The True Cost of Streetwear

Long gone are the days of over-the-top outfits for daily outings. The comfortability, style and edge that streetwear provides are unmatched. The rise in popularity of streetwear fashion dates back almost 40 years with the emergence of brands like Stussy that sold skate and surf apparel. When worn outside their intended environments, these baggy and bright athletic pieces turned into fashion staples that would transform the industry for years to come. 

Today, the global streetwear market is valued at 173.4 billion USD. It has become cut-throat, with resellers buying out drops and reselling pieces at two to three times the initial market value. The re-selling of sneakers and luxe apparel is a lucrative business that keeps many sneakerheads in a chokehold, but is it ethical? Despite serving as just a side hustle for many, the most skilled resellers can make upwards of $10,000 a month with little to no overhead or time commitment. From a business standpoint, this is golden; but, what about those who are attracted to the sneaker styles continuously being bought and sold for exorbitant prices in this online cycle? Underprivileged populations that birthed these trends and styles are being priced out of the market and cannot dress as they want. 

In the Bronx, hip-hop music started fashion trends and styles that were unique to Black communities and were initially very niche. With the rise of social media influencers and the appearance of more casual styles in runway shows came the mass influx in consumer interest in brands like Off-White, KITH, Aime Leon Dore and Bape. The streetwear industry saw a jump in consumer demands, but it did not increase production quantities in an effort to remain exclusive and competitive. As a result, highly coveted items such as The Air Jordan have been gentrified. Now, consumers with a fixed budget are forced to buy dupes, adding yet another ethical dilemma to the equation. 

Unregulated fashion dupes are not produced in clean, safe environments, and factory workers are often underpaid –– if paid at all. The cost of a pair of Air Jordan sneakers on a foreign site may appear to be a steal for only a hundred dollars, but with a price that low, consumers must know that their money is not being morally allocated. Many factory workers in China are paid less than minimum wage, an amount already meager at 55 cents per hour, leaving the majority of the profit in the pockets of corrupt business personnel. This parasitic relationship continues each time a duped item is ordered online today due to streetwear's out-of-control authentic re-sell culture. Global companies such as Nike have noticed this and are trying to reroute the industry to become more accessible and equitable. In a recent interview with NPR, a Nike spokesperson announced that the company would be rolling out new bot-detecting technology on the Nike SNKRS app that will prohibit bots from buying mass quantities of products and reselling them on sites such as GOAT and STOCKX. 

This increased monitoring from Nike is promising and will hopefully lead to increased accessibility across the board. Today, the best way to secure streetwear styles for your collection without paying an arm and a leg is to explore sustainable thrifting sites such as Depop and Grailed. Buying second-hand styles is a great way to reduce landfill waste, lower your carbon footprint and freshen up your wardrobe with the hottest new styles, all while being ethical and financially savvy. Next time you are tempted to buy a streetwear dupe or an authentic item from a re-sell site at an excessively high price, ask yourself if it is worth the negative environmental and social impacts that will occur as a direct result of your purchase.