Streetwear Clears Its Throat, Declares Graphics Back
Streetwear is getting loud again. Some of the biggest names in the streetwear biz are reviving large logos and giant graphics in statement-heavy collections that scream whereas, only a few seasons ago, they might've whispered
This turn of tide has manifested through the latest drops from streetwear giants such as Supreme and Stüssy that brashly affirm that bigger (branding) is better. (Maximalists, we up)
Supreme, a label synonymous with streetwear itself, bet it all on statement prints with its Spring/Summer 2025 collection.
The piece of the season may be a SpongeBob racing jacket but the seasonal drops also kicked off with oversized Damien Hirst art prints, as unsubtle as anything Hirst’s ever done. And compare the offering to Supreme's Spring/Summer 2024 collection, which was hardly bereft of branding but handled them in a far more understated manner.
Sure, there were plenty of plaids and high-contrast color-blocked anoraks but nothing nearly as out-there as a SpongeBob or reversible leopard-printed hoodie.
And Denim Tears, whose signature Cotton Wreath all-over print was recently upgraded with Swarovski crystals, is leaning into in-your-face retro graphics with its heavily branded varsity jacket. The old English font provides a nice additional splash of nostalgia.
The allure of throwback graphics is even present at Nike, where a new Cactus Plant Flea Market collaboration debuted by famous friends like Lil Yachty turns things up a notch with unmissable logos aplenty.
Meanwhile, Awake NY is whipping up oversized Bugle Boy-style plaid shirts printed with "New York" monogram rings and Stüssy is going seriously old school with its "STU sweaters, are clear homage to the large lettering of GAP's classic pullovers (truly a timely homage).
This embracement of wild prints and bold logos is a real turnaround from the minimalist feel that’s held heavy sway over the streetwear space as of late.
Now, bold branding is replacing the small script lettering and nondescript logos made most famous by labels like Aimé Leon Dore and Fear of God's Essentials sub-label.
To be sure, there was never a time where streetwear entirely abandoned statement graphics and there will never be a time where low-key stuff isn't desirable.
But the period of purely tasteful stuff is waning as wacky prints and exaggerated logos return in force.
And while labels like Cactus Plant Flea Market have always embodied this approach, they now feel especially prescient — last year's gargantuan Nike Air Flea suddenly looks entirely ahead of the curve.
This renewed interest in extra-retro vibes must come from somewhere.
On apps like TikTok, young shoppers demonstrate huge demand for thrifted statement pieces from the '00s, heavy on the exuberant prints and very much the antithesis of streetwear’s post-YEEZY beige-ification.
Labels like giant jeanmaker JNCO and Ed Hardy have come full-circle: They were once red-hot, then extremely uncool, then reclaimed by a new generation of shoppers too young for their heyday. Now, their loud wares are being revived for the modern day.
And big players like Stüssy and Supreme, whose founders were around long before any of those upstarts, are answering the call.
