While Atlanta is known as the “Hollywood of the South” to filmmakers across the country, it also has a place in the hearts of fashion connoisseurs.
To understand Atlanta Street Fashion, we must first look back to New York City in the late 1970s and early ‘80s. Street Fashion emerged as a mixture of the New York hip-hop scene, Los Angeles surf culture (think Stussy, the surfboard brand that turned to t-shirts), and Japanese streetwear, which played a huge role in the development of the birth of fashion from the streets. Of course, we can’t forget the influence of trends such as punk, new wave, heavy metal, and sportswear and workwear brands, and you can’t get around the innovative use of designer brands like Bathing Ape and Virgil Abloh’s brand Off-White.
Streetwear is about casual elegance and freedom of expression.
Not to discredit impressive brands’ impact on the scene, but street fashion isn’t just about the label. Streetwear is about casual elegance and freedom of expression. It cannot be confined to one gender, race, or culture. Streetwear spans all levels of affordability. From luxury brands to thrifts, everyone has a place to find their style.
Atlanta streetwear wouldn’t exist without the city’s rich Black history. Hip-hop icons like Outkast were big tastemakers for Atlanta fashion. In the early ‘90s, Outkast wore big jeans, Atlanta Braves jerseys and caps, a baggy Adidas checkerboard tracksuit, and furry Kangols. André 3000 and Big Boi of Outkast set trends with the release of each new album. The two pushed the limits of their style in their music videos. Remember André’s appearance in his white wig, white fur shorts, white fur cuffs, and snowboarding boots in “Skew It On The Bar-B”?
Big Boi frequently rocks Nike Air-Max TNs, only one pair from his iconic sneaker collection. The two artists wore raw and selvedge denim way ahead of their time. From Egyptian and Japanese influence to callbacks to past decades to honoring rockstar Jimi Hendrix, Outkast’s outfits told a story. The group is representative of Atlanta street fashion through their wide array of influences that are relevant today.
Streetwear of the 2020s is undoubtedly harkening back to the ‘90s and early 2000s. Today, the Atlanta fashion scene is teeming with clothing resellers. William Pojunas is the creator and owner of OKWilVintage, a reselling company operating online and at pop-up events in the Atlanta area. Born and raised in Lilburn, Georgia, Pojunas moved to Atlanta for two years right out of college, and he now lives in Decatur. He curates the best shoes, t-shirts, jackets, and more for his selective clients. Regarding Atlanta’s specific style, Pojunas said, “I think it’s almost impossible to put Atlanta’s fashion scene into one category. Streetwear has always been on the forefront, while vintage has steadily been growing in popularity in the past five years.”
“There are also a lot of people who make their own clothes as well as a lot of designers. Atlanta has a lot to offer for fashion enthusiasts,” Pojunas continued. Vintage clothing and thrifting has been a huge trend in the past few years, but it’s here to stay for good reason. High fashion has many barriers to entry, but anyone can thrift. For those who don’t believe they can dress well without a lot of money, Pojunas said, “I would implore them to go into any thrift store in the city to see that there’s always good, desirable brands such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Levi’s, and Nike sitting on the racks. If you put just a little bit of effort into thrifting, you can find any kind of style that suits your tastes.” So go pick up a few pieces from your closest thrift store; it’s better for you and the planet.
At a top-tier university like Georgia Tech, many of us fall victim to the stresses of academics, leaving little energy for self-expression through fashion. It can seem difficult and intimidating to put the time and effort into one’s wardrobe, but it’s easier than you think. If you take a closer look at some of your fellow students around campus, you will be surprised to find some unique styles. Three of our models give us some incite on their fashion inspirations and places they like to shop. Josh Lin is a first year Computational Media major from Dalton, Georgia. His eclectic style is detail-oriented. He takes influence from a combination of places: “I love electronic techno music like Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, and Plastikman. I’m friends with a couple of other fashion people and they’ve kind of influenced me as well. I just like doing my own thing. I don’t know, I just find what looks cool and just put it on.” Instagram: @calmabalone
If you put just a little bit of effort into thrifting, you can find any kind of style that suits your tastes
April Clark is a second year International Affairs and Modern Languages major from Metro Atlanta. Clark likes to borrow clothes from roommates to complete her fit. She enjoys contemplating her outfit for the next day as she’s falling asleep at night. Clark said, “There’s so many elements to an outfit. There’s proportions,
and then color, then texture. I think it’s so much fun to play around or try to replicate someone else’s outfit with the clothing you have. It’s such a great way to instill confidence and learn more about yourself and what you like.” Instagram: @aprildawnclarkk
Bailey Gilbert is a second year Industrial Design Major from Atlanta. He grew up in the North Druid Hills area off LaVista Road, and takes pride in his thrifting knowledge. Gilbert dabbles in upcycling; “Me and my friend got into
up-cycling clothes where we would thrift cheap clothes and use bleach and dye to
do a bunch of bleached painting and some embroideries down the line.” Instagram: @baileyg_56
Sarai Jackson is a third year Business Major from the Woodstock/Canton area in Millet, Georgia. She moved to the Sandy Springs area in high school. Jackson loves Atlanta’s fashion scene for the people, not necessarily the city itself. She explains, “I like the idea of people dressing up and dressing as themselves; I really connected with that and I’ve been doing that ever since.” Instagram:@ sj.42
MAEVE MOBLEY