Streetwear Brands to Watch
Streetwear today is more than hoodies and hype - it’s a language of community, fabric and storytelling. Across the globe, new labels are redefining what it means to stitch culture into design. Here’s our shortlist of emerging streetwear designers worth watching.
Want to learn how to design your own streetwear collection? Read our Fabric Guide for Streetwear Designers.
Streetwear Now: The Landscape
Streetwear is not one-size-fits-all. It branches across substyles: luxury minimalism, art-driven DIY, skate/grunge, retro varsity, surf-inspired color pops and utility workwear. This variety is what makes it so dynamic and why this roundup spotlights a spectrum of voices shaping the scene.
Minimal / Luxury Athleisure
Minimalism in streetwear is about precision and restraint. Clean, muted palettes and heavyweight fabrics like fleece, jersey, and rib knit give this lane its quiet authority. Elevated essentials - the perfect hoodie, the weighty tee, the structured jacket - trade in logos for longevity, proving that in this space less really does mean more.
Song for the Mute
Song for the Mute is a study in narrative design. Each collection is treated like a chapter, with fabrics as the central characters. Known for textile innovation and layered silhouettes, the Sydney label weaves moody storytelling into limited-run capsules that feel both intimate and experimental.
Known for: Experimental textiles, layered silhouettes, narrative-led collections, limited capsules.
Art & DIY Energy
Playful, experimental, and often surreal, this lane treats streetwear as an art form, not just apparel. Inspired by DIY craft culture, Y2K nostalgia, and folk-art aesthetics, these labels thrive on maximalism, bold prints, and unexpected materials. Think hand-drawn typography, dopamine colors, or graphics that feel more like a gallery wall than a merch rack.
Carne Bollente
Paris-based Carne Bollente takes an unapologetically sex-positive, queer-led approach to streetwear. Using playful, erotic graphics and bold illustrations, the label turns apparel into a canvas for inclusivity and cultural commentary. Beyond design, Carne Bollente backs its values by supporting NGOs focused on sexual health and rights, proving that fashion can be both provocative and purposeful.
Known for: Erotic graphics, playful illustration, and inclusive messaging.
Perks and Mini (P.A.M.)
A Melbourne icon, P.A.M. is known for blending rave culture, art, and subversive design. Their work is instantly recognizable for its bold typography, surreal graphics, and multidisciplinary collaborations. More than clothing, P.A.M. feels like an ongoing experiment in how creativity spills into everyday life.
Known for: Psychedelic prints, bold typography, and artist collaborations.
Jungles Jungles
Irreverent and rebellious, Jungles Jungles thrives on provocative slogans and countercultural graphics. From bold text pieces to chaotic prints, their collections channel the DIY energy of underground zines and punk subculture, making them as much a cultural critique as a fashion label.
Known for: Bold text tees, chaotic graphics, and punk-inspired storytelling.
SSStufff
Barcelona-based SSStufff channels a DIY spirit with a scrapbooking and iOS core influence Their pieces mix eclectic graphics, unexpected cuts, and a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor that keeps things irreverent and fun. Born from two friends “just trying to lift the broken roller shutter of their shop,” SSStufff leans into experimentation while not taking itself too seriously.
Known for: Eclectic graphics, colorful cuts, and playful experimentation.
Skate / Music Crossovers
Rooted in skate culture and the underground music scene, this lane grew from skate parks, basement gigs and DIY spirit of punk, hip hop and rave culture. It’s less about polish and more about lived-in authenticity. Clothes that look like they’ve been thrashed, layered and worn to death. The aesthetic borrows from 80s and 90s counterculture, nu-metal and indie influence, merging graffiti fonts, flames and barbed wire graphics with camo pants, oversized tees and checkerboard tartan.
Butter Goods
Founded in Perth, Butter Goods embodies skate culture at its core. Their collections pull inspiration from hip-hop, jazz, and retro graphics, building a brand that feels both nostalgic and deeply authentic. Every drop nods to skate’s DIY ethos, but with a polish that has earned them global recognition.
Known for: Graphic tees, wardrobe staples, corduroy caps, collabs and nostalgic references.
Jody Just
Born in New York’s club scene and now based in Sydney, Jody Just channels youth culture, rebellion, and DIY energy into raw, graphic-driven collections. From velvet tracksuits and graffiti lettering to hand-painted denim, the label blends subcultural references with handcrafted details.
Known for: Bold graphics, raw cuts, and custom jeans.
Preppy & Retro Varsity
This lane taps into nostalgia for campus life and country clubs, remixing Ivy League polish through a modern streetwear lens. Think collegiate block letters across heavyweight sweatshirts, piqué polos with retro striping, and crisp shirting reimagined with oversized fits. The look balances polish with play; logo-heavy but intentionally minimal, leaning on heritage colors like navy, forest green, and soft pastels.
