A Year in the Underground…2022 Edition. Genuinely feel sorry for anyone not involved in this space. The underground is one of the of the best communities in fashion. Scroll through our post to look at the highlights from the underground scene this year.
BALLIED UP
I feel like covid was part of the big push toward more people wearing balaclavas. Streetwear heads wanted to protect themselves from the virus but still look good. As a result face masks evolved into balaclavas. That being said, public figures and other brands combined with TikTok are also culprits for this trend. The power and influence of the social media is crazy and definitely created a surge in people grabbing balaclavas.
VIRALITY SELLS
Every year breeds something newly viral. Whether it's a product, person, or song, something new always becomes the talking point for the internet. The underground did not disappoint. The likes of Corteiz, Yalocaloffgod, Void Reincarnation, Mona Thomas, House of Errors and more, all did their part going viral in the space.
FUTURISTIC FASHION
Just because brands are smaller and have access to less resources, that doesn't mean the underground aren't in tune with this new wave. Sphene studios lowered the barrier to entry with their AR technology. It will be interesting to see how brands utilise that. Hubane been on the futuristic aesthetic and has essentially created his own world with his own looks and designs. CGI are just another brand at the forefront of this aesthetic and are due to drop their second collection soon. I could name so many more brands, nonetheless the future is bright.
THE Y2K AESTHETIC
Like it or not, we can't deny the influence Y2K had in the underground this year. TikTok users will know exactly what I'm talking about. The Y2K font, the stars, logos engulfed in rings, the cargos, the jeans, the rhinestones. We truly saw the underground indulge in this aesthetic. I the aesthetic gave brands a good reference template to get into designing clothes.
UK BRANDS SHOW OUT
Since we're based out of the UK, it was very refreshing to see more uk brands on the rise. Corteiz have had the craziest year and are arguably leading UK streetwear right now. UK and US may always be at war with music and fashion but seeing the US taking in the UK scene is a good feeling. Shoutout to all the UK brands grafting.
SNEAKERS REINVENTED AGAIN
2019 to part of 2021 saw the custom sneaker trend where brands were customising Air Force ones, Jordan ones and Dunks. With imagination, creativity & Skill, this year artists took custom sneakers to another level.
PUNK INFILTRATES THE UNDERGROUND
Carti, Rick, VVW, Matthew Williams are just some of the culprits behind punks resurgence in fashion overall. Like i said before, the underground is in tune and wasted no time creating punk inspired products or launching punk inspired brands.
THE OUTLANDISH SLOGAN TREND
I'm not sure about you, but to me this was trend of the year due to how many people got involved. Every day you would see an archive page post a new brand that simply printed an outlandish slogan on a T. Rightfully so, some people loved it and some hated it. Regardless the trend was funny to see as the quotes would get more outlandish by the day. We got a full video coming soon, stay tuned.
WORLD CUP MANIA
underground brands creating football jerseys inspired by the world cup is something i didn't expect. (and yes it's football, not soccer) this is probably my favourite trend even though it wasn't as big. I'm a big advocate for brands using what's going on in the world to get creative with their brands and provide something new to their customers. A fashion and football crossover is something i want to see more of.
Anyway, it’s the last day of the year, Happy New Year man!