There’s no escape. I’m not even gonna lie, I’ve also been yearning to be clad in THRASHER branding and Vetements glamour. The trend has officially caught on.
But still, when did this emerge? How did it come about? And how did it catch on so damn quickly?
Because let’s be real, nobody who wears this heavy metal-inspired apparel is actually gothic of metal-obsessed in the least. We’re actually mostly stylish fuckbois and hip-hop fans. Really, Justin Bieber / Kanye West / Pusha T don’t really strike me as gothic heavyweights.
Without doubt, fashion trends have always borrowed from subcultures and underground influences. Dating back to ‘70s punk influences, followed by ‘80s metal, gritty aesthetics have always had some sort of draw when it comes to creativity. As DAZED notes, a large majority of fashion labels, ranging from smaller, independent brands, to high-fashion names, to high-street stores, have been getting in on the metal trend. About a decade ago, band tees were all the rage. But most of the time, when asked to name a song or album by said band, fashion victims would be unable to utter a proper response. Today, having YEEZUS spread across a t-shirt that was once a Metallica logo might make it easier for the younger generation to explain whose shirt they’re wearing and what album they’re listening to.
I guess, when you think about it, we’ve been easing up to the heavy metal trend for quite some time now. From the band tees of years past, to aggressively ripped jeans, to distressed Alexander Wang and Helmut Lang sweatshirts with holes all over them… We’ve been getting closer to a grungier aesthetic, step by step. It was the French label Vetements that really set it off this year in the high-fashion world with graphics and typefaces, and it was Kanye West who solidified it in a more urban, streetwear capacity. More recently, just earlier this month, Justin Bieber’s “Purpose” collaboration with VFILES bridged the gap between streetwear hypebeasts and tween pop die-hards, bringing metal typefaces into their world as well.
At the end of the day, this shift in fashion perspectives is just innovation – creatives were growing tired of classic, basic looks, and wanted to find inspiration elsewhere. As the Internet age exposes us to darker, grittier, grungier aesthetics, and exposes niche subcultures in an almost catalogued nature, these sorts of trends can be picked up with ease, paving the way for a groundbreaking new era of design.
Inspiration: DAZED
#fashion #vetements #kanyewest #sneakerstorehongkong