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Through one route, the evolution of the internet could put the culture created by forums in danger, as things like VR and 3D printing could decrease the necessity for human interaction, even interaction via the internet. Indeed, a dystopian world where we are all boxed off on our phones doesn’t seem wholly out of reach. With the devolution of human interaction, the sense of community that is at the core of streetwear appeal could be lost.
Or, time will prove that forums have seeded a culture strong enough that it will evolve in tune as technology progresses. The original set of brands, companies and influencers that sprung directly from forum culture will continue to challenge the meaning of traditional fashion, and inspire a new wave of movers and shakers that keep the forum momentum alive. Either way, this is for everyone who ever dropped a line, fit pic or collection post on a forum board.
12-15-2017, 11:11 PM
The Next Evolution: Will Forum Culture Be Lost?
Meanwhile, the possibilities of VR have already been introduced via Nike’s SNKRS app. Utilizing the camera on the buyer's smartphone, the SNKRS app released the
Nike SB Dunk High "Momofuku"and Nike SB Dunk Low "Black Pigeon" earlier this year with AR technology. The implications of such VR/AR technology could transition into helping people plan and visualize outfits as well as see a product before they fully commit to purchasing it.
"As for AR/VR, I’d go as far as forecast a scenario where kids are spending real money on some app that allows you to build a digital wardrobe for an avatar. GTA did some streetwear riffs earlier this year, but we’ll see how long it takes for fashion garments to officially appear in video games, similar to what you might see with the Bitmoji options," comments Drewbacca.
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Drewbacca
12-14-2017, 04:22 PM
The Next Evolution: Will Forum Culture Be Lost?
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Matt Peng
What stands unknown, is how upcoming evolutions of the internet will affect the culture created via forums. The most likely effects of technological advancements on streetwear are VR and 3D printing, argue industry experts. While 3D printing has grown more and more sophisticated in the last couple of years, -- Nike, adidas, New Balance and Under Armour have all invested in the advancement -- VR and AR tech is still relatively new and both could play a pivotal role in the future.
Lam brings up a great point about how he believes 3D printing is more accessible and will lead to wide adoption as a result: "As far as the future of technology goes I feel like 3D printing will be the next big thing in streetwear. I believe we'll be able to print our own shoes from our home in the next five to ten years.” Nike COO Eric Sprunk echoed the sentiment two years ago when he hinted at the idea as well.
12-14-2017, 02:41 PM
The Next Evolution: Will Forum Culture Be Lost?
Finally, there's the issue of agreeability and "clout" that social media has created. Drewbacca gives us his insight into this: "I think the unfortunate part of social media is that the platforms aren’t tailored for long-term conversation within a community, it only shows you the most agreeable opinion. The same goes for comment streams, which are the closest thing we have to forums, but they only display popular replies instead of chronological order. Surely nobody has the attention span to read through 100+ comments, but this format only perpetuates a flock mentality."
The issue of popularity is arguably one of the fallouts of social media; everyone wants to be an authority, to show off the latest and hottest trends and to have other people like and approve of their social standing. A side effect of this thirst for importance is the issue of whether or not streetwear has hit its peak or if the future has room for newer technologies to further distance ourselves from a community into individuals that hold all the influence.
Forums "connected the dots for people in Japan, LA, New York, and all over the world. It helped people share on a worldwide scale," Jordan remarks. Not only that, it developed an exclusive feel and allure for brands like Supreme, comments bkthegod. Forums were a melting pot of ideas and people have grown with it even in the age of social media. While forums are just a shell of their former selves now on the internet, they have in their own way migrated and integrated themselves into our daily lives via social channels and comment threads, likes and shares.
The effects of social media have in turn largely been responsible for the additional growth of streetwear, providing platforms to amplify the authenticity and sense of community that was tightly created in the original forum days. But as internet trends continue to shift, those original days have already faded into nostalgia. Albeit, a nostalgia powerful enough that it still plays a role in fueling the streetwear movement, which is quickly becoming the new epicenter of fashion.
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Drewbacca
12-13-2017, 06:12 PM
An Evolution: How Technology Changed “The Game”
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Matt Peng
While it's important to recognize that social media has had a negative impact for some, it's also critical to mention the long way coding has come and the positive connotations that carries. Simple HTML layouts with boxy user interfaces have been replaced with seemingly simple social media platforms which in actuality require complex codes and algorithms to operate and maintain.
"It was that way at that time because that’s where the coding skill level was," says Franalations in reference to the simple layout of forums in the 2000s. Jordan L. credits ISS with having the best layout from back in the day: "ISS had the best one because they had a rotating banner and ads. It was a very generic setup the way you have a Big Cartel now." While every website nowadays has an advanced backend platform for banners and ads now, back then MySpace and Xanga gave people an introduction to coding HTML and CSS. That coding ability eventually evolved into the complex web stores for brands and bots for resellers that we have today.
The topic of bots wasn't something that many people wanted to talk about. On one hand, bots require people to put in time and money to build in order to nearly guarantee themselves a drop, but on the other hand, it's cheating the system and resellers are discouraging others from wanting to participate. Either way, no one can argue the fact that "we have the ability to spread knowledge and share with the click of a button," nowadays says Cheng.
