultimately grow into one of one of the most popular streetwear brands in the world. Patta opened their first standalone store in the UK on Silver Place, just of Berwick Street in Soho where fans seek out their highly prized collections. |