Streetwear brands have long been the go-to trend for surfers and skaters, but in recent years this once simple subculture has become a trend that continues to dominate the fashion industry.
Streetwear spread its roots as a style encouraging freedom of expression, inclusivity and youth movement. And now, one up-and-coming brand birthed in New York City is changing the streetwear game with its inspiration from youth-led revolutions.
KROST is a brand you will be hearing and seeing a lot more of this coming fashion season, but the genius behind this label is someone you will definitely have heard of – that is of course, unless you have been living under a rock for a few years!
The man behind the brand is Samuel Krost, does the name ring a bell? If not, think back to the infamous Fyre Festival documentary on Netflix.
Krost was one of the bookers for the fraudulent Fyre festival back in 2017, but in an interview with GQ he insisted his association with the festival was very clear and clean – he didn’t do anything wrong.
“If anything, I booked a dope fucking line-up and the stage was perfect. So, like, what I was responsible for was perfect.”
But following the debacle that was Fyre Festival, Krost slowly found himself regaining confidence with he insists, a little help from his friends.
It was this time in his life that he was first struck by that sentiment and discovered his personal mantra, one that would soon be printed on tees and hoodies: ‘Support Your Friends’.
“‘Support Your Friends’ had always been a personal slogan of mine. It’s the driving message behind our brand’s story and community.”
Krost’s minimalist brand of tees, hoodies, outerwear, bags and sweatpants was released just before the Fyre Documentary flooded the internet. But instead of this association drowning his up-and-coming brand, KROST was a huge success.
With its foundations built around social change and community, the first collection titled “FIRST SEMESTER” took direct inspiration from youth-led revolutions in the ‘60s as well as movements of the present (think the #METOO movement and #BlackLivesMatter).
To do this, KROST teamed up with ever growing not for profit organisation March For Our Lives to spread awareness about gun violence in America – with KROST’s release dropping just one year after the Florida High School shooting. KROST collection danced the line between activism and style, donating a large proportion of its sales to the March For Our Lives campaign.
KROST aims to shed light on different social issues and coming-of-age themes with each collection, or as Samuel Krost affectionately calls it ‘Semesters’.
Staying on brand with the motto “Support Your Friends,” Krost hopes to mobilize a new generation of young creatives all over the world to take the brand to unimaginable heights.
With a high-profile network behind him – including celebrities such as Gigi Hadid and Olivia Culpo endorsing the brand – Krost aims to utilize this to generate real change in the world.
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