Is Streetwear on the Decline? Grailed Thinks So

Streetwear skeptics, rejoice. Or get ready to rejoice? At least think about rejoicing. In a recent sit-down with WWD, Grailed Founder, Arun Gupta, posited that the men’s fashion culture is “moving beyond streetwear.”

“The men’s clothing movement, it being acceptable for men to care more about the clothes they wear, has been building for the past 10 years,” Gupta told WWD. “But streetwear is the last phase of it.”

According to Gupta, his historically streetwear-heavy site’s inventory is now “about evenly split between streetwear and fashion,” which, he says is “a sign that the realm is cooling off a bit.”

And that’s why the company is “already thinking beyond its marketplace,” dipping its proverbial toes into content creation, brand partnerships, and consultancy opportunities, as well as a “foray into traditional retail,” with a pop-up in LA happening this week and some tentative plans for a permanent space in SoHo.

“Someone joked the other day ‘Are you even an Internet company if you don’t have a brick-and-mortar store?’ And I think that’s so true now,” Gupta said. “It’s ridiculous but it’s great.”

You can read more about it at WWD.

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