Streetwear is that one style of clothing that can be seen everywhere, from streets and skate parks to red carpets. It borrows elements from hip hop fashion, punk, sportswear, and surf/skate culture. In fact, the latter is an ever-growing inspiration for many designers, athletes and celebrities even if they haven’t ridden a skateboard or a scooter for once in their lives. There’s something about that rough, carefree, anti-establishment aesthetic that looks good as hell and makes people feel fierce.
There’s nothing not to love about skate fashion really. It’s comfy, it’s fresh and you can easily combine pieces and accessories together to suit numerous occasions. However, if you’re past your 20s, you’ll need to properly style your clothes to look like a grown-up. It’s best to go for a smart-casual look with a skate-inspired edge. Continue reading to find out how to slay that skate-inspired aesthetic.
Graphic Tees
Graphic tees are fashion; yeah you’ve read that right. Stylish urban t-shirts are the staple of streetwear style and an indispensable part of any skate-inspired look. Nowadays, you can find all sorts of skate tees to channel your inner sk8er boy or girl, but what’s more interesting is that “the-arch enemies” of skaters are getting their own apparel which is equally as dope as its counterpart. If you, like many others, have let the scooter wave carry you, then you should check out some of the awesome scooter t shirts that’ll make you stand out on the streets and the skate park as well.
What sets these streetwear t-shirts styles apart is the graphic, while everything else is completely the same. If you do mad stunts or just enjoy riding your scooter on the streets, why not express your love for wheeled sports with a fresh scooter t-shirt that has an amazing skate park graphic, a puntastic phrase or a cool logo of your favourite scooter store. For instance, the Scooter Village has a whole line of pro scooter t shirts specially designed for their loyal customers and supporters of their indoor skate park.
You can rock your scooter t-shirt everywhere. Pair it with some surf shorts and you’re ready for the beach, style it with dark denim jeans and you’re good to go to work, put on some sweat pants and take it to the gym. Your options are countless.
Of course, if you’re rocking skateboards or you don’t ride anything, but you want that badass look, you can find a vast array of streetwear t-shirts that’ll give you that tough chic. But remember, if you choose a loud graphic tee, it’s best to combine it with simpler pieces to avoid looking gaudy. Opt for loose, oversized designs with cool logos, slogans or brand names. And if you want to add a throwback vibe into the mix, pair your urban t-shirt with an open flannie.
Hoodies
Hoodies and streetwear t shirts go together like kick and flip. You can pair them with a variety of bottoms, rock them on top of your tee and layer them with winter jackets. Hoodies are comfy, practical and suitable for numerous casual occasions. To nail the rebellious look shop for loose, oversized, thick and heavyweight hoodies. You can opt for a plain hoodie that’ll let your streetwear t-shirt do all the talking or add an extra skate touch with a logo, graphic print or camo pattern.
Even if you think that Tony Hawk is one of Marvel’s superheroes, a dope hoodie will make you look like you know your ollies and kickflips. However, if you want to rock your skate-inspired chic at work or uni, make sure to balance out your look with smart-casual pieces to avoid looking out of place.
Bottoms
As previously mentioned, you can mix and match your tops with a wide variety of bottoms, and the best part is, they’re all comfortable as well. You can stack up on shorts, cargo pants, chinos, dickies, jeans and sweatpants. With hot weather just around the corner, you might want to choose a cropped, wide-leg design. But if you want to wear long trousers, cuff them a few inches above your ankles for authentic skater vibes.
The most popular bottoms among skaters are probably the good ol’ Dickies which offer unmatched durability and comfort. Although Dickies was born to supply workwear, Skateboarders quickly became fans of the performance-driven bottoms that didn’t restrict their movements and offered protection. Today, the indestructible Dickies are an integral part of skate culture worldwide.
Shoes
If you want to absolutely nail your skater style, you must get your right skate shoes. When it comes to shoes and skate culture, the first brands that pop to mind are Vans and Converse. To keep things low-profile, opt for a classic pair of Vans Old Skools. The unmistakable jazz stripe will immediately add that skate-inspired edge and the comfy soles will make you want to Vans off the wall. Of course, you can’t go wrong with a pair of Vans Sk8-His, but this will add a more retro vibe to your outfit.
And if retro is your go-to choice, then you should also consider buying Chucks. Low or high-top All-Stars come in all sorts of colours and materials. Although nowadays you can find Chucks made of suede or full-grain leather, the original and widely known version of the shoe is made of cotton canvas. As far as the colour is concerned, black and white are the easiest to mix and match with different outfits, but you shouldn’t be afraid of a pop of colour and bolder hues and patterns.
Accessories
Although skate style is usually sporty and comfortable, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t go well with trendy accessories. Just be careful not to go too crazy and risk looking like a clown. Skateboarders often wear chains on their pants, not only because they look great, but also because they keep their wallets safe while they do 360s in the air. Chains are considered to be somewhat iconic nowadays, but it takes great skill to pull off that look since it can make your outfit over the top.
If you want to play it safe, finish your look with a baseball cap with a logo or graphic print, or opt for a bucket hat to embrace an old-school look.
