The scene – London, a long line of kids are snaking down a busy crowded shopping street. Passers-by would stare curiously at what the excitement is all about, there may be a camera crew filming the whole length of the street trying to frantically capture all that is happening around the corner, without missing any of the details. The crowds are mostly teens, all dressed in a similar manner, slowly lining up the queue. What seems like a regular sight near the Supreme, this is not Soho. It’s Camden and it is perhaps the early 2000s. This was the time when emo subculture was growing unabashed, MySpace hadn’t come up to full swing, there were no social media other than that, Instagram did not exist and despite that the emo culture spread wide and large crossing country borders, capturing teens hairstyles, with dark emo bands that left your ears ringing.

Today after 18 years has passed while the emo music and subculture have died down as did every other trend in history only to be resurrected in a new twisty way, its remnants only sit as the wardrobe Fashion in left traces of which has over the years morphed into its own subculture. While music these days is available, legally without any shady acts, in people’s pockets, the wardrobe style of what remains of emo subculture aptly named as Streetwear style still needs crafty dedication to be fully understood and tapped into.

The whole hype about Streetwear Fashion isn’t just because it’s edgy, trendy and preferred by K-Pop artists, but the fact that it has the same things that the world misunderstands. It’s not mainstream, it’s underground, you need underhand tactics to cop online some good quality streetwear, it barks at what’s traditional and what tradition should be, it’s gender neutral and androgynous in confusing yet has amazingly stylish ways that creep into your being cool, without you even realizing it. Streetwear fashion is about expressing yourself through the clothes that you wear as a uniform. It’s a community of closely knit, like-minded people who are going through the rite of passage into adulthood of boring blue shirts, ties and boots.

Here are the top brands of Street Wear Fashion that you must check out if you are on the same train:

BornxRaised

The ideology of this new fashion brand in streetwear culture is all about diminishing the definition of counterculture with its unique heritage and design. They bring a refreshing message of radical authenticity, bored by the gentrification in their hometown of Venice, CA.

Metropolitan, USA

This brand was originally dedicated to an impressive line of skaters. It was a milestone for the bustling skate in NYC that was gritty. Their notable items include half camouflage, sentimental graphic tees and the caps that are so quintessential to the gritty skate scene.

Doublet

This is a homemade Japanese brand, also based out of NYC that featured at the Tokyo Fashion Week, Japan is already the leading land of inspiration in terms of streetwear with J-Pop and K-Pop artists changing the course of gendered fashion with blurring lines. The brand offers an amazing collection of skewed graphics, bright colors, textured fabrics and embroidery all inspired by Japanese and western blends in fashion.

Zobello Fashion

A bespoke fashion brand for men that not only offers streetwear style but also mainstream has a unique take on understanding and exploring the depths of urban street styles, suitable for all weathers including the balmy Asian kind. With eclectic fusions of western inspired layers mixed with ethnic Asian fabric and design, Zobello puts forward a strong foot in contention with contemporary streetwear brands for men offering some toned down yet still very street wardrobe pieces.

Thus, it is understandable that streetwear fashion is slowly carving a niche in the mainstream style which is not just for angst teens anymore, but for anyone who wants to express through their clothes.