The rise of streetwear and the redefinition of luxury fashion

Abstract

This article examines the transformation of Streetwear from its subcultural origins to its full incorporation into the luxury fashion system, focusing on how hype culture and artificial scarcity have reshaped the symbolic value of garments. Through a critical lens, it discusses how Streetwear has lost part of its resistant function as it became absorbed by mainstream fashion, while simultaneously revitalising the aesthetics and commercial strategies of contemporary luxury. The study argues that the current hybridisation between street and luxury does not signal the end of Streetwear but rather its consolidation as a central language of global fashion, where exclusivity and identity construction remain key forces.