Book Description
From its origins in American workwear, via west coast subcultures, extreme sports and subsequent commercialism, streetwear has become to fashion as hip-hop has to music: a global phenomenon. Incorporating cultural codes of dress, the best in graphic design, as well as exemplary brandbuilding n the products not of corporate giants but cottage/tenement industries n the leading streetwear brands have become influential beyond the sphere of fashion alone. Showcasing over 30 of the most exciting and n importantly n pioneering of streetwear brands, this book focuses not on the endless me-too labels, but those that have shaped the market since the late 1980s. Cult Streetwear tells the stories of the people behind the brands n from entrepreneurs to graffiti writers, DJs to surf dudes to sneaker nuts, from LA to NYC, London to Berlin and Tokyo. It explores each brand's cultural resonance, and explains why so many have gained a cult following while continuing to break new ground in a market with unlimited scope for innovation. It is the defining book on the subject and the only one on the market that explores the history of streetwear as well as it's present day status.
About the Author
Josh Sims is a freelance style writer, contributing to the likes of The Financial Times, The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, Mail on Sunday, Channel 4, the BBC, Esquire, GQ, Wallpaper and i-D. He is one-time style editor of Arena and executive editor of Arena Homme Plus. He is also author of Rock/Fashion (Omnibus), A Dictionary of Fashion Designers (Collins), Mary, Queen of Shops (BBC Books) and contributor to several fashion books from Taschen. He has extensive contacts within the style and mainstream press.