12-13-2017, 05:11 PM
An Evolution: How Technology Changed “The Game”
"Everyone is a reseller if the price is right. Not a lot of people care about someone with a huge collection as opposed to someone who can get the new hyped item every week," comments @bkthegod, who was a well-known member of Strictly Supreme.
In essence, this need for instant gratification and possession of the most recent heat, especially Supreme pieces weekly, fuels the ability to flex on social media and obtain social currency, clout, and relevance which collectors can’t keep up with because of ridiculous price points. Supreme itself as a brand has thrived in the social media space, with over 8 million followers on Instagram alone, the brand’s popularity has spawned unofficial leak accounts each trying to get to the latest and most gossip-worthy news first. Not to mention, all the stores and individual resellers that make a living off the brand.
Drewbacca adds, "Social media has become a great tool for businesses, allowing them to interact directly with the consumer. It gives them a good idea what the buyer wants, and in turn these social media posts also help the resellers pick out items that will rake in the most money from their victims." Simply put, likes and comments are now generating revenue and helping both established businesses and resellers make a living. Whether or not you are using social media to make money, the fact is people are and to some, that’s had a negative impact on the culture in general.
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bkthegod
12-13-2017, 03:01 PM
An Evolution: How Technology Changed “The Game”
Without a doubt, the introduction of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and Snapchat ended the reign of forums while fully ushering in the age of reselling and helping streetwear achieve its current place among the upper echelons of mainstream fashion. "The first time I noticed change was probably in 2009 when I first jumped on Twitter. I noticed pockets of people started forming groups on the platform and sharing with like-minded individuals the same way we did on BT2 years earlier," says Franalations. One major reason for the easy transition was that social media helped curate the same content as forums into one seamless mobile device.
Another reason for the fluid crossover to social media was the way these platforms are able to speak to the streetwear generation of users with a clean and simplified user interface. Instead of boxy and stacked multi-click forum pages that require you to dig for feedback, social media shows you an immediate visual interpretation of approval and disapproval. "Instagram posts get straight to the point with a picture and caption that I believe is more stimulating to today’s community," says Cheng. Indeed, the ability to instantly show millions of people what is popular is free advertisement and a big reason that resellers have flourished in this new market.
Free advertisement has grown exponentially on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Buying and Selling Groups as well as the Marketplace charge nothing and make it extremely simple to interact with someone through Messenger all within the Facebook ecosystem. Twitter and its library of hashtags make sifting through buyers, sellers and listings quicker than ever. Even though Instagram does paid ads now for businesses, the average reseller can and has easily built an audience of followers and clientele with simple photos, hashtags and most recently, Stories.
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Franalations
12-13-2017, 09:44 AM
An Evolution: How Technology Changed “The Game”
The now widely popular "What Did You Wear Today" (WDYWT) trend that you see all over social media was born and perfected first on forums. "I remember seeing the first WDYWT thread appear on NikeTalk in the general forum and one of the first few comments on that thread were people saying 'who cares what you wore today'... fast forward to today and you have a massive online trend on #ootd. Crazy how it all ends up right," comments Lam. Within the WDYWT domain, the eventual marriage between high-end fashion and streetwear that we take for granted today also started to blossom. Drew Pulig, better known on the HYPEBEAST forums as Drewbacca remembers the user Ronnel as someone who set the bar for this: "Ron's fit pics had kids out there trying to acquire rare Supreme tees, Vans Syndicates, and Dior jeans made in Japan."
Sharing of styles and pickups, set the tone for people to actually get together with others they might have never met otherwise. "Meetups were happening on the East and West Coasts, some dudes started rap careers, and others started clothing brands. There was also a lot of long-distance dating that happened back then, and in at least one case, happily married with a daughter," says Drewbacca.
While forums started off as a community-building platform, they eventually turned into a marketplace with little to no incentive for profit making. However, over time, the idea of being “cool” and relevant overtook the initial purity and thirst for knowledge of the space. With technological advancements, the reselling business became full blown and everyone wanted a piece of the pie when demand became larger than supply. Undoubtedly technology in the form of social media changed "the game" and turned a community building tool into trying to be cooler than the next guy. Collecting quickly turned into casual weekly purchases with minimal knowledge on the product.
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Drewbacca
12-12-2017, 01:15 PM
The Early Days: Community & Collecting
In these early days, the focus for forums like NT, ISS and BT wasn't on getting a piece to flip, but on collecting and expressing personal fashion and a passion. Sub-threads on how to achieve certain looks for denim, DIY projects, customization and restoration, and styling outfits were authentic and built the foundation for what makes streetwear so appealing to the masses nowadays. "BapeTalk was invite only. Sneakers weren't really popular back then, it was about buying what you liked because there were no lineups. It was really about the passion and expressing yourself," says Jordan L, an original member of the forum.
