Best-selling Luxury Streetwear to Dropship in 2024
Starting a state-of-the-art streetwear dropshipping store is always a great idea. This sentence might sound a bit tacky at first but what lies behind it’s reasoning stemmed from thorough research on luxury streetwear styles and the popular demand. But before delving further into what styles and items make up the perfect dropshipping streetwear inventory, let’s take a step back and start by defining the term streetwear and its beginnings.
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How it all started
Back in the day, people seemed to have started some small trade-ins that consisted of an exchange of clothing and accessories. Little did they know that these tiny trade-ins were the main factor constituting a new model of fashion different from the traditional one in place at that time, crafted on the streets, and receiving a simple and self-explanatory name: streetwear.
To simplify a bit, streetwear is every style that includes loose and comfortable clothing such as hoodies, t-shirts, or sneakers. Of course, nowadays, it’s much more complex and includes items such as backpacks, headbands, wristbands, sunglasses, and many other items that find likings in everyday people’s styles.
Although its definition is pretty simple, the real meaning of this epochal movement can be seen through its successful takeover of an enormous piece of the fashion market. The phenomenon we know today incorporates dozens of subcultural movements that date back as early as the 1960s. Surfing, skating, graffiti, and hip-hop were just some of the main culprits that influenced streetwear’s rise to fame.
Interestingly enough, the circles of society that practiced streetwear as the main fashion trend mainly consisted of men and all these cultures were mostly based on a more masculine approach. At that time, this was pretty unusual as the fashion segment was always more inclined towards women and their needs and desires. Today, however, this approach has completely shifted to another focus point: people started wearing clothes that felt comfortable and gave them an opportunity to express their style through a more simplified look.
Overall, what started in the 1960s with the challenging approach of Andy Warhol to what contemporary art means turned into a complex fashion movement spreading in every segment of society and converting fashion enthusiasts by the minute. Of course, in between, there were a lot of artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat who expanded the streetwear narrative by opening the art scene for everyone interested in it by promoting street art.
Why do people choose streetwear?
A survey by Statista that asked people why they prefer streetwear over other styles shows that 70% of the respondents answered that they liked streetwear because it was cool. This percentage is a pretty clear indicator of how people perceive this fashion movement. Of course, there are also other factors that need to be taken into account, such as the comfort streetwear provides, but also the factor of being part of a certain community that pretty much sums up what streetwear actually means.
The same survey also argues that 26% of the respondents said that they like wearing this style because of the status symbol. Of course, over time streetwear did develop a unique and wholesome community of followers that used the originality concept as a way of promoting exclusivity. Later, this resulted in the creation of brands within this community that wanted to unite everyone.
Which factors are important for streetwear brands?
Today, there are numerous fashion brands that offer streetwear as an indispensable part of their fashion stories. In order to get a clear picture that’ll help your future streetwear dropshipping business, let’s look at some data on what people really want to get when buying clothing items within this style.
According to a Statista report that covers the main factors of buying streetwear:
- 62.9% of the people said that the brand’s legacy was one of the most important features they notice in the buying process.
- 81.4% responded that the quality of the product is more important than the brand’s legacy while making a purchase.
Nevertheless, both factors combined reveal the simple answer that people do tend to react more positively to familiar brands but to high-quality products as well.
What items should you include in your streetwear dropshipping store?
After choosing streetwear as the main niche for your dropshipping business, it’s now time for more thorough research on what products should become part of your inventory. According to Statista, the best-selling products of 2019 for the streetwear niche were:
- T-shirts with 67%
- Hoodies with 67%
- Footwear with 66%
- Accessories with 44%
- Pants with 27%
- Bags with 24%
These numbers can help you in your business equations and in the estimation of which products should be made part of your streetwear online shop. Of course, going with a diverse set of items can come in handy when you’re unsure of who will be your specific target audience. In fact, streetwear is a niche that is specific enough by itself, so adding a wide-ranging inventory might even help you attract more end-consumers.
Logo t-shirts
Many brands nowadays are offering t-shirts with their logo printed on the front or back. In fact, this trend was first introduced by brands that were part of the streetwear culture but later moved to different styles across the fashion segment. Additionally, non-streetwear brands started accepting the newly formed trend as well and began incorporating these looks into their collections.
Despite logos, t-shirts also come hand-in-hand with printed graphics with diverse sets of designs. The graphics can be pretty perceptible and can show a certain style in accordance with the brand’s visuals. For instance, these examples of t-shirts with prints – Dolce & Gabbana’s white man printed t-shirt or the DSQUARED² blue cotton t-shirt could definitely complement your assortment of streetwear items as well as the rest of BrandsGateway’s t-shirt selection.
Hoodies and sweatshirts
As the Statista poll cited above shows, hoodies are one of the most purchased items from the streetwear segment. The comfort they provide is well complemented by the unique styles and graphics that can come in different shapes and colors. Hoodies are quite diverse clothing items that can come in many variants and styles, such as designer logo hoodies, sport team logos, concert merch, etc.
