Everyone and their momma has a streetwear brand and that's perfectly fine. The rise of social media based e-commerce has dramatically shifted the way we buy and sell clothes. Many of the brands below are influenced by streetwear's rich 40-plus year history while others reimagine what workwear looks like in 2018. Some of the brands below are more notable than others, but all of them are equally amazing. We took the liberty to survey and source 9 of our favorite contemporary streetwear brands, take a look below and get some of this much needed drip.
Kids of Immigrants
Originally gaining inspiration from thrifted clothing and an underlying curiosity behind DIY clothing, Daniel Buezo and Weleh Dennis created Kids of Immigrants, otherwise known as KOI. Lately, you can see KOI sported by artists like Kehlani, Big Sean, and P-LO just to name a few. Inspired by their cultural roots and the mindset of working with what they have, Buezo and Dennis have worked to present their concept of making something out of nothing. From a remodeled style of PE shirts and shorts to their LOVE shirts, Kid of Immigrants provides apparel “for the people.”
Carrots
In the early stages of the brand, Carrots was known for its signature self-titled shirt design. As Anwar Carrots and the company built a significant following, the brand branched out to create a variety of apparel and accessories, using glasses, hats, bags, and even baby clothes as a canvas for his simplistic approach to clothing. Stepping into near every facet of clothing and accessories has made Carrots a force to be reckoned with.
OKOKOK
Hailing from Hong Kong, OKOKOK has brought their own personal flavor to the streetwear world. From content on social media to the details in apparel, it's apparent that OKOKOK has a heavy graphic design influence, all of which seems chaotic yet deliberate. OKOKOK is a brand you want to keep on your radar based on their product range alone; from shirts with BMW logo flips to bread chain necklaces, their next drop could literally be anything.
Bricks & Wood
Kacey Lynch's BRICKS & WOOD was born out of South Central, Los Angeles. Since its inception BRICKS & WOOD has been on a mission to put on for South Central. BRICKS & WOOD focuses on signature pieces like embroidered hats, shirts and shorts. Lynch and the B&R team have brought together a clean, fitted look for anyone looking for staple pieces. More recently you can see BRICKS & WOOD being rocked by the likes of Anderson. Paak, and Tyler, The Creator among others.
SLUMS
Emerging straight out of the Bay Area, Slums is fresh on the scene but shows great promise. The lookbook shows a great contrast between their digital-based design work in nature. Their current collection, Slums, plays with bright color palettes, their signature block lettering, and a digitized floral print.
Nothin Special
With origins from Japan and headquarters in New York, Nothin Special works to blend styles of New York streetwear with the elements of Japanese street clothing. In their latest collection, Nothin Special included pullover hoodies and long sleeves in perfect time with the end of summer. With sweats and hoodies ready to ship, their collection will not fail to keep you cozy this upcoming fall season.
Felt
Florida-based Felt brings forth a spring-themed, butterfly-filled style. Felt focuses on warm, low-saturated pastel color palette for a majority of their apparel. Felt is no stranger to collaboration, their most recent collab with X-Large features a collection of hoodies, long and short sleeve shirts, socks and a plethora of practical accessories.
Tombogo
TOMBOGO isn't new to this, past collections include creative cut and sew pieces, self-embroidered hoodies, and shirts. TOMBOGO is taking work-wear to new heights with this latest collection. You can find tote bags, chest packs, sling bags and more that utilize his signature conveyor belt strap. Judging from the site, we can happily assume that there are eight more products that utilize his signature conveyor belt strap
Stray Rats
Our second Florida-based brand, Stray Rats, has built a cult-like following, amassing stocklists at 18 retail locations worldwide. Their unique trademark rat logo is illustrated on sweats, tees, long sleeves, and even tapestries. You heard correctly, tapestries. As weird as a rat logo is, it's exactly what makes Stray Rats one of our favorite brands.