I went to visit the Archive.DNA Exhibition at the StockX pop up in London before I went home for the holidays. I had been reading a variety of books, going back to understand the original roots of streetwear. I was looking at a pattern within these books: marking the hype of Jordans and sneaker boutiques, the rise of Shaun Stussy as a pivotal point within streetwear, the influence of the Japanese fashion scene, etc. This exhibition focused on popularized shoes throughout the birth, growth, and flourish of this culture’s timeline. It was interesting to see those select limited edition pairs I was drawn to on page, (previously shown in these books), and to actually be up close and personal with them. I especially enjoyed StockX’s section called: The Hall of fakes – it highlighted the signifier of their mobile application, how they authenticated anything resold within the app to make sure it was not fake product (a common scamming technique used within online reselling). It showed fake Supreme box logo hoodies, as well as fake Cactus Jack Travis Scott Nikes (which had come out pretty recently).
Recently, I was listening to the audio book version of “This is Not a T-Shirt” by Bobby Hundreds, and he defined streetwear as a merchandise associated with an attitude, THE attitude of youth and rebellion. He says, “Streetwear is rooted in diversity and an exchange of cultures: not solely skateboarding, not just hip hop or runway fashion or the avant-garde: streetwear incorporates all of these effects….” I have actually had quite some involvement with The Hundreds while being in LA. I visited their Los Angeles Christmas Party at the Roosevelt Hotel, and visited their offices in Vernon, California to interview my friend Justin who works as marketing within this iconic streetwear company. The Hundreds was the first streetwear company I took an interest in. At the age of 15, my cousin asked me to give him a makeover, and dress him like the cool kids in school, and I had noticed a trend where boys wore The Hundreds. I walked into their previous location in Santa Monica, cool skater boys behind the till, the large sculpture of their signature adam bomb, not even coming across the fact as a girl I could have purchased something for myself. I recognized it as a mens only club type of store. It made me laugh to think of this memory and how far streetwear has come. While in LA, I’ve decided to take a step back from what I know and instead of glossing over the classic shops and Americana signage that I passed everyday of my childhood – I use a magnifying glass almost, to notice those streetwear boutique lined stores I take for granted, and the culture that has become normalized, in almost a decade (thanks to the internet).
As Bobby Hundreds described his love for blogging, I realized I can utilize this blog in a form to document my experimentation and Journey of YOUNIFORM, but also how this project is changing the journey and influences of who I am. Just as he created the Bobby Hundreds Project, I feel this could be my: Sophie Bernard Project.
