Retrospect: 8 Streetwear Brands Running the Game Right Now

Image via Complex Original

The godfather of modern streetwear has been on the backs of stylish men since the mid-’80s, and still holds the crown as one of today’s most influential brands. The original collab king (Nike, Timberland, and G-Shock, to name a few), has store chapters in more than ten countries, proof that its international tribe is stronger than ever.

This Tokyo-based brand’s creative director Masafumi “Bebetan” Watanabe advances familiar items like knitwear, varsity jackets, and trousers by focusing on durable construction and precision tailoring. The label’s cult following praises the clothing’s extraordinary wearability, and the fact that it truly lives up to its promise of “Paramount Quality.”

Seattleite Nin Troung is a renaissance man, owner of the design studio WKND, which houses his bag label, Blk Pine Workshop, and Maiden Noir. He creates clothing based on menswear and workwear staples like denim jackets and chore coats, but ups the ante with premium fabrics and minimal details. Imagine if someone souped up your favorite trucker jacket, then pumped it full of premium gasoline. 

Currently moonlighting for big-time fashion label Comme Des Garçons, Gosha Rubchinskiy launched his eponymous collection in 2008 but only recently acquired a cult following with his skate-inspired brand. No wonder he collaborated with Vans to reinterpret the Old Skool. His most popular items incorporate bold text graphics in his native tongue. 

The next foray from the art and fashion think tank established in 2012, Études is a lifestyle line designed by French artists Aurélien Arbet and Jérémie Egry, who used to head up Hixsept. The duo experiments with patterns, fabrics, cuts, volume, and styling to create a collection that speaks to the fashion-conscious, but has a subversive street appeal. It’s hard to walk around Paris and not see stylish kids wearing Études, and the rest of the world will soon follow suit.

Quite possibly the only brand that Kanye West and John Mayer can agree upon. Japanese designer and all-around groovy dude Hiroki Nakamura began with footwear that merged old-world craftsmanship with modern manufacturing, creating the FBT: an Indian moccasin with a synthetic EVA sole. Now the brand offers a highly coveted clothing collection and equally rustic-luxe home goods. You used to need a Japanese plug to cop Visvim’s premium wares, but the brand has expanded its distribution around the globe, which will help preserve its “take it slow” philosophy and grail status.

Unlike your grandpa’s well-worn chore coat, Carhartt WIP has only been around since 1994, originally as the European licensee for the storied Detroit workwear brand. Mixing unparalleled quality with modern fits and a skate-rat edge, Carhartt WIP has also been almost impossible to find stateside, aside from their limited-edition capsule collections with A.P.C. Recently, the brand set up shop in New York and online, making the sought-after label a little more accessible.

Trained at the Royal College of Art in London, Astrid Andersen blends sportswear with technical fabrics like neoprene and nylon, but she isn’t afraid to mix in exotic materials like fur. Known for flipping athletic pieces like basketball uniforms on their heads, looking cool in Andersen’s gear is as easy as a layup.