Streetwear, a blend of comfort, culture, and style, has transformed the fashion landscape.
In this article, we delve into 15 original streetwear brands critical to street culture, ranging from time-honored labels to the latest underground sensations.
In a rare blend of urban culture, contemporary art, and stylistic innovation, each streetwear label in this article represents a unique ethos and vibe.
Whether you’re a dedicated streetwear enthusiast or new to the scene, these are the OG streetwear names you need to look authentic and redefine the boundaries of style.
1. Supreme
Founded in 1994 in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, Supreme is the OG streetwear brand and a name that has revolutionized the urban clothing scene.
By collaborating with high-end designer brandsand top fashion brands like Rolex and Louis Vuitton, Supreme has etched its name into streetwear history.
Over the years, the brand has been endorsed by Kanye West, Travis Scott, and Mike Tyson, making Supreme globally recognizable as an expensive and desired name.
2. Off-White
Based in Milan, Italy, Off-White is the brainchild of Virgil Abloh – one of the best fashion designers of all time.
The streetwear brand is one of the labels responsible for the contemporary streetwearshake-up.
Appointed as the creative director of Louis Vuitton, Abloh was considered one of the most influential figures in fashion.
Ever since, Off-White’s designer streetwear pieces have been making waves on the couture runways and streets with their bold prints, ironic tags, and high-profile collaborations.
Arguably the engine behind the streetwear’s take on the luxury segment, Off-White is now gracing London Fashion Week’s runways and the backs of hype beasts.
Abloh’s melding of culture and couture has birthed a streetwear name known for innovative, forward-thinking, and distinctive designs.
3. Stussy
No conversation on the contemporary streetwear scene is complete without paying tribute to Stussy.
Credited as the original streetwear label, Stussy began as a small graphic tee brand in 1980.
After generating a lot of buzz with his tees, The California surfer Shawn Stussy – the label founder – has expanded his design to include surf and skate apparel.
Although Stussy, the designer, is no longer involved with the brand, its label offers top merch, including a rare selection of camp-collar shirts.
Modern Stussy is a driving force in the streetwear couture scene by providing forward-thinking designs while always remaining true to its Californian roots.
4. Noah NYC
What do you do when you hit your mid-twenties and start to wonder whether or not you should still be rocking an oversized hoodie and Air Jordans at your age?
Of course, you start shopping at Noah NYC!
Hailing from New York, US, Noah was launched by Brendon Babenzian, a talented design director who worked for Supreme for over a decade.
Compared to Supreme, Noah has a slightly preppier take on the freewheeling skater aesthetic he helped make a look in the first place.
Last year, Noah collaborated with Adidas and revived classic streetwear shoes.
Noah has everything, from corduroy caps and collegiate sweats to Oxford shirts and tailoring with a twist, and, according to Brenden Babenzien, Noah is streetwear for grown-ups.
5. Repose Japan
Born in the vibrant heart of Shibuya, Tokyo, REPOSE JAPAN is a streetwear clothing brand renowned for its unique blend of urban elegance and tranquil design.
Embracing the principle of YUGEN, REPOSE JAPAN’s creations are bold statements that pay homage to those daring to live and sense differently.
Each piece is a testament to the brand’s ethos of disruption and creativity, designed to challenge fashion norms and social conventions.
6. Vetements
Hailing from Zurich, Switzerland, Vetements was founded by Demna Gvasalia, a Georgian fashion maverick who now sits at the helm of Balenciaga,
The luxury brand proves streetwear has thoroughly infiltrated the once-exclusive world of high fashion.
Recognized as one of the top fashion brands for its innovative and highly diverse designs, Vetements has taken runway couture and brought it to streetwear chic.
Vetements’ streetwear pieces are as divisive as they come.
The label is known for causing a stir in the broader culture through ironic designs and tongue-in-cheek garments.
Remember that DHL T-shirt ticketed for over £300? Fashion or farse? You decide.
7. Palace
If someone asks which streetwear brand is most popular in the UK, the answer is Palace.
With a proper British style, even though it was launched in 2009, Palace has made a good name in streetwear couture.
Lev Tanju started the cheeky, subversive label to become Supreme’s spiritual successor (the brand’s US stores were some of Palace’s first stockists).
However, the British brand has a take on skate culture that’s all of its own.
Within the next ten years after its launch, Palace has become the UK’s most prominent skateboarding and streetwear label.
A skate label with a sense of humor (not to mention a knack for whipping hypebeasts into a frenzy), Palace has been putting the UK firmly on the streetwear map since 2010.
After taking cues from sportswear kings – Adidas and Reebok, Palace’s logo has become one of the most recognizable signifiers and has achieved a hype level similar to its transatlantic counterpart, Supreme.
The USP of Palace is its sporty aesthetic; think tracksuits, baseball caps, and the occasional snakeskin loafer and smoking crop jacket thrown in the mix, too.
8. Heron Preston
Heron Preston, a founding music and fashion collective member, followed in his fellow members’ footsteps, Virgil Abloh and Matthew Williams, and launched his namesake streetwear label.
Since launching HPC Trading Co. in 2016, Preston’s brand has become known for its genre-bending and unpredictable streetwear designs.
Heron Preston’s label has become one of the most influential forces in contemporary fashion while retaining a cult-like status.
Think oversized cuts, quirky motifs, and signature bright orange branding.
