If you ask a streetwear purist to give you a brand he or she can't think of anything else to compare to, Stussy will probably be on their list. Not the loudest nor the most hyped brand this season, but the one that people who've been watching the longest still look at first.
Not a whiff of nostalgia for this. There are purists who are interested in a certain group of things — history, consistency, who wore it first before it caught on — and Stussy is all of that and more than most brands can say.
Purists Prefer Stussy's History to Its Hype
For the most part, newer brands don't hold up to that comparison and that's not because they're crappy, it's just because they haven't been around for decades like https://officialstussyy.com/ has. Gold standards aren't awarded. There are lots of brands that can create excitement for a season. Not many can claim to have been relevant for 40 years without experiencing a significant reset in the middle of the journey. They're costly and require a lot of time to earn, and very few brands have been around long enough to try.
Every track record needs updating, and this one is no exception
The brand didn't have to develop a history of their own, it was constructed by Stussy. It was just there since the early 80s, other labels came and went around it. Purists catch the distinction between a brand that has always existed, and one that jumped in later on. There's no faking that history and it can't be bought. The purists were not about to let Stussy's insistence on staying true keep him from following every trend.
A deeper examination of Stussy and CDG
Of course, the partnership with Comme des Garçons is always mentioned in these talks as it was built for years without either party compromising their brand. For more detail, read our [breakdown of the Stussy and CDG collaboration history](/stussy-cdg-collaboration-history), if you're looking to get into the nitty-gritty of that collaboration release by release. A great read to understand why they see this one as a standard (and not just another team-up).
Consistency amidst the changing trends
Streetwear has experienced numerous trends — it was all about logos at some point, quiet luxury at another, gorpcore, and now what? Stussy has remained recognizably Stussy throughout most of them.
It's a consistency that most people outside the church don't appreciate. If a brand changes its entire identity each season to reflect the latest trend, then that is what people care about and what makes them care. The essence of Stussy remains unaltered, its voice unchanged, its spirit intact, though the bits have been tweaked here, refined there to make it "cooler" for the moment. Yes you have, that temperance is a virtue, not a stubbornness for the purist.
who wore Stussy last!
The International Stussy Tribe — a loose group of skaters, surfers and DJs who rocked the Stussy brand around cities such as Tokyo, London and Los Angeles — will be of greater importance to purists than any existing campaign. These were real people, real scenes and not paid ambassadors.
Organic Roots vs Manufactured Ones
There is usually a way for the streetwear purists to distinguish between brands with organic roots and those that after the fact created a backstory to make it more believable. Stussy doesn't need to prove authenticity, as the early years really did occur as they say. No matter how talented a brand's creative team, it's difficult to make up the kind of stuff that makes that kind of brand.
Stussy's collaborations prove his worth
Purists care about who is involved in the partnership, rather than how it has been constructed when Stussy joins with another brand. Is one side more inclined to bend towards the other, or is one name so popular that the other doesn't fit?
These sorts of collaborations, in which neither party needs the other for any credibility, is what makes a brand purist respect one another from one they're skeptical of.
While purists consider Stussy to be the standard, newer brands are being judged against it.
As a rule, when a new streetwear brand is touted as “authentic” or “OG,” the question that quietly lurks in the back of a purist's mind is “does it compare to Stussy, or does it just use the same verbiage people use to describe Stussy?”It is a point that has never been challenged.
That's what's really the key for the purists to keep coming back to Stussy. It's not about a brand. It's respect for a brand that did a job before anyone could see.
