Words by Dan Ramsdale-Harris
Since its launch back in 2012, Virgil Abloh’s ‘Off-White’ has quickly made a name for its self as one of the most popular fashion brands in the world, especially amongst today’s younger, forward thinking consumer.
Often labelled as the driving force for blurring the lines between streetwear and high fashion, ‘Off-White’ has brought a street aesthetic to the avant-garde game, changing the norm for how high fashion is now perceived.
The street aesthetic brought to the party however doesn’t replicate ‘street’ prices. So,with nearly every HypeBeast asking their parents to spend £300 pounds on a hoodie, we have documented some affordable streetalternatives to the in demand brand. For all you readers with that son craving Off-White, show him this first and who knows, he might change his mind. Probably not.
The rise of tech/utilitarian fashion has been meteoric over the last year, with it becoming the norm in many people’s wardrobe and a staple piece to finish off an outfit. Off-White’s Denim Caban Vest comes equipped with 4 pockets, a V-neck collar and zip-closure at the front, offering an ideal layering piece for both sweats and tees.
Its alternative comes from ASOS owned brand Collusion, offering an almost an identical aesthetic for just £30, £400 pound less than OFF-White.
We introduce another staple piece, except the classic pair of blue denim jeans has been around for many years. The silhouette continues to be modernised to create a more street aesthetic, with a slim, baggier, more straight leg on trend at the minute. Off-White’s silhouette comes in a bleached blue cotton, five pocket design, drawcord belt and printed logos on both the upper, footer and back leg. The affordable alternative comes from US brand Taka Original, who are recently growing in stature through their innovative blend of street and techwear designs. Their silhouette comes in a more relaxed, wide leg fit, and features a vertical logo print on the left leg.
You can buy the Off-White jeans for £650 or go with Taka’s option for £70.
Our last alternative focuses on your trainer game. Nike features in both options, but one costs over £1,900 pounds more than the other. Nike teamed up with the founder of Off-White, Virgil Abloh, to create ‘The 10’ collection, where the designer put his touch on 10 iconic Nike shoes.
The silhouette imaged left was Abloh’s remake of the classic Chicago Air Jordan 1, first released back in 1985. The 2018, Off-White re-release kept the iconic red and white colourway but offered a more reconstructed aesthetic and included classic Off-White Motifs in “Air” and the orange tags. The sneaker retailed for £160 pounds but now has a re-sale market price of £2000.
The alternative that comes in at £1900 pounds cheaper, is the Nike Air Jordan 1 low black toe’s. The low top version of Jordan’s classic black toe high silhouette was released this year and retails for just £75. This slick, clean looking shoe offers a difference to Jordan’s classic high and mid top versions and most definitely provides a substantial saving.
