Josh Sims

From its origins in American workwear, via west coast subcultures, extreme sports and subsequent commercialism, streetwear has become to fashion as hip-hop has to music: a global phenomenon. Incorporating cultural codes of dress, the best in graphic design, as well as exemplary brand-building – the products not of corporate giants but cottage/tenement industries – the leading streetwear brands have become influential beyond the sphere of fashion alone. Streetwear may form a fundamental look for out-of-office-hours dress for teenagers and middle youth alike, but its leading lights have connections with the worlds of art, advertising, music and interiors that make them as potent as ‘designer’ brands many times their size. Showcasing over 30 of the most exciting and – importantly – pioneering of streetwear brands, this book focuses not on the endless me-too labels, but those that have shaped the market since the late 1980s. Cult Streetwear tells the stories of the people behind the brands – from entrepreneurs to graffiti writers, DJs to surf dudes to sneaker nuts, from LA to NYC, London to Berlin and Tokyo. It explores each brand’s cultural resonance, and explains why so many have gained a cult following while continuing to break new ground in a market with unlimited scope for innovation.

From its origins in American workwear, via west coast subcultures, extreme sports and subsequent commercialism, streetwear has become to fashion as hip-hop has to music: a global phenomenon. Incorporating cultural codes of dress, the best in graphic design, as well as exemplary brand-building - the products not of corporate giants but cottage/tenement industries - the leading streetwear brands have become influential beyond the sphere of fashion alone. Streetwear may form a fundamental look for out-of-office-hours dress for teenagers and middle youth alike, but its leading lights have connections with the worlds of art, advertising, music and interiors that make them as potent as 'designer' brands many times their size. Showcasing over 30 o f the most exciting and - importantly - pioneering of streetwear brands, this book focuses not on the endless me-too labels, but those that have shaped the market since the late 1980s. Cult Streetwear tells the stories of the people behind the brands - from entrepreneurs to graffiti writers, DJs to surf dudes to sneaker nuts, from LA to NYC, London to Berlin and Tokyo. It explores each brand's cultural resonance, and explains why so many have gained a cult following while continuing to break new ground in a market with unlimited scope for innovation.

Curated by connoisseurs of vintage clothing, the "Vintage Showroom" is a vast collection of rare 20th-century pieces that fashion designers and stylists pay to view, using the cut and detailing of individual garments as inspiration for their own work. Offering one-of-a-kind access, "The Vintage Showroom Menswear" now makes this unique resource available in book form. Featuring 130 of the most influential examples of 20th-century and earlier European, American and Asian utilitarian tailoring and design, the book is divided into three sections of sportswear, militaria and workwear, covering everything from 1940s flying jackets and polar exploration suits to vintage French denims. Stunning full-page bleeds and front and back views showcase ground-breaking designs in concept, shape and cut. Providing over 300 lavishly illustrated pages of rare, must-see designs, "The Vintage Showroom Menswear" is the essential choice of 20th-century vintage tailoring and detailing and an inspirational resource for students and menswear fashion designers and stylists.

100 Ideas that Changed Street Style is a look-by-look dissection of the key ideas that changed the way we dress - from the middle of the 20th century to the present day - explaining the most iconic items of clothing and how they were worn, what the look was born of, its cultural background, how it was received and how it still resonates in fashion today. The modern wardrobe owes its development not just to fashion designers in Paris or Milan but also to gangs and movements brought together by a shared appreciation of music, sport or a particular underground culture, and a certain style that defines membership. These styles have rocked establishments, created stereotypes, expressed social division as much as they have united people, entered the language, spread around the world and, above all, transformed dress for a wider public.

Behind nearly every item in the feminine wardrobe there is a first of its kind that has spawned countless others. While the definitive example often created by a single designer has achieved icon status, its various reinterpretations, season after season, have become fashion staples. Take Coco Chanels short, simple black dress first published in American Vogue in 1926, for instance. Vogue predicted that the LBD would become a sort of uniform for all women of taste and, indeed, it proved to be one of Chanels greatest contributions to fashion. Icons of Womens Style examine s, item by item, the most influential and legendary garments and accessories their provenance and history, the stories of their design, the celebrities who made them famous and the various ways they have shaped how women dress today.

From its origins the Italian battlefields of the Second World War, to movie roles as Audrey Hepburn's transport in Roman Holiday and Sting's stylish companion in Quadrophenia and on through the current vintage revival, the classic Italian motor scooter is an enduring design classic from the 20th century. Scootermania celebrates the superbly simple vehicles that are so symbolic of freedom, style and the modern world. Originating in the 1940s in Milan and Pontedera, Tuscany, the scooter became an enduring transport choice for young people and urban environments. Early chapters look at scooter racing and long-distance attempts, and their role as an anti-tank weapon in the French army. There is engaging coverage of place of scooters in popular culture from films, music and fashion including the way that a host of disparate groups has made the bikes their own - from the British Mods of the 1960s and 1980s to their role in American and Japanese fashion and in their Italian homeland. The evolution and design of classic models as the Vespa 150 GS and the Lambretta Li 150 Series 3 are covered while scooter stars such as Enrico Piaggio and Georges Monneret are celebrated in their own words. The book also includes a number of specially photographed features on modern scooter designers, collectors and artists.

The Details identifies the authentic classics amongst men's accessories and explains how each item has developed. The book tells the stories of their design; the brand, company, or iconic figure that started it all; and how each item has shaped the way men dress today. The leather biker boot, as we know it today, takes its stylistic cues from the toughened boots worn by the loggers and railway engineers of the American industrial revolution. The origins of the ubiquitous baseball cap can be traced back to the New York Knick's team caps of 1849 which were made of straw. From classic diving watches to the simple pocket square, The Details examines the most important of men's accessories and offers a complete guide to choosing your own examples.

Retro Watches is a popular, accessible collector's guide for those who want to make a statement with the watch they wear, but who want to choose a timepiece that is very different from the 'classic' and very mainstream watches by the major Swiss brands. This trendsetting audience of metropolitan millennials are looking to stand out and make a mark through the watch they wear - with accurate time being provided by a smartphone, the watch they wear can be more than just purely functional. Not interested in the ostentatiously high priced, 'blingy', nor even the obvious choices of 'iconic' design pieces, this audience are looking for those individualist pieces that very few have seen - and even fewer own. Tapping into this new collecting trend, Retro Watches brings together the most intriguing, visually striking and 'out-there' watch designs from little-known but influential watch brands, along with overlooked but brilliant pieces from the major players. One hundred watch models are featured, specially photographed for the project and accompanied by accessible, informative texts discussing the watch's design, intriguing features rarity and value. Additional break-out spreads dive into the cultural and fashion history of watch design and the many innovations from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Perfectly packaged and accessibly presented, this is the popular collector's guide for the watch fan who wants to stand out from the crowd.