7 Fashion x Alt Music Collabs Pushing Streetwear in a New Direction
From Supreme x My Bloody Valentine to Balenciaga x Rammstein.
Streetwear probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when considering the subcultural aesthetics of alternative music, a genre that encompasses everything from post-punk and new wave to dance-metal and psych rock. Uniform minimalism on one end and dramatic absurdism on the other are usually the first ports of call in the popular imagination.
Thinking so narrowly when it comes to alternative music is, at best, a misunderstanding of the scene’s sartorial codes; a propagation of the idea that anything outside of the mainstream adheres to one sensibility. Peculiar examples do exist, however, of specific references crossing subcultural boundaries, showcasing the underlying aesthetic principles that illuminate the differences between trends and style.
Take, for instance, East Coast hardcore. For decades, hardcore kids wore Nikes with basketball jerseys and shorts, a look that’s almost indistinguishable from one of hip-hop’s most memorable outfits.
The impact of alternative music’s style cues extend way past these two examples. Goth aesthetics, shaped by artists like Joy Division and The Cure, are the driving force behind some of the fashion industry’s biggest names, including Rick Owens. Why deny the influence of new wave, dark wave, fringe electronic, post-punk and black metal just because it doesn’t fit some misguided notion of who streetwear is for and what it represents?
Streetwear is countercultural; a reactionary movement. That’s why we’ve put together seven of the most interesting and noteworthy collaborations shining a light on those places where one counterculture meets another.