If you want to target an audience with a more specific taste for designer clothes in the streetwear segment, you can include some of Dolce & Gabbana’s signature “Pig of the Year” collection of hoodies, for instance, or choose from the wide-ranging products offered by BrandsGateway.
Sneakers
A streetwear dropshipping store is simply incomplete without one of the most significant products that set the foundations of the streetwear style. In fact, the core of the streetwear culture is represented by the most superior piece in this segment: the sneakers.
With this style being famous for its experimental nature, big names in the fashion industry are frequently using this opportunity to offer truly avant-garde designs and distinctive pieces of footwear that’ll catch the very perceptive eye of the streetwear consumer. Therefore, you can spice up your web store with items such as Dolce & Gabbana beige leather sneakers, or Neil Barrett’s Darknavy sneakers, and many other types of sneakers from BrandsGateway.
Blazers
Mixing different styles of clothing pieces is the key element in creating the ultimate streetwear outfit. That is why you’ll see formalwear and loungewear perfectly matched, an approach also known as high-low. Similarly, blazers are often combined with sneakers or even sweatsuits to create the ideal streetwear outfit.
Famous luxury designers have all given their take on the classic blazer look but with a streetwear twist. From uni-colored ones to ones that are uniquely designed to fit the streetwear narrative, blazers are fashionable items that must be incorporated into your streetwear dropshipping web store.
To start supplying your store with some great styles of streetwear blazers, you can start by checking this list of blazers from luxury designers that’ll definitely satisfy any streetwear buyer persona.
Shorts
Another item worth being incorporated into your online streetwear dropshipping store is this product that fits outright in the streetwear segment. Shorts have a long history of casual wear and are also one of the main representatives of the streetwear niche. In fact, they were especially present in the skater’s culture, where the main reason was plain simple: practicality.
Today, shorts are widely purchased across every branch of the fashion segment and have secured their position as a must-have streetwear piece of clothing. Luxury clothing designers are also moving their game to cover this product and provide their customers a more diverse street-style outfits. Nowadays, you can find Dolce & Gabbana casual chili shorts, Dolce & Gabbana women’s shorts, Nicolo Tonetto black shorts, and many more that can build you a perfect streetwear inventory for your online store.
Hats
The simplistic nature of the streetwear style opens the door for adding some kick into the look and allowing you to experiment with different accessories that’ll complement the overall outfit. This is where hats come into the game and are bringing a whole lot of expressive and individualistic approaches.
Baseball hats, beanies, and many other stylized head coverings are the perfect choice for all those hat lovers out there. In addition, hats are the perfect items that can be used to flex some graphic logo design or an exclusive collaboration between brands, similar to graphic tees. Simply put, they’re a must in every streetwear dropshipping web store and can be a valuable asset for high profits.
Sweatsuits
Despite the fact that sweatsuits and tracksuits were initially designed for athletic wear, over time they took over the streetwear scene and even spearheaded a new style within it: athleisure. The main culprit that paved the way for sweatsuits to easily enter the luxury streetwear market is a designer named Dapper Dan.
Dapper designed different types of sweatsuits and tracksuits for big brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci that later found their place in the wardrobes of famous hip-hop performers in the 80s and 90s. Today, sweatsuits are part of every luxury brand collection and for certain consumers, it might be a dealbreaker if your offer doesn’t include them.
Button-up shirts
Seen as an alternative to t-shirts and sweatshirts, casual button-up shirts are a very popular item in the streetwear segment. The common type of shirt that is equally worn by women and men is the relaxed fit stylized shirt with short sleeves. Of course, long-sleeved button-up shirts are also part of this trendy look and can often be a crucial part of completing the perfect streetwear look.
Backpacks
Backpacks are one of the most versatile items used for carrying personal belongings organized in a perfect pouch that can be worn on your back without a hassle. In general, streetwear is a style that is always thriving to provide a comfortable experience, so due to backpacks’ diverse usage, they’re considered a must-have type of item within this niche.
Nowadays, every major luxury brand name has emerged with a collection of backpacks intended at giving a stylish take on comfortable and practical accessories. If you’re eager to include some stylish backpacks that’ll surely catch the attention of the most zealous streetwear fans, be sure to check BrandGateway’s backpack offer which includes numerous backpack styles from brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Kors, Neil Barrett, and Lamborghini that’ll make for the perfect streetwear dropshipping inventory.
To conclude
Providing a full streetwear experience in the form of a dropshipping store can be a really lucrative venture if one has a thoroughly tailored plan backed by extensive research. Getting to know your consumers and your market before even starting a dropshipping business is the most crucial step one can make toward a successful business scenario.
Learning the origins of a style, comparing it to the current situation on the market, and developing a strategy based on the findings is what any entrepreneur should strive for. Therefore, we have compiled this comprehensible guide to shed some light on certain questions every entrepreneur will bump into and offer support in the process of opening a dropshipping store stocked up with the latest luxury trends from the streetwear fashion market.
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About the Author
Dimitar Alimaskoski
Content writer and music fanatic. Always using song lyrics as inspiration for my words.