9. Carhartt WIP
Who’d have thought that a brand set up to equip the blue-collar workers of North America in the 1800s would one day mutate into every streetwear aficionado’s go-to label for urban wardrobe essentials?
Carhartt WIP (WIP = Work In Progress) is the cooler European cousin of Detroit’s workwear stalwart Carhartt.
Since the sub-label launched in 1994, it has transformed the brand from a purveyor of grubby overalls to the backbone of all the “coolest kids” clothing collections.
Combining the rugged quality of heritage Carhartt with an eye for contemporary design, WIP has earned a spot as one of the world’s greatest streetwear brands.
If you hail from the States, you may still think of Carhartt as a workwear brand.
However, the label’s UK division is perceived as a streetwear staple, quickly being recognized all over Europe.
Moreover, its English version differs from its American cousin in its streamlined silhouettes.
The UK label also features more contemporary streetwear cuts with a skate-centric direction.
10. BAPE (A Bathing Ape)
BAPE is one of the most famous Original Gangster players in the Japanese streetwear movement.
Founded in Ura-Harajuku, Tokyo, in 1993 by Nigo (real name Tomoaki Nagao), A Bathing Ape (or BAPE) has become known as the place to go for, especially if you’re after off-kilter streetwear with a Japanese touch.
DJ and fashion designer BAPE’s founder is a cult figure.
His obsession with sneakers, toys, and in-your-face graphics has seen his label become one of the most recognizable streetwear brands.
BAPE’s quirky and colorful shark hoodies with eccentric design motifs gained tremendous popularity and symbolized alternative street fashion.
Nigo’s bright, multi-colored camouflage prints and shark hoodies zip right up over the wearer’s face are extraordinarily well-received in men’s streetwear fashion.
The use of bold design motifs has made the label popular with teenage hypebeasts worldwide, while older streetwear fanatics tend to stay clear.
If you’re searching for a killer streetwear brand with some Japanese fusion, A Bathing Ape should be at the top of your checklist.
11. Billionaire Boys Club
Founded by Pharrell Williams, it’s no surprise Billionaire Boys Club earned its status as a streetwear legend so quickly.
With ‘outer space’ significantly influencing many designs, Pharrell has been known to source materials directly from NASA.
The brand has a playful, colorful, unique, and all-around relaxed effect, while some looks are straight out of the 90s fashion.
Sk8thing, the brains behind Cav Empt, designed the brand’s logo.
The label markets rare collections of tees, jackets, and hoodies.
Pharrell also launched a sister label, Icecream, which houses women’s streetwear.
12. Comme Des Garcons Play
Comme des Garçons is a Japanese fashion house renowned for outlandish designs and bizarre runway shows.
However, the label’s Play imprint is known for quite the opposite.
Featuring the iconic bug-eyed heart logo, CDG Play’s output instead focuses on simple staple items like Breton tops, hoodies, and logo tees.
There’s also a long-running collaborative effort with Converse.
The Converse collaboration has seen Rei Kawakubo’s brand put its stamp on the Chuck Taylor All-Star 70.
It has also created one of the most popular streetwear shoes in the process!
13. WTAPS
Hard-to-pronounce names are ten a penny in the fashion world, and if you thought streetwear would be any different, you’d be sadly mistaken.
According to the Japanese label’s creators, WTAPS is pronounced ‘double taps.’
However, we’re not quite sure where they got that from.
WTAPS comes from a military term that pretty much means kill shot, and the aesthetic is much simpler than its name suggests.
But the brand’s name isn’t the only thing military-inspired.
The label features baggy cuts, soldiery workwear influences, and Japanese utilitarian styling.
Think of army green cargo pants and loose-fitting hoodies in a modern preppy style.
14. A Cold Wall
When considering British brands, heritage names come to mind instead of genre-bending Haute streetwear.
But that’s set to change with London-based A-Cold-Wall going from strength to strength in recent years.
Designer Samuel Ross’s trailblazing imprint straddles the line that divides avant-garde and wearable, earning him nods from several industry heavyweights.
His label’s designs employ utilitarian silhouettes and rare fabrics to create fashion-week-worthy streetwear.
Oh, and he’s not opposed to sending the odd naked model down the runway, either.
A-Cold-Wall has also built a reputation as a genre-bending brand by merging the lines between high-end couture and street-style casual wear.
15. Undercover
Undercover‘s weirdly wonderful designs and next-level graphic print T-shirts made it a pillar of the ultra-hip Ura-Harajuku scene in ’90s Tokyo.
Nowadays, Undercover is one of the most respected fashion-leaning labels in streetwear and a favorite among those in the know.
When he was younger, the brand’s founder, Jun Takahashi, was profoundly influenced by the UK punk scene, which inspired some of his most daring designs.
Aside from that, Undercover produces fashion-forward luxury sportswear in collaboration with Nike under the Gyakusou name.
Launched in Tokyo during the 90s, Undercover has become the industry’s most prominent and respected streetwear label.
The staples of Undercover are quirky tees splashed with over-the-top printed graphics.
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Mandy Meyer
After years of managing hundreds of fashion brands from London's office of a global retailer, Mandy has ventured into freelancing. Connected with several fashion retailers and media platforms in the US, Australia, and the UK, Mandy uses her expertise to consult for emerging fashion brands create top-notch content as an editorial strategist for several online publications.
