Whether you’ve finally worn out your vintage Metallica tee and are looking for new threads, or you’re a wannabe hypebeast looking to cop the next hottest thing, these are the British streetwear brands you need to get involved with.
Streetwear has been synonymous with hardcore music since the genre grew as a response to pretty much everything in the late ’70s and early ’80s – be it hippies, soft arty folk, or the conformist, beige men in suits that prop up the music and fashion industries. Hardcore even rebelled against the punk scene that it grew from, challenging the conventions in the community that allowed it space, by going harder, faster and angrier than before. But it wasn't just the sound that separated hardcore from punk rock, it was the aesthetic.
Toby Underhill, a familiar face in Soho’s streetwear scene who was previously involved in creative community The Basement, and a hardcore fanatic, explains that “it all started with Minor Threat.”
The ’80s straight-edge pioneers did two things: they pioneered the fusion of hardcore and skate culture (remember Ian MacKaye’s famous Minor Threat skateboard on the Salad Days cover?) and brought several staples like varsity jackets and Jordans into the hardcore realm, ridding themselves of all-black punk affiliations. “In a way,” continues Toby, “anything using the collegiate font [the text from American college jackets] owes itself to Minor Threat. That’s like half of streetwear.”
These influences still reflected throughout modern-day streetwear; from Stray Rats’ 2022 T-shirt homage to Noah posting about Youth Of Today. The essence of these early genre-defining bands and the motivations behind streetwear overlap at the very core: they’re both a DIY response to established norms, and a question mark in the face of gatekeepers. If they can do it, why can’t we?
It’s important to remember that it isn’t just brands and bands who have grabbed the world by the bollocks and done it themselves. Streetwear is an ever-changing, constantly evolving world that grows in response to different trends, tastes and styles. Here, we've put together a watch list for some new brands in the UK that are doing bits worthy of commendation. And remember: streetwear is a physical embodiment of someone wanting to do things their way. That said, everything listed below will go pretty well with that staple pair of gig-ready Infrared Air Max.
It would be a mistake to write any article on streetwear in the UK without including Corteiz, whose unstoppable rise to fame put the brand in Vogue Business as a case study for the efficacy of street-level marketing. But the brand is far more than that.
Corteiz (or CRTZ) was started in 2017 by Clint, and has grown exponentially, gracing the bodies of various rappers from Slowthai – whose music pushes boundaries between grime and punk – to drill’s man of the moment Central Cee. While Corteiz is streetwear, it’s best understood as a brand that represents community – ‘for the mandem’, in Clint’s words – and strives to show how anyone who hustles hard enough can push boundaries. Corteiz’ appeal lies in both the brand’s design (where it uses a logo based around Alcatraz and a font borrowed from the classic line of Corvettes) and Clint’s personality as a motivational figure.
Corteiz exists to show the world that anyone can do it, which is ultimately the reason that streetwear exists. It’s a fuck you to established traditions and a reclamation of community spirit. There aren’t many brands that can organise a coat exchange on the streets near Wormwood Scrubs prison, a riot in Soho and something similar in Paris during Fashion Week. If anybody asks: Corteiz RTW.
Bene Culture’s store opened in Birmingham’s Digbeth district back in 2016, selling a mixture of vintage, independent labels and their own brand. Since its inception, the Bene Culture label has grown, collaborating with brands like Footpatrol and working with young creatives across the UK for different collections.
Youth culture and community are at the heart of Bene Culture’s output, as the brand’s store functions not just as a brick and mortar shop, but as a community and event space, hosting exhibitions, supper clubs, gigs and movie nights – often raising money for local causes. In mid-June, Bene Culture worked with Birmingham-based Transport Sounds to raise money for Bubble Club, a learning disability arts and event space.
In terms of aesthetics, Hemel Chau, one of the founders, says: “One of our biggest inspirations is looking through old / long-forgotten animated shows / comics and then bringing them back with our own style.”
While Supreme no longer encourages the same amount of all-night camp-outs on drop nights, its influence on the streetwear world can’t be understated. However, this influence has shifted from overt to subtle. Rather than being the future of streetwear, Supreme often plays a part in enabling it.
Nancy is the output of Sam Hughes, manager of London’s Supreme store and one of the brand’s first stockists. When Sam went sober (shout-out the straight-edge crew), he started Nancy as a way to stay focused, and it naturally extended from his skateboarding background, fusing skate, bootleg punk and DIY elements together.
Nancy’s clothes often feature dark and grotesque graphics as well as softer, ironically cutesy variations, metal-inspired patchwork denim, and trucker hats with bits of diamante flair – all wrapped up in adverts made with spliced-up B-movie horror scenes. It’s a mish-mash that works.
Skitzo Worldwide started in Bradford in 2018, and the brand has grown to solidify a loyal, cult-like following in Manchester and the rest of the North. The brand’s aesthetic is dark and a little bit grungy; full of patches, rips, rusty dyes and sporadic, paint-strewn colouring. Skitzo fuse a DIY streetwear style with a charm that’s intentionally a little rough around the edges.
A large part of Skitzo’s world is individual customs with the brand regularly preparing one-offs for various musicians and influencers. The brand also hosts creation workshops (such as this with Manchester’s Habitat) where anyone can bring along items of clothing for customisation, taking advantage of the brand’s knowledge of heat-pressed vinyl, embroidery and spray paint.
While The Wrong Side Merch isn’t technically ‘streetwear’, this is Kerrang! and WSM embodies the spirit behind all great streetwear brands, but with a metallic edge. Started by Adam Kelly, the Manchester-based brand is a distributor of hardcore tees, printing and collabs with bands like Power Trip, Never Ending Game and No Pressure.
It’s important to stress that anything that Wrong Side works on is a creative collaboration between both parties. Before starting the company, Adam was about to give up printing "due to all the dead design I got from clients”, but now ensures he has a say in what actually gets made, allowing the brand to strengthen the design of merch throughout the scene.
Wrong Side also produce their own one-offs and promote shows within the hardcore scene. They recently produced a load of exclusives for Outbreak Fest, as well as running their own two-day festival in Manchester.
