Women Are Killing It With The Old School Nostalgia Street Brands

Streetwear is constantly evolving, and old school nostalgia brands seem to have rotated back into fashion. Who would have thought that those brands we left in the 90s such as Kappa, Puma, Reebok, and Umbro would be a hot fashion trend again in 2018? Even though Streetwear is traditionally seen as masculine, women have been killing it recently with the old school brands, and turned into streetwear queens! But when did these old brands start making a comeback and why?

Celebrity collaborations such as Rihanna’s Fenty x Puma Collection could be a reason that Puma is now a hot fashion trend for women once again. ASOS seem to always stock up Rihanna’s collection and Puma clothes and trainers in general. This includes plus sizes too, so women of all shapes and sizes can feel like streetwear queens. Rihanna’s Fenty x Puma Spring 2018 campaign features women wearing motocross-inspired garments posing on motorbikes. Motocross is a male dominated sport and Rihanna has challenged gender stereotypes by creating these garments for women to wear. And to be honest, we expected nothing less. Afterall, she is known for constantly challenging gender rules, and helping express that women can wear what they want, even sports and street clothing.

We are ditching the dainty dolly shoes and are swapping them for a pair of comfy creps and proving that we can still look fabulous in a pair of trainers, even if they are deemed unfeminine, we do not care.

However, this trend of challenging gendered fashion rules extends beyond Rihanna and Puma. Now onto footwear. I wonder what it is with the big bulky trainers that are becoming so fashionable again? First it was the Air Max 95s, and now it is Fila Distributor trainers that are being sold in popular sports shops such as JD Sports and Schuh. Fila Trainers are EVERYWHERE at the moment. Schuh’s website says, “dust off your tracksuit; 90’s brand FILA are back in action”, and women are certainly dusting off their tracksuits and rocking this trend! For so long women’s fashion has told us to value the way things look over how comfortable they are, but streetwear tells us enough is enough. We are ditching the dainty dolly shoes and are swapping them for a pair of comfy creps and proving that we can still look fabulous in a pair of trainers, even if they are deemed unfeminine, we do not care.

Image: @GeorgiaDeste Instagram

Finding femininity in streetwear is something female focused brands are doing well. Missguided has recently announced ‘The Brand Edit’ which, is described on their website as an “exclusive selection of the hottest items from the most essential brands out there.” The selection includes brands such as Timberland, Umbro, Kappa, and more. They have picked items that are well suited to Missguided’s target audience to sell, such as the well-known ‘“popper trousers.’” As you may know Missguided has done a lot of campaigns empowering women such as ‘Keep On Being You’ and ‘Make Your Mark’ campaigns. They are big on female empowerment and this campaign is no different. This streetwear will make you feel as confident as ever as they come in different styles, sizes and colours.

Missguided’s product range and accessibility is very significant in getting women into this style. We might not feel as comfortable walking into a male dominated store such as JD Sports as we do online shopping. In addition to this, being able to see these clothes styled for women (rather than just giving us mens tracksuits in pink) shows us how we can wear them, and suggests that they aren’t clothes that only men can wear. It is astounding that Missguided is so accessible making it easier for all kinds of women to get into street style.

Image: @stefneyv Instagram

Now the downside of nostalgic street wear becoming fashionable again is that the clothes are a little more on the pricier side if you get them from Missguided and ASOS for example. I know I was certainly shocked when I saw that Missguided are selling Kappa Popper Bottoms for £40, “£40 for KAPPA bottoms!” is what I thought, it did not stop me from buying them though.  But the luxury of these brands being old school is that vintage and charity shops are full of them, being sold for a much cheaper price too! So streetwear is even accessible for those of us on a budget. Be sure to check both mens and womens sections in these stores to get the best pieces. It does not matter if they are in the men’s section. Seeing the way streetwear is being marketed now means that women understand that anyone can wear them in anyway they like.

Whether it be Puma Suedes, Kappa Trousers, Umbro Tank Tops, Reebok Trainers, women are rocking these old school brands. With influence from celebrities and clothing brands, women can feel powerful and still like a woman whilst wearing sportswear.  It is great that companies are selling more and more women’s streetwear clothes and are promoting that women can dress this way and help get rid of the stereotype that only men wear tracksuit bottoms.

Girls wear streetwear too and they are absolutely killing it!

Written by Sharnah Baptiste

Instagram: @Sharnah_b

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