Zalando Cultural Ties – Streetwear in Antwerp

In the midst of the new wave of streetwear culture that is currently putting Antwerp back into the spotlight, Zalando brought ‛Cultural Ties’ into live. On a city tour through the trendiest hotspots, SLEEK was able to immerse in the local streetwear community and got to know the people who make Antwerp the breeding ground for streetwear creativity in Europe.

Anyone who thinks that the cosy Flemish harbour city on the Scheldt river with its cobbled streets and Art Nouveau buildings has nothing more to offer than sticky sweet waffles, thick fries and chocolate is very much mistaken.
Antwerp is not only the diamond city par excellence, but also Europe’s fashion hotbed. It all started with the Antwerp Six – the fashion world’s favourite collective, which included Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter van Beirendonck and later Martin Margiela. In the 1980s, the fashion designers who emerged from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts shaped Antwerp to become the city it is today.

But apart from the catwalks and beyond the glamour of Couture, a completely different movement is currently flourishing again: the streetwear scene.
Of course, streetwear can be found in every city. It changes, adapts and evolves according to the people and places that shape its appearance – but its true essence lies in wearing clothes you enjoy.

Antwerp is often overlooked when thinking of the world’s streetwear scene. While the city may be small, it inhabits a creative spirit that spreads far beyond its city borders. There, the creative community is very closely networked. In general, the Belgian city has a high proportion of young, creative talents because of the fashion university, but also because of skating – professional skaters claim that Antwerp has one of the most amazing skate scene of the younger generation.
Fashion, art, music and skate culture merge and inspire each other. This mix gives the streetwear scene in Antwerp authenticity and depth that sets it apart from other cities. Old warehouses have been converted into galleries, studios and huge skate halls where all forms of self-expression are welcomed with open arms.

Not without a reason did Zalando choose Antwerp as one of the six cities for ‘Cultural Ties’. In addition to Antwerp, the streetwear scenes of Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Stockholm and Warsaw can also be explored via the Zalando website and app, supported by cartographic images for optimal orientation. Interviews with local trendsetters, the hottest ‘hotspots’  and an overview of the most popular local brands and emerging streetwear trends provide an even deeper insight into the communities. According to an exclusive survey by YouGov, communities proved to be the most popular source of inspiration for streetwear style. They have more influence than celebrities, social media influencers and musicians, which emphasises that local relevance, expression of identity and cultural heritage are the core of streetwear fashion.

Otto Spaas Perez, well-known skateboarder in the Belgian scene and founder of his own magazine, which tells the stories of creative talents from ten different genres and is currently a hot topic in Antwerp, sees streetwear as part of a larger movement.
For Otto, streetwear is a form of addressing social and cultural issues, expressing them creatively and promoting local talents. This view on community-driven creativity and his experience in documenting cultural movements make him a significant figure in Antwerp’s emerging streetwear scene, which he himself describes as:

‘Productive, Connected, Creative. Antwerp is called a city because of its history, otherwise, it would’ve been a big village. It is, actually, a big village. Let’s call it the creative village, where productivity goes hand in hand with talent. We’ve been able to successfully thrive over a lot of creative spectrums. That’s why our streetwear is different then in other fashion cities. We combine, or shall I say, curate a mix of the niche, with the local, and with the high-end.’

After a quick stop at the Tim Van Lager Gallery Antwerp and two or three smashed burgers from Plump Garage later, it was time for a coffee break. There was no better place to do this than Andy Roasters, which was chosen by Cultural Ties as one of Antwerp’s hotspots and is known in the street scene for its own roastery and integrated record shop. The exclusive Adidas Originals x Zalando collection, launched alongside Cultural Ties, was also presented there. Each of the six garments is inspired by a different local hotspot from the Cultural Ties journey. Antwerp’s version is adorned with Andy Roasters’ dancing coffee cups and pots. Of course, the skateboard has not been left out. The collection will be available in all Zalando stores from the 15th of December.

Antwerp has consequently been shaping global street style since the 1980s, with designers such as Walter Van Beirendonck, Raf Simons and later Demna and Glenn Martens, who all graduated in Antwerp, taking up the codes of streetwear in their collections and bringing them to the global stage. Antwerp’s influence on the streetwear scene has remained unbroken ever since and has continued to evolve. Nick Haemels from Lockwood Skateshop Antwerp, former assistant to Raf Simons, proudly concludes: ‘We are from Antwerp and we can show that we are from Antwerp.’ In this city, tradition and innovation merge in a unique way, and small, closely networked communities today contribute just as much to the authentic spirit of streetwear as the big names.