PREPPY STYLE & THE WORLD OF STREETWEAR
Since opening its second location in London, Aime Leon Dore has continued to create rifts in the streetwear community, scouting the likes of rapper, Joey Badass and footballer, Bukayo Saka for its latest campaigns. Yet how has such a refined, American style come to have had such a significant influence on streetwear?
Preppy finds its origins in the Ivy League Style, established in the renowned eight Ivy League colleges.
From the Oxford shirt, Shetland sweater, Harris Tweed jacket, to the flannel trouser, all are synonymous with the iconic look. Challenging former generations stiff formal suiting and stuffy attire, borrowing sportswear influences and boasting collegiate printed sweatshirts, the nations youth filled campuses with creative new ways of dressing.
Ralph Lauren possibly embodied this classic US, Americana style most famously, capturing those organic sentiments of the Ivy League to the country clubs, through to the Midwestern ranches. In both August and November of 2022, Drapers reported rises in Ralph Lauren’s revenue, driven by wholesale. Ralph Lauren said: "For more than five decades, people all over the world have connected to these ideas in powerful ways — trusting Ralph Lauren time and again to deliver quality, timelessness and authenticity”.
The Japanese however took the look into its second wave; before mammoth brands such as Comme Des Garçons and A Bathing Ape came to define contemporary Japanese style, it was Ivy League fashion that dominated the lives of Japan’s most stylish men. Mano Dridi, founder of All Blues Store says, “Japan has become synonymous with high-quality menswear, for decades they’ve set the tone that everyone follows and I don’t see that changing. Japanese-Americana exploded in the 60s. Then in the 80s, Japanese-prep was born, a style which even now, some 40 years later, is still being explored. With the 90s came the Osaka five, who redefined what denim could be forever. I suppose the one thing that it all has in common is premium quality.”
It was Kensuke Ishizu, nicknamed the “Godfather of Japanese Prep” who sparked the fashion revolution after a trip to the United States in 1959 touring the prestigious Ivy universities. Along with fellow enthusiast Toshiyuki Kurosu, utilising lifestyle magazines such as Otoko no Fukushoku (later renamed Men’s Club) and Heibon Punch, with Take Ivy published in 1965, young Japanese middle- class kids became infatuated with the look, leading to the rise of the Miyuki Tribe - a young crowd that parked on Miyuki Street, in the upscale Ginza shopping neighbourhood of Tokyo. Wearing white button down shirts and Bermuda shorts, they were often spotted with pieces by VAN Jacket, Ishizu’s own Ivy brand.
W. David Mark, author of Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style and writer for Popeye, GQ Japan and Monocle commented, “I grew up in the American South and my basic idea of fashion came from 1960s Ivy League style filtered through the 1980s Preppy moment. But now I wear all of those clothes in a very "Japanese" way, which I would describe as being quite flexible and easy to mix and match with other fashion trends. The emphasis on great materials and small details has also affected the way I think about not just clothing but all consumer goods.”
Though Ishizu may not be the man solely responsible for bringing Ivy to Japan, he was most definitely a key component. Brands like Visvim, Beams + and Engineered Garments exercise their own interpretation of Ishizu’s style, preserving the connection between Japanese and American style. Menswear style blogger and manager of J.Press & Son’s Japan, Tokyo Ehara states, “From the late 80's to the 90's, Japanese fashion culture matured. Since then, there have been changes in people's values regarding fashion, from what to wear to how to wear it, creating fashion's diversity and complexity”. Tommy Hilfiger’s role in this period back in America, continued to challenge the typical rigid associations that floated around the preppy look, overlooking its elite origins, an element of fun was introduced in the oversized fits, combining sportswear with more classic items. The iconic hip- hop association, from the Wu Tang Clan in Hilfiger quarter zip fleeces, through to Kanye West in the classic pink Ralph Lauren polo shirt ushered in a new era that we recognise today.
Focusing on the streets of London today, where previously Palace Tri-Ferg hoodies and Supreme Bogos were boasted on the streets of Soho, the average passer-by can now be seen sporting an ALD rugby top or a pair of loafers. The obvious evolution demonstrates how streetwear is making a very distinct move away from the hype obsessed culture we witnessed over the past decade, perhaps allowing a more organic, deeper appreciation for garments- something we saw in the days of Ivy style. Building upon core philosophies, subverting the shallow obsession with short lived hype pieces and favouring elevated essentials creates wardrobes set to last the test of time- an important factor now that fashion must be making a conscious effort to operate sustainably.