All things street culture

  • What Does This City Need?

    Southampton is bursting with talent, with artists, designers, musicians, writers, filmmakers, makers, grafters, people building something out of nothing every single day, and yet it feels like we’ve hit a wall, like we’re running full speed into a system that refuses to move with us. This city loves to brand itself as creative, progressive, full of potential, but where is the real support when it actually matters.

    Creatives here are expected to survive on passion alone, to self fund, to self promote, to self sacrifice, while institutions clap from a distance and call it “community spirit”. Where is the funding for creatives who are already proving themselves, who are already doing the work, who just need backing instead of barriers. Grants are scarce, opaque, inaccessible, or funnelled into the same safe initiatives that look good on paper but do nothing to shift the culture on the ground.

    And where are the spaces. Not pop up gestures, not temporary boxes with expiry dates, but real, affordable, long term spaces where creatives can join forces, collaborate, experiment, rehearse, fail, grow, and actually build something sustainable. Studios are priced out, venues disappear, empty buildings sit unused while artists are told to be “resourceful”. Resourceful with what, exactly.

    Young people in this city are overflowing with ability, vision, and ambition, more than capable of succeeding far beyond Southampton, and they know it. They’re told to dream big, but given no ladder, no map, no safety net. The message becomes clear very quickly, if you want to thrive, you’ll have to leave. That isn’t a lack of talent problem, it’s a lack of belief, investment, and courage from the people in power.

    Creativity isn’t a luxury, it’s infrastructure. It shapes identity, it drives economy, it gives people purpose, it keeps cities alive. Right now Southampton’s creatives are holding this city together with unpaid labour, late nights, borrowed spaces, and sheer willpower, while decision makers talk about regeneration without listening to the people already regenerating it from the inside out.

    This isn’t about handouts, it’s about recognition, trust, and real partnership. Until funding is accessible, spaces are protected, and young creatives are actively supported instead of politely ignored, Southampton will continue to lose the very people who could redefine it. And one day we’ll look around at a quieter, blander city and wonder where all the energy went, when the truth is, it was pushed out.

  • Skate Culture’s Quiet Comeback In Modern Streetwear

    Skate culture never really left streetwear, it just stopped announcing itself. Right now, skate influence is creeping back into everyday fits in a way that feels organic, not costume-like. You see it in baggy denim that stacks naturally, hoodies that look lived-in, beat-up Vans and DCs, and silhouettes that prioritize comfort over polish.

    What’s different this time is restraint. There’s less logo worship and more authentic wear patterns. Clothes look worn because they’re worn, not because they were distressed in a factory. Skate style today is less about copying skaters and more about absorbing the mindset: functionality, individuality, and anti-pretension.

    Real skate brands are regaining respect too. Labels that stayed true to skating, rather than chasing high fashion validation definitely feel relevant again. Their designs make sense in daily life, not just on Instagram.

    This quiet comeback also reflects a larger mood shift in streetwear. People are rejecting overly styled, overly curated looks. Skatewear offers something refreshing: clothing that doesn’t try too hard. You throw it on, you move, you live in it.  It screams authenticity. These are the clothes that we wear for comfort, to make everyday life feel a little bit easier and to dress stylishly yet effortlessly. 

    This is why skate culture always survives trend cycles. It’s not driven by hype, it’s driven by use and being practical.

  • Is Streetwear In Its Post Hype Era?

    For years, streetwear was driven by hype: limited drops, overnight sellouts, resale prices that felt more like stock charts than clothing. Logos were loud, releases were frantic, and flexing mattered more than fit. But that era is cooling down and streetwear is better for it.

    Today’s streetwear enthusiast isn’t chasing every drop anymore. Instead, there’s a clear shift toward personal style, quality, and intention. Oversaturated hype cycles burned people out. When everything is “limited,” nothing feels special. The result? A reset.

    The post-hype era is about how you wear it, not how quickly you bought it for the brand name. Subtle branding is winning. Pieces that age well such as heavyweight hoodies, perfectly cut denim, clean outerwear, all of these items are being valued over graphic overload all because it reads a brand name that not many people will know the story of. We’re seeing more repeat outfits, more mixing old with new, more confidence in understated fits.

    Resale culture is also losing some of its grip. With prices stabilizing and fewer “guaranteed flips,” people are buying clothes to actually wear again. That is the shift that matters. Streetwear was never meant to live on marketplaces for double its RRP and more, it was built for the streets, for movement, for daily life.

    This era feels closer to streetwear’s roots: community, creativity, and self-expression. The flex now is knowing your proportions, understanding your influences, and wearing something because it means something to you. Streetwear is growing up.