Dito Collective
Dito brings varsity nostalgia into the now. Expect block lettering, crests, and piqué polos, but with a fresh lens that makes them relevant for today’s streetwear crowd. Their approach feels polished yet playful, appealing to anyone who wants a retro-prep look with a contemporary twist.
Known for: Varsity graphics, color-blocking, and heritage sportswear staples.
Brother Wolf
Brother Wolf bridges the gap between utility grit and preppy polish. Their collections feature clean palettes, structured tailoring, and subtle details that feel both timeless and modern. By balancing minimalism with functionality, Brother Wolf has carved out a lane for people who want sophistication without losing the casual ease of streetwear.
Known for: Heavy fleece sweats, boxy tailoring, and clean neutral palettes.
Surf & Moto Nostalgia
Surfwear has always embodied more than just the beach; it’s freedom, irreverence, and a sun-faded rebellion. This lane thrives on color and movement, from Hawaiian florals and palm-tree graphics to motocross stripes and racing-inspired typography. Where surf leans playful and loose, moto adds grit and edge, creating a hybrid aesthetic that feels nostalgic yet fresh.
Double Rainbouu
Dubbed “resort wear for beach baes and punks,” Double Rainbouu reimagines the Hawaiian shirt with a distinctly Australian twist. The label takes seaside culture and filters it through loud prints, sun-washed palettes, and a cheeky, rebellious lens. Each textile is designed in-house, celebrating the grit and humour of real beach life rather than glossy resort escapism. The result is cult-favourite shirts that bridge surf, street and city culture.
Known for: Loud tropical prints, in-house textile design, rebellious surf energy.
token token token
Born in New York from a small crew of friends, token token token blends skate, surf, art and music into a global creative movement. The brand channels retro surf nostalgia through an urban lens, reworking beachwear silhouettes with street-ready fits. Collaborations with artists and friends keep the collections playful, irreverent, and rooted in community spirit.
Known for: Retro surf graphics, washed cottons, artist led collabs and playful boardshort fits.
Utility / Outdoor Crossovers
Durability meets design. Utility-driven streetwear takes workwear and outdoor gear and reimagines it for city life. Think heavyweight twills, ripstop nylon and performance fabrics built with pockets, zips and functional silhouettes. The aesthetic is minimal with clean logos, muted neutrals, and military-inspired detailing. Rooted in workwear, but elevated by normcore and gorpcore movements, this lane proves practicality can be style.
White Mountaineering
Tokyo-based White Mountaineering redefines utility wear by fusing technical outerwear with high design. The label is built on three pillars; design, utility, and technology. Each collection balances performance with style, from ripstop cargos to waterproof jackets. Pieces are crafted with advanced fabrics and precise detailing, equally at home in the city or on the mountain trail.
Known for: Technical jackets, ripstop cargos, and functional, high-tech detailing.
Maharishi
A London institution, Maharishi has long redefined military-inspired streetwear through a pacifist lens. Known for sustainable fabrics like hemp, organic cotton, and upcycled military stock the label fuses Eastern and Western influences with a design philosophy of “Respect Nature / Utilise Technology.” Their signature camouflage and embroidery reimagine military aesthetics as symbols of peace, while pieces like the Original Snopant cement their cult status. Maharishi continues to prove that utility can be ethical, artistic, and enduring.
Known for: Custom camouflage, embroidery and sustainable fabrics.
Purpose-Driven Streetwear
Not all streetwear is about aesthetics alone, for some, community and cause are central to the brand’s DNA. These labels make impact part of the design, proving that clothes can be both wearable and value-driven.
HoMie
HoMie began as a pop-up streetwear store raising awareness for homelessness and has since grown into a fully-fledged label and social enterprise. Their clean, minimal designs - hoodies, tees, and caps with subtle graffiti cues - channel the energy of Melbourne youth culture, but the brand’s mission is what sets it apart. Every purchase supports programs for young people affected by homelessness or hardship, turning everyday essentials into vehicles for social good.
Known for: Minimal street staples, subtle graphic nods, and a not-for-profit model supporting community impact.
Takeaways for Creators
Every lane of streetwear comes with its own “fabric fingerprint.” Minimalism leans into heavyweight fleece and brushed jersey, utility drops are built on ripstop and drill, surf relies on washed cottons and boardshort fabrics, and preppy twists favor piqué polos and crisp shirting. These choices aren’t just aesthetic, they’re cultural markers.
For creators, that’s the real takeaway: fabric is the foundation of storytelling. The right textile signals which subculture you’re speaking to before the logo or graphic even appears. Whether you’re designing a capsule of elevated basics or a playful, art-driven drop, your material choices anchor the narrative.
Planning your own drop? Explore our Fabric Guide for Streetwear Designers to see which textiles map to each style and start designing your collection with Fabra.
