Why Millennials are customising designer fashion

One of the biggest trends right now is people wearing custom designer fashion. This is because more designers are launching brands with reworked and custom pieces rather than something completely new.

One of the greatest changes in fashion is luxury brands no longer being the leaders of industry. Currently, fashion houses are being replaced by independent designers, who years ago, probably wouldn’t have had an opportunity in the industry.

This is not to say luxury brands have died or are no longer a thing. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Balenciaga are examples of long-standing fashion houses which continue to grip our generation. However, these designers made a lot of changes to stay relevant. Louis Vuitton appointing Virgil Abloh as creative director is an example of this change. His appointment isn’t just significant because of his race and background, it’s significant because his aesthetic didn’t always suit the brand. Fashion houses who want to survive have realised that people have established their own identities, meaning they longer need to set trends. Nonetheless, luxury brands still play a crucial role in our culture.

Luxury fashion houses are iconic and most fashion houses were participants of their own movement in fashion. Fashion has certainly played a large role in directing societal changes. For this reason, we appreciate brands such as Dior, which aligned with the second wave of feminism. And Supreme who undermined the elitism of luxury fashion.

Millennials are expressing their appreciation for iconic brands in a way which shows the generations creativity. They are doing this by customising designer clothes rather than creating original pieces. Three designers who are succeeding in customising and reworking designer clothes include  Frankie collective, One-off John, and Bad gal Kierrah.

Frankie collective

Frankie collective is popular for their reworked Supreme collections. Their online store stocks exclusive reworked garments from brands including Supreme, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, and DKNY.

One off John

John Shanahan designs and reworks vintage designer pieces to recreate cool streetwear garments. He reimagines what he would want to designer clothes to look like and recreates it. Using windbreakers, cargo pants, and other sports clothing, he adds designer logos and prints to create original designer pieces.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba5Dnl5A0EF/?taken-by=one_off_john

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhDDJ-ngyYE/?taken-by=one_off_john

Bad Gal Kierrah

Chakierrah Stinson reworks sportswear bras including Nike, Under Armour and Adidas. Her reworked bralets with hard case clips have received a large amount of attention on social media.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjiyFSKAYcm/?hl=en&taken-by=badgalkierrah

Customising existing brands creates an opportunity to work with the brands we all love. It’s very common now for fashion houses and established brands to invite designers to collaborate on collections. Having worn labels like Nike our entire life it’s clear that this generation wants to influence the future of our favourite brands.