Luxury brands borrowed street credibility to regain lost authenticity.

Evidence

At the same time luxury fashion was expanding to the global middle classes, streetwear was becoming, as Vogue noted, “the biggest fashion movement in recent history.” The collision between these worlds was inevitable. In 2012, Comme des Garçons collaborated on a capsule collection with Supreme, bridging the gap between high fashion and street authenticity. As Adrian Joffe, president of Comme des Garçons, observed, Supreme’s James Jebbia had a “strong, single-minded vision” rooted in his values, which was an appealing attribute for brands desperate for more credibility. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 761