Cinema of Style: 6 Films That Influenced Modern Streetwear

In a world dominated by influence, the big screen has always seemed to reign supreme. Ever since there has been cinema, the hearts and minds of impressionable audiences have been captured worldwide, especially from a fashion perspective. Over the years fashionable characters have spurred film fans around the world to attempt to replicate the looks of their on-screen idols.

From the days of classic stars such as Clint Eastwood, James Dean and Humphrey Bogart influencing early men's fashion trends, to modern-day fashion pioneers influencing the next generation, the lasting effects film characters can have on an audience is immeasurable.

It's no secret fashion and cinema go hand in hand, but it can be surprising to realise how it has directly affected the likes of younger youth cultures such as streetwear. In this article, we take a look back at 6 films that have influenced and helped shape modern streetwear into the giant force that it is today.

First up we have Martin Scorsese's 1976 dark Thriller, Taxi Driver. The film stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle, a Vietnam war veteran suffering severely from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder who takes night shifts as a taxi driver to cope with the induced insomnia. The film captures the countercultural phenomenon of the early 70s where soldiers returned from the war sporting their combat gear and were seen as symbols of cool rather than veterans. Eventually, this alternative dress sense caught on with the public and later became one of the biggest trends of the 21st century with military wear.

From the 70s onwards trends such as the M-65 military jacket became staples within fashion, with streetwear brands such as BAPE, Supreme, Maharishi & Needles all producing their own military-inspired pieces over the years. Although the film likely had a monumental effect on the rise of the military apparel trend, it also had a direct effect on one of the largest streetwear brands too.

In 1994, Supreme opened its doors to their Lafayette Street store and in addition to the event created a Taxi Driver inspired T-Shirt. Today, the original shirts are extremely difficult to track down and exist as a grail for hardcore Supreme and movie fans alike.

In 2012 our screens were graced with a charismatic and compelling story of redemption gone wrong. Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond The Pines stars Ryan Gosling as Luke Glanton, a circus "cage of death" motorcycle rider who turns to a life of crime after he tries to support his lover and newborn child. It's unclear throughout when the film actually takes place, but Gosling's character is dressed in a variety of 90s inspired clothing which can only allude to the time period.

During the film, Luke Glanton can be seen sporting bleached blonde hair alongside an abundance of roughly done tattoos, baggy sleeveless Metallica shirts, skull and crossbones pants and motorcycle boots. To the untrained eye, Ryan Gosling's character might look more like your modern-day Soundcloud rapper as opposed to a stereotypical 90s bad boy.

Whether this look had a direct impact on streetwear as a whole we can only speculate, but we'd be lying if we said we didn't want to don our favourite band tees and buy a motorcycle after watching this one.

1995 saw the release of Mathieu Kassovitz’s La Haine. Set in the housing projects of France, La Haine follows a story of three young men coming to terms with the aftermath of violence following a local riot. Despite being made in 1995, the film is both modern in terms of the social issues faced as well as the dress sense displayed by the film's three protagonists.

La Haine's expression of fashion acts as somewhat of a prediction of modern style trends with the likes of Nike tracksuits, rolled Carhartt beanies, shearling jackets, and nameless oversized fits all making an appearance.

Despite being unmistakably cool, each outfit serves a further purpose to represent each character's internalised struggles, with repressed characters such as Vinz choosing to remain zipped up and somewhat closed off to his peers throughout.

'95 also saw the release of the ever-controversial coming of age film, Kids. Directed by Larry Clark, Kids follows a young group of New York City skaters who engage in a variety of questionable acts including sex, drugs and violence throughout the course of a single day. If that sounds too vague for you, Ben Detrick of the New York Times once described the film as "Lord of the Flies with skateboards, nitrous oxide and hip-hop".

Kids was famously shot on little to no budget at all, so actors such as Chloe Sevigny, Rosario Dawson and Leo Fitzpatrick were encourage to wear their own clothing on set. With that being said, many of the items in the film came from Supreme's New York store as that's where many of the cast spent their time hanging out. The result was an effortlessly cool depiction of 90s youth culture that has left a lasting impression on streetwear.

Supreme even celebrated Kids 20th anniversary back in 2015 with a collection inspired solely by the film. The collection included a hoodie, a set of graphic tees and skateboard decks all include stills from the cult film.

2011 saw the release of Nicholas Winding Refn's neo-noir action drama, Drive. The film follows an unnamed anti-hero that drives for the movies by day and moonlights as a getaway driver. He begins to grow increasingly fond of his neighbour as her debt-ridden husband is released from prison, and in a bid to rid the family of debt he undertakes a botched bank robbery.

Our anti-hero simply exudes a different level of cool throughout the movie with his laid back and timeless style. The centrepiece of the Driver's look is the white quilted satin souvenir jacket. Inspired by Korean pieces from the 50s, the jacket features a quilted outer as well as a large yellow embroidered scorpion on the rear of the garment, a motif that has now become somewhat synonymous with the film.

By December 2015, souvenir jackets had become a huge trend within streetwear with the likes of Alpha Industries leading the way.

While the 90s saw an influx of both gangster and hood based movies, few films had as much of an impact as John Singleton's 1991 coming of age hood-drama, Boyz n the Hood. The film follows three childhood friends struggling to cope with the dangers and distractions growing up in South Central LA.

Culturally South Central LA had a deep impact with a variety of music, art and fashion all hailing from suburbs such as Compton, Inglewood and Crenshaw. These days Boyz n the Hood stands as a testament to early 90s street fashion with trends such as snapbacks, flannels, double denim, bold colours and patterns all heavily on display throughout.

Following the success of the film, many of these familiar trends seemingly integrated themselves into streetwear and exist today as wardrobe staples in communities around the world.