Zalando explores the new European streetwear scene with “Cultural Ties”

If once the source of streetwear culture was America, things are different now: over the years, the philosophy of streetwear has laid the groundwork for the development of young, creative, and multicultural communities across Europe—communities that not only have developed their own style but have also begun to produce and export their culture. This is why Zalando launched Cultural Ties, a project created to explore the universe of streetwear through the local communities of six of the most influential cities in Europe: Amsterdam, Antwerp, Berlin, Paris, Stockholm, and Warsaw. This initiative aims to create an authentic connection between the cities, opening new channels of communication that allow the discovery of each other's stories, styles, and spaces that define the streetwear of each community. This cultural journey has become a web portal and a book that brings together the faces and testimonies of a new generation of street scene protagonists, enriched by photographs from renowned artists Timothy Schaumburg and Shahram Saadat and an exclusive collection from adidas Originals, which will be available on Zalando starting in December. In explaining the meaning of this initiative, Daniela Klaeser, Head of Buying for Streetwear at Zalando, stated:

«Streetwear is more than just a style; it is a cultural code. It represents who we are and where we come from, and it is constantly evolving. Our role at Zalando is to support and amplify the voices of the communities that drive its evolution».

According to research commissioned by Zalando from YouGov, it has emerged that the local community represents a central source of inspiration for streetwear style, even surpassing celebrities and social media influencers. One in five respondents indicated their community as the main influence, with particularly relevant figures for Warsaw and Paris, where 27% of respondents expressed this opinion. In this sense, Cultural Ties aimed to counter the globalized view of streetwear with the authenticity of individual local languages, born from stories and traditions as well as forms of personal expression and belonging to the local culture, along with a style that is enriched with unique meanings linked to the stories of each city. The survey revealed that London is the most influential city in European streetwear, with 19% of respondents citing it as a source of inspiration. Berlin and Paris follow with 11% and 9%, respectively. However, each city involved in Cultural Ties stands out for its unique characteristics and stylistic preferences: Amsterdam and Antwerp in particular have shown a strong attachment to their local style, with a respective 17% and 9% of residents seeing their city as the main source of inspiration. The Zalando Trend Spotter tool plays a fundamental role in this project, allowing residents to identify the most fashionable brands and looks in their city. The idea is to enable consumers to stay updated on emerging trends and discover how their style fits into the bigger picture of European streetwear, making each city a continuous source of inspiration and creativity.

The project includes interviews with emblematic figures such as Charissa, founder of isla, a lively concept store and nail bar in Berlin, and Mariana, co-founder of Pulse, a Parisian LGBTQ+ collective that brings people together through music and dance. Tamalie and Gloria are the minds behind Let’s Create, a platform and podcast from Stockholm, while Eben and Rizky founded the brand The New Originals in Amsterdam. Mih created the newonce platform in Warsaw, which also hosts a multifunctional bar, and Otto is the founder of Donnie, an independent art and culture magazine in Antwerp. These emerging personalities offer a unique perspective on the evolution of streetwear, sharing the origins of this movement and their hopes for the future. Their stories reveal the essence of each city, enriched by guides to key local streetwear spots, from shops to cultural spaces that represent the heart of the new networks of European streetwear. The entire galaxy of these hyper-local realities, accompanied by the faces of the narrators from each city and the statistical data from the Zalando Trend Spotter indicating which styles are the most popular in each of the six locations, can be explored through the dedicated web page where the campaign comes to life.

In an hyper-globalized world, fashion enthusiasts are showing a growing interest in the local scene, as well as a preference for a local identity that suggests a new phase for streetwear in Europe, characterized by personal expression and the inclusion of stylistic differences. The Cultural Ties project aims to ride this wave precisely by bringing the culture of cities beyond their borders, showcasing it to the world and creating a network for sharing cultural references that demonstrates the great creative and stylistic richness found in each city. For each of them, Cultural Ties has selected three key places, defined as “hotspots,” that embody street culture and are essential for local communities. These spaces, chosen by residents, reflect the vibrancy of the streetwear scene and include bars, restaurants, shops, and meeting places. To celebrate these local hotspots, Zalando has collaborated with adidas Originals to create an exclusive collection of six pieces, each inspired by a key location in the cities of Cultural Ties. This line intends to pay tribute to the emblematic places of European streetwear and encourage communities to draw inspiration from each other's styles, becoming a symbol of intercultural connections that unite different cities and communities through streetwear.