The Inevitable Cycle

Culture. We use this word frequently, talking about who’s contributing to it, who’s taking advantage of it, where it’s going and what it means. Within ‘the culture’, we find sub-cultures; those groups that connect to certain beliefs or values which are often at odds with the surrounding masses. These are harder to detect and define, especially by outsiders, but this is where a lot of mainstream trends originate.

Looking back, we see that groups like punks, goths and mods were all strong youth sub-cultures within a divided society. They were forms of rebellion, and through their clothing, hair, make-up and music, they made it clear what they stood for i.e. anti-mainstream.

Today, our sub-cultures are not quite as extreme. Tribalism isn’t dead, but it’s definitely waning. Expressions like rebellion and revolution have been saturated by those outside of the culture - including dairy-free milks, fitness studios and countless t-shirts with slogans like ‘Rebel Girl’ sold in high street chains. It’s lost all meaning, so the underground don’t want it. People tend to draw from multiple sources of inspiration and therefore avoid a singular label. There will always be groups distancing themselves from the mainstream, but this has become less about aesthetics, and more about values, lifestyle choices and beliefs.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, some brands had subcultures woven into their identities, for instance, Dr. Martens and Vivienne Westwood. Both were (and to an extent, still are) about representing the underdog, the creative, and the misunderstood. But today, commercialisation is stronger than ever, and major brands are in a constant race to stay relevant. If you’re not resonating with something your consumers see in themselves, then you’re decline is imminent. But if a brand can stay ahead of the curve by tapping into something deeper than a colour palette, they are well positioned for longer term growth.

We know of examples from huge companies like Zara, who have arguably ripped off emerging designers and got away with it. But it isn’t always the ‘big bad guys’ doing the dirty, and one could argue that they don’t possess the nuanced cultural understanding to truly appropriate a sub-culture.

However, someone who knows all about culture, and runs his own global brand, is Virgil Abloh. Off-White generated over $36bn in revenue in 2018, cementing it as a leading label despite being under ten years old. But has his success come with a stigma? In January 2019, Abloh was accused of ripping off designers Colrs and Gramm. Colrs, by Punk Zec, showed a yellow graffiti outfit as part of its AW18 collection in Lagos in April 2018, and Manchester label Gramm showed a graphic hoody. Both designs were highlighted by Diet Prada on Instagram, causing enough noise for Abloh to take notice, as the caption read: ‘It could be a coincidence, but Virgil has been known to swipe designs from fans he meets, some of whom happen to be young creatives themselves’. As Punk Zec and Virgil had met in 2017, Diet Prada made an accusatory claim.

Abloh’s reaction to an interview question by The New Yorker was a sarcastic ‘Ring the alarm!’, and he rejected the accusations by saying Colrs was ‘Basically the use of a yellow fabric with a pattern on it’. Diet Prada also called Abloh out on two other pieces - a chair and a t-shirt - which look eerily similar to existing designs. He is open about his use of ‘cheat codes’ - i.e. finding inspiration in others - but when does inspiration stop and straightforward copying begin? From the naked eye, and Diet Prada’s perspective, this looks a lot like the latter. Although Abloh has been instrumental in pushing the ‘streetwear as fashion’ movement forward, this seems like picking from his own backyard and pulling into his global empire and is an example of appropriation for the benefit of a global business, from someone who used to perpetuate a sub-culture himself.

Trends we see in fashion we also see in its close sibling, music. From a branding perspective, there are not many better case studies than Drake and OVO. He’s been accused many times of being a ‘culture vulture’. We heard it when he made Ojuelegba with Wizkid and Skepta, when he ‘joined’ BBK, got a tattoo and showed up on stage at random British gigs, when he brought J Hus out at The O2, when he executive produced Top Boy, and most recently, we heard it (again) from Wiley: ‘Drake is a pagan, Drake is a culture vulture’. The critical opinion is that he is appropriating scenes like grime and Afrobeats for a pop culture market, either by diluting it for the masses, or simply by jumping on the bandwagon.

Responding to this topic in April 2019, Drake said on Tiffany Calver’s BBC 1Xtra Rap Show, ‘Would you rather me not acknowledge anything or support?’. It’s easy to see both sides; one a genuine appreciation of cultures and talent, and the other, similar to Virgil’s accusations, finding the ‘thing’ that’s relevant and marketing it more broadly for personal gain.

Realistically, this is how music works, and isn’t it a compliment to smaller scenes that the mainstream is taking note? A co-sign from Drake can be career-making, or at least career widening. Surely it’s better to be from someone like him than a faceless label?

If we know one thing from music and fashion, it’s that everything is cyclical. Perhaps we will soon see a return to tribalistic tendencies, but for now, we are living in a growing diaspora of ideas. It’s not always easy to place where one idea originates and another one ends.

Sub-culture and youth culture have historically been rebellious entities, operating beneath the radar of mainstream consumption. But when those who have the advantage of both understanding these groups and operating in pop culture choose to cherry pick ideas to market ‘out there’, it’s seen as a betrayal to everything they used to represent. They used to be those emerging artists. They were struggling. They were inspired by those who had ‘made it’. That’s why these cases are particularly sensitive, because their trajectory is public, as is the relentless need for relevance.

It’s yet another cycle: talented artists pour everything into their work, become successful, find inspiration harder now their life has elevated beyond normality, so they reach ‘below’ and pull up ideas from sub-cultures who stand for (or against) something, like they used to before the mansions and the millions...and so it continues.