Streetwear has gained much attention in the last decade, making it onto the covers of the most prestigious magazines, engaging more and more customers and fans, and collaborating with luxury brands through synergies that we would never have imagined. However, this phenomenon is not new and started a long time ago in some cities, where different communities and collectives turned style and aesthetics into symbols full of meaning. Zalando now analyses, celebrates and vindicates the legacy of these creative hubs that have set trends all over the world and have been able to create a very strong and recognizable personal identity.
We told you about Cultural Ties a few weeks ago in ACERO, when we presented the project that Zalando revealed after months of researching and analyzing the communities, styles, and cultures that promote streetwear in some of the most influential European cities. Through some of the most prominent profiles coming from each of the six epicenters of streetwear selected—Amsterdam, Antwerp, Berlin, Paris, Stockholm, and Warsaw—the leading European online platform for fashion and lifestyle invited us to learn more about the history of the communities that had positioned these places as global trendsetters.
Through several press trips, many fashion media from around the world were brought closer to the pioneering study and understood where the conclusions they had reached came from. Zalando invited several journalists and editors to the selected cities to, through local designers, artists, and creatives, better understand the reality of these places that inspire the international streetwear scene. We travelled to Antwerp a couple of weeks ago to fulfill our mission and see first-hand the magic and talent that radiates from a city so connected to fashion for decades.
This port city, located in the north of Belgium, near the border with the Netherlands, has a historical relationship with fashion. You've probably heard about the Antwerp Six, the group of fashion designers who studied at Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the early 80s and revolutionized the way of understanding fashion through a vision of strong experimental and disruptive nature in the international scene. This group, which is essential to understanding the current fashion scene, includes designers such as Walter Van Beirendonck, whom we have talked about in METAL, Ann Demeulemeester or the much-loved Dries Van Noten, who left the creative direction of his eponymous brand last June.
Belgium is also home to some of the biggest names in the global fashion scene, such as Martin Margiela, born in Leuven in the late 1950s, and Bruges-born designer Glenn Martens, creative director of Diesel who left his position as creative director of Y/Project just two months ago. But beyond all these names, Antwerp's streetwear scene also has a lot to offer and is represented by super interesting profiles that make this small city a creative hub full of talent and creativity.
“At Zalando, our goal is not to impose what streetwear should be but to support and make heard the voices of those who lead its evolution, such as the communities of Antwerp and Warsaw, where exciting creativity is emerging in this field,” said Daniela Klaeser, Team Lead for Streetwear Buying at Zalando, when asked about the purpose of the Cultural Ties project. And that's precisely what was proved during our visit to Antwerp, where we spent two days with the team from the Berlin-based company and where we had the opportunity to experience first-hand the link between the city and streetwear.
From a skate deck customization workshop by Brabo's Hand to the presentation of Zalando's collaboration with Adidas Originals at Andy Roasters, where the stunning collection of t-shirts available from next December includes designs inspired by each of the six cities that are part of this pioneering project was exhibited, and many and very diverse activities had been organized by Zalando to bring us closer to the local scene. In addition to discovering some of the most interesting brands and stores in the city, we enjoyed a panel talk at MoMu, the Fashion Museum of Antwerp, hosted by Dominique Nzeyimana, founder of The Most Podcast, including participants Nick Haemels (Lockwood/Avenue), Dries Vriesacker, co-founder and creative director of Enfnts Terribles Magazine, and Daniela Klaeser (Zalando).
The conversation focused on the impact of Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts on the creative context of the city, the advantages of being in the heart of Europe, well connected to the major fashion capitals, and the challenges that young designers, creatives, and editors face in an industry that moves and changes too fast. Once the panel discussion was over, we visited the permanent museum collection exhibition, a must if you are planning to travel to Antwerp, and had dinner inside the museum while sharing impressions about the Cultural Ties project.
The materialization of this project led by Zalando was a great success and allowed us to better understand why one in five respondents indicated, according to the study carried out, that the communities of their city are the ones that most influence their streetwear, above social media influencers and music artists, as well as the importance of collaborations and support between different agents within the creative industries in the consolidation of a streetwear scene with a global impact.
