Introducing Streetwear Series for Bespoke Mag
Two articles from a series on up and coming brands I discovered when researching some of the newest and most unique streetwear brands emerging from London's underground scene. The purpose of these pieces was to try and put forward different perspectives on style to create a fresh narrative and shine a light on some young brands doing cool things. As part of this series, Dixhuit and Unknown Ldn have both gone on to do very well; with the latter now one of the biggest streetwear brands in the UK while also generating over 10k hits for the site.
Introducing Unknown: the minimalist brand with uncompromised quality
Unknown are a relatively new brand. They first ventured into the world of fashion 6 months ago and have steadily been making a name for themselves by bringing popular streetwear meets high fashion motifs down to affordable price points. They dropped their first major range of custom made and custom fitting garments back in April; of which the Sherpa ¼ Zips were a major hit and sold out within the hour.
The brand thrives on subtlety, working within a narrow range of colours but experimenting with materials and fits to create a look clearly influenced by London’s youth culture. There’s certainly a Yeezy influence in the aesthetic of the clothes, but the guys at Unknown have tried to avoid the cliches of destroyed tops and the absence of gaudy branding works well to create wearable and stylish garments.
Keep an eye out for the line of tonal long sleeved polos that Unknown have cooking but, in the meantime, pree their latest lookbook and cop here.
Introducing Dixhuit: streetwear that will turn you into a walking artwork
Dixhuit is a brand that many of you may have seen floating around at places like Crepe City last month. But for many of you it’s one you’re yet to hear about or see. The smart thing to do is to familiarise yourself with Dixhuit and designer Amel Sakhri… and quickly.
Sakhri started of as a stylist working with up and coming artists and on editorials. She told us, “I always liked to create ideas with outfits that were interesting; with layering or generally being unusual. To me styling is an artist, you just get to paint the picture with clothes.” Dixhuit was founded pretty much by accident in June 2015 when she decided to paint on an old vintage jacket the infamous Kanye quote ‘It Aint Ralph Though’ for a bit of fun. The jacket found its way onto Instagram and, by the power invested in Social Media, an intriguing new brand was born.
Dixhuit at present is known best for its unique and artistic take on outerwear mainstays like bombers and parka jackets; and with good reason. Sakhri combines colours, clothing and art to create truly vibrant pieces with an undeniable wow factor. Take the Time Travel Overhead jacket, for example. The premium jacket combines a beautiful illustration by Max Milly with an on-trend piece that manages to be distinctive and charmingly idiosyncratic despite every streetwear brand seemingly having an anorak in their summer outerwear arsenal. A lot of care goes into the garments too, with hand painted signatures and other little details taken care of personally and just from talking with Amel you can really get a feel for her passion for her brand. The brand to her is not just a product but also a form of art and expression.
The inspiration behind the brand comes from the art, culture and music of London and how they manifest into a world of eclectic styles. Dixhuit is all about being a walking canvas and making a statement with each piece. The idea of taking streetwear and mixing it with high fashion and current affairs meshes with artistic flair to give rise to some quality pieces.
Familiarise yourself with the brand via the images below and then head over to Fresh Laces in Boxpark (where the Dixhuit is temporarily calling home) or cop online here.