‘I’m not even a brand I just make stuff fr’ reads stitch lc’s bio on TikTok. And whilst they may just be humble, stitch actually has all the ingredients that big brands are trying to replicate: authenticity, hype, community and culture. Amassing over 100k followers on its Instagram and TikTok pages, stitch is far more than a DIY project – and it may be on the edge of taking over the streetwear scene.
What started as a hobby soon turned into a fully fledged business, with the brand’s founder Clouder churning out designs to bat away boredom and develop their love of art and fashion in all forms. “Nobody was making what I wanted so I said fuck it and made it myself” they add.
Designs, for stitch, often revolve around animation. Sharing on the brand’s stories that Clouder wanted to be an animator and translate ideas of characters into aesthetics to be printed on clothing, it’s clear that the brand has a firm vision. A vision which is proving popular in the London and global streetwear spaces, with limited drops consistently selling out and constant questions surfacing regarding whether they can ship to Australia (they can, by the way).
Signature stitch designs include cotton beanies with ears, anime-inspired graphic tees, cargos and long sleeves, alongside a few premium pieces such as collaborative jackets, hoodies and skate decks. Often creating 1/1 art pieces, stitch uses their platform to tease new drops, gain insights into what its community wants to see from them, as well as address concerns about pricing, material and logistics: “I’m not a fast fashion company, I can’t exploit people in sweatshops to make hoodies for 30p… my hoodies aren’t cheap quality, so please don’t come for my neck”.
Whilst big brands would generally shy away from any strong, non-neutral or business-jeopardising opinions, stitch doesn’t seem to care, which is part of their genius. What you see is what you get, and the brand’s authenticity and transparency is clearly something Gen Z respects and wants in on.
The turn out for their pop-up in London’s Soho would suggest that stitch is on to something, too. On a cold but clear day in February, hundreds of young people lined the streets of Soho waiting to cop something from stitch’s first ever pop up shop. Some had camped out overnight, some had travelled for hours. It was like the glory days of Supreme – but instead of trawling The Basement on Facebook to find info on the drops, this time people found out and spread the word through TikTok.
Stitch and its peers are ushering in a new age for streetwear – with creatives such as Clouder, Clint and Slawn pioneering the shift of Gen Z looking to buy into the person as much as the brand. But from what we’ve seen so far, some things will never change: limited drops, insane amounts of hype, and a preoccupation with Soho.
MORE ON CULTED:
See also: OFF-WHITE JUST PROVED VIRGIL’S LEGACY WILL LIVE ON, IN THE SHOW OF THE SEASON
See also: KENZO ENTERS PHASE TWO OF THE NIGO ERA WITH SS22 COLLECTION