Franchesco Marchello, better known as Franalations, was on BapeTalk2 before becoming the founder SANDALBOYZ and adds, "It was dope seeing people’s styles. The overall vibes of each user were clear." Forums provided the first glimpse into regional style for those who weren’t able to physically travel there -- users could finally see just how big BAPE looks were in Japan and how everyone there could be wearing the same piece but styling it differently. Others were introduced to player exclusive (PE) sneakers for the first time on forums like NikeTalk and ISS whilst some of the most sought-after Air Maxes and New Balance 1500s could be seen on Kicksxchange worn in a variation of ways.
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Jordan
12-12-2017, 11:06 AM
The Early Days: Community & Collecting
Meanwhile in Europe, Ronal Raichura, a long time member of ISS and Crooked Tongues founded the Kicksxchange forum because he felt the culture in the UK and Europe needed better representation and easier access. "I just wanted to get something out there so people could interact and trade with each other. Kicksxchange contributed massively as it was solely for buying and selling." says Raichura. The European scene was thriving with regional exclusives in the form of Nike, adidas, and New Balance runners and Kicksxchange not only helped connect locals on the continent, but opened up the chance for those not in Europe to have a chance to purchase, trade, and sell their pieces the same way that the US forums helped do the same for Jordans and Nikes.
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Crepe City
12-12-2017, 11:05 AM
The Early Days: Community & Collecting
Forums began as a way for people to share a common, at the time niche, interest in streetwear—whether it be in the form of sneakers, fashion and denim, music, or sports. From its conception, whether it be invite-only or open enrollment, forums were meant to bring friends, both offline and online, closer together. Many people were introduced via word-of-mouth and seeked out others for advice and ways of acquiring certain goods and sharing ideas. Shu Cheng, Perry Shum and Greg Lam -- who now own sneaker consignment shop IMAGE NY in Flushing, New York -- were three such friends who were active on NikeTalk and ISS/SoleCollector from the early days.
“The forums were the only way sneakerheads would gather online and create a community for those that shared the same interest," Lam recalls. "In the early days, forums were our way of getting information for new and exclusive sneakers. We didn't have access to a lot of the stuff we have today,” adds Shum. Finally, Cheng says, "It was the only place where you could check out other people's collections. Besides gathering information, I bought the majority of my collection using these forums."
Because certain brands and releases at the time were only available in select countries, proxies and having friends who happened to be where something was dropping were the main way of acquiring goods from overseas. At home in the United States, the forums acted as a way for people to communicate sneaker releases, while word of mouth picked up the slack for brands which at the time lacked direct communication with its consumer base. Meanwhile forums provided the first virtual marketplace during a transitional era where digital payment was limited to risky PayPal transactions and physical mail orders were still preferred. "These forums worked as a kind of marketplace where you could find sneakers that you desired. Collecting was a much riskier task 10 years ago, I remember I had to send out money orders to members and hope they would ship the sneakers I had purchased," Cheng recalls.
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ImageNY
12-12-2017, 11:10 AM
The Early Days: Community & Collecting
Somewhere between the intersection of word-of-mouth, face-to-face interactions and instant social media gratification existed forums — the now extinct mode of communication for streetwear enthusiasts. The perfect vehicle for communication and community building peaked in the early 2000’s as the internet was still free from the grasps of Facebook, Reddit, Instagram and Snapchat. Even the etymology of HYPEBEAST was birthed in forums, as the term was first used on NikeTalk before becoming the platform we know now.
Of the multiple forums that were available in the 2000’s — ISS/Sole Collector, BapeTalk, BapeTalk2, Kicksxchange, Strictly Supreme, Female Sneaker Fiend, Vintage Gear Addicts,
N-SB and our very own HYPEBEAST — NikeTalk was without a doubt the biggest and most influential. Having been around since 1999, NT as it was known, is one of the few that are still active. Still, each forum had a very important and unique contribution to the rise and relevancy of streetwear. Sole Collector is a shell of its former self and has undergone a redesign; while BapeTalk, VGA, NSB and FSF are rarely used anymore and BT2, Kicksxchange, Strictly Supreme and HYPEBEAST Forums no longer exist.
As many of the names suggest, NikeTalk specialized in Nike sneakers and products, BapeTalk and BapeTalk2 specialized in BAPE goods, Strictly Supreme in Supreme products and Vintage Gear Addicts in old vintage collectables. ISS/Solecollector was one of the most well-rounded forums, Kickxchange was one of the most influential European forums, N-SB helped push Nike SBs, Female Sneaker Fiend got females together and gave them a voice in a male-dominated culture, and HYPEBEAST birthed ruthless commentators and internet trolls.
However, the names don't tell the other part of the story -- that all of these forums created a sense of community and knowledge. The exchanges between people led to many getting jobs at leading industry brands or starting their own brands, shops, and businesses which in turn birthed resellers with the help of technological advancements. Any way you cut it, forums were the driving forces and inspiration behind the culture.
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Matt Peng
Intro
12-12-2017, 11:00 AM
Is nostalgia the key to the culture’s longevity?
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The Next Evolution: Will Forum Culture Be Lost?
An Evolution: How Technology Changed “The Game”
The Early Days: Community & Collecting
Intro
How Forums Paved The Way for streetwear
