First, what is a hypebeast?
A hypebeast is someone who follows streetwear fashion, subscribes to the vision of said fashion, and actively purchases clothing and accessories to represent that culture. There really is no way to officially become one and you may not even consider yourself one even if you participate in the culture.
But there is just a time where you look at your closet and suddenly it's spotted with certain clothing that you just suddenly care more about than other pieces of clothing.
I've had that happen to me recently, where I wanted to wear something but kept saving a shirt off for the right time, even though it's just a shirt in the end. Perhaps that implicit holding off is what it means to be a hypebeast or the tendency to find the right pairing of shoes, socks, shirt, pants, outerwear, and maybe a cap too.
As the semester is a month in already, there are a lot of people who come out on campus wearing a lot of pricey and unique fashion.
Seeing brands like Supreme, Places + Faces, Palace, Bape, Champion (select pieces), Nike (select pieces), Fear of God, etc. You might think it's just a hoodie or just a pair of pants, but these clothes don't just price themselves for their quality or their design and brand but also carry a sort of hypebeast tax adding on.
So, when it comes times to purchase, you must really be sure that the piece you're buying is something that you can feel comfortable wearing and wearing in public. So, when you see someone wearing clothing like that, they aren't just trying to "flex." They're also trying to show that they are serious about what they wear.
There was a time where I hated Supreme, I thought their designs were too plain and convoluted but when I laid my eyes on the backpack I have right now, I was bought it immediately and never regretted it.
Once I found a community of people buying and selling men's clothing, I started buying more things just to sell them and that became like a small way to get money during the week and it has been well for me lately.
How has the culture changed me? Well, now I have clothing that I feel proud to have. That may not matter for everyone, but I think clothing is important to a person, too.
Like in film, the costume someone wears can really represent their status and stature. It's not always about spending a lot and presenting yourself as richer, but more as presenting yourself a composed and confident person. There are so many types of looks to achieve too. It's just another way of customizing yourself, really.
And then after that, it's another hobby of sorts. Catching up with the culture is important too and finding new sellers who try to capture a feeling or idea in their designs is like finding new artists to listen to.
There is literally a website called HYPEBEAST that keeps people updated on everything, and they even host pop-up stores to sell limited edition collaborations. Once you follow that Instagram account, you can't ever miss out. For instance, I was looking for very artistic and abstract designs on shirts and found Pleasures and Richardson. It's an adventure by itself. And it doesn't hurt to look good either.
What does it mean to be a hypebeast? It means you care enough about how you look and what types of clothing exist to spend the amount for it. It means you are part of a culture of young (and old) people who are creative, artistic, confident, and presentable (in the streets).
Not too bad right?
