What stemmed from skate and hip hop culture during the 1970s has over the last several decades ballooned to become a $200 billion global market. The transcendence of streetwear from the street to Parisian runways can be attributed to a multitude of factors; however, it is in large part due to the genius and ingenuity of Black and African American designers and artists who have challenged the structure of the fashion industry and, in doing so, have established a new paradigm of luxury. When looking at brands such as Off-White, founded by Chicago-born designer Virgil Abloh, there is no longer a distinct difference between streetwear and luxury fashion. The mixing of the two can even be seen as a statement regarding who has the right to wear luxury fashion while calling into question the very definition of luxury itself.
