Coronavirus and Streetwear

Coronavirus and Streetwear

Coronavirus

Coronavirus is significantly effecting the streetwear culture. It is canceling fashion shows,  closing in-store drops and killing the market for streetwear resellers. This virus is extremely dangerous not only to people but to our culture as a whole.

Cancellation of fashion shows

The coronavirus has majorly effected the ability to hav fashion shows during this time. On march 9th, multiple people who attended fashion shows in both Milan and Paris were diagnosed with the coronavirus causing a ripple in the fashion industry. There have been multiple confirmed cancellations such as the cancellation of Max Mara's fashion show in St. Petersburg which was to be held last week. With the continuous rise in the amount of cases of corona, I would not be surprised if there were no more shows until the fall/winter seasons are being debuted in late August.

In-Store Closings

Many streetwear brands have been unprecedentedly closing their doors do to this massive outbreak. These stores have put notices in the windows and called for people to please stay indoors at this time. This is extremely responsible on behalf of the streetwear community and should be adapted into all levels of fashion. They are looking to protect their customers first and are making sure the disease is not spreading. By attempting to flatten the curve,  the companies are taking more of their product online which could (statistically speaking) make it easier for their online customers to purchase their products.

In-Store Streetwear Closings

• Supreme
• Bape
• Noah
• Palace
• Acne 

Reselling Market Crash

There has been a lot of talk about the possible market crash occurring in the streetwear reselling business. This has worried many resellers, like myself, who have invested a lot of money into articles of clothing and expensive shoes. Since the outbreak, prices have already dropped 10%. This is largely due to the fear of the coronavirus and what impact it will have on people outside of streetwear. Already people have begun to liquidate their inventory selling it for pennies of the prices we saw last week. It is significantly effecting even the shipping process out of fear that the disease will be transmitted further.  This has decreased the amount of people purchasing the items creating a larger supply and lower demand which then significantly drops the prices. It however is a good time for people collecting.

Streetwear Reselling

Streetwear Reselling

Reselling is a way a lot of college students make money. This is a process in which a person buys clothes that are limited at the release and then resells the item for a profit. I have been involved with this for over ten years now and hav a certain level of expertise about this subject.

I started off buying and reselling shoes in eighth grade. I would buy and resell the shoes on Ebay making a good amount of money for a young kid. This then fueled my passion of making somewhat easy money just by fixing up some beaten pair of shoes.

As I progressed from shoes into clothing and other items, the. platform I used to sell changed from Ebay to Depop to Grailed. These sites have helped make selling clothing much easier. 

There are many ways to sell clothing online. Many sites these days offer ways to consign, sell and even trade clothing over the internet and across the world. The most popular sites for re-selling are Grailed, Stockx, Depop, and Poshmark.

Popular Reselling Platforms

• Grailed
• Stockx
• Depop
• Poshmark

Grailed

Grailed is a consignment shop but on the Internet who people can browse countless articles of clothing at the tips of their fingers. This platform allows users to sell new and used clothing which is different from other platforms such as Stockx.

I prefer to sell strictly on this website and have over 300 transactions. This site is the easiest to use and works hand in hand with PayPal to ensure thee buyer and sellers safety.

Stockx

Stockx is a platform mostly used on an app. This was primarily made for selling brand new shoes but has progressed to selling clothing, watches, handbags, and even collectible cards. This allows users to bid on brand new items which are then authenticated by Stockx employees.  

Personally I only like to buy on this website however selling is very easy and allows for easy transactions. There is no communication between the buyer and the seller which helps keep people in check.

Depop and Poshmark

These platforms are my least favorite to conduct business on. They are low level reseller platforms which inevitably leads to sketchy sellers and fake items. I have been sold multiple fake items on these sites and without knowledge about the item you are purchasing you could be scammed.

Grailed Logo

Introduction to Streetwear Culture

Introduction to Streetwear Culture

Streetwear is an up and coming culture across the world. It is becoming a lot more relevant in college life and is a way for people to express themselves, make money and meet new people through clothing alone. 

What is Streetwear?

People have always expressed themselves through the clothing they wear. At Stevenson University many students chose to study fashion design or fashion merchandising which is expanding and changing how people dress and shop.

Streetwear is clothing that became popular in the 1990's and has grown from the skateboarding and surfing culture and has many elements of sports clothing. It has evolved and become very relevant in the fashion industry with brands like Supreme winning multiple major awards. 

Companies today like Louis Vuitton have head designers that have started as streetwear designers who have brought this style into the high fashion world. Nike now collaborates with many of these streetwear companies proving that streetwear is everywhere. 

I personally have been wearing this type of clothing since 2014. It is a major part of my life and it is part of who I am. The clothes that I buy and wear are how I express myself and how I make a living outside of school without needing a job.

I would consider myself a collector and I have accumulated nearly $40,000 of clothing since 2014 and have made all of this money off of the buying and selling of the clothes themselves. The act of buying and selling clothing is known as reselling and it has become increasingly more popular as time has gone by. 

There are many different platforms for reselling clothing and new ways develop constantly. I personally sell my clothing on a platform called Grailed as well as a new app called Stockx. Clothing is a big part of who I am and helps define a part of me. 

Popular Streetwear Collaborations 

Notable Streetwear Brands

• Supreme
• Off-White
• Palace
• Pleasures
• Bape