Ralph Lauren x PALACE : The potency of street-wear

It is an undisputed fact that the concept of ‘luxury’ has been revolutionised by the scale of social media, but the influence of streetwear in alleviating the alienating schema surrounding high-end labels has not yet been fully realised.

This remains a source of fresh debate, with Ralph Lauren recently announcing their plan to join forces with London- based streetwear conglomerate Palace (along with owners, Lev Tanju and Gareth Skewis who launched the label in 2009) ; a further collaboration which will continue to stretch the boundaries of what is considered ‘of luxury’. This bold new move painted across 3 billboards in Shibuya, Japan (on the 18th) not only welcomes the continual breaking of barriers between street culture and high fashion, but also the promise of exposure for the weary Ralph Lauren name. Ralph Lauren’s staple jersey polo shirts amongst other revitalised icons, bear price range points starting at a modest $60 and spiking to $230 – a further perk of joining hands with a label whose skater-obsessed demographic, ranges from adolescents to their parents.

Ralph Lauren, however, is not the pioneer of this business move, instead following in suit of other high-end names flocking to benefit from the ‘prestige’ of streetwear. In 2017 since the success of Louis Vuitton’s partnership with New York saw 7,500 people in Tokyo, 2,000 in London and 1,500 in Sydney lining up for a chance to lay hands on the collection’s pieces , with resell values surpassing the thousand dollar mark. This chain effect can also be observed through Off white and jimmy choo partnering up, along with Manolo Blahnik and Vetements’ joining to release new lines of footwear, generating new wealth and hype surrounding both names. Fendi and fila joining to birth ‘Fendi-mania’ , a line inspired by pop culture- reached the farthest corners of the fashion-obsessed.

Louis Vuitton Fall Menswear 2017 (above)

Streetwear’s value is not solely measured through collaborations, but also through its transformative effect on high-end names. Virgil Abloh’s (owner of Off white) induction as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton and Demna Gvsalia streetwear- imbued Balenciaga are prevalent examples.

Virgil Abloh's first collection for Louis Vuitton SS/19 : A rainbow-infused showcase at the Parisien Palais Royal (above)

Demna Gvasalia who Graduated from Antwerp's Royal academy of fine arts (above) showcases his creations for Balenciaga's SS17 RTW (below)

These recent developments in the industry raise constant questions about the disintegration of this ‘Caste system’ surrounding fashion- and with it, the phasing out the exclusive and alienating schema surrounding the industry.