THE RECENT NEWS of Virgil Abloh's appointment as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear has created a frisson among the fashion cognoscenti, buzzing over the fact that Abloh started his career with no formal fashion training. He rose through the ranks of fashion as Kanye West's right-hand man, before launching his luxury streetwear label Off-White in 2012. However, Abloh's appointment and Vuitton's supremely successful Supreme collaboration last year only cement the fact that streetwear is bankable business. Powered by the spending habits of millennials and Gen Z, the streetwear phenomenon is all about attitude. The magic to this business lies in how to communicate that message without it being too contrived and, they all use a similar formula of producing in small quantities. Says Mike Amiri, designer/founder of Los Angeles-based luxury streetwear label Amiri, in an interview with GQ, "You learn that scarcity creates luxury. We have very limited size runs, even online." To stay on top of what's trending and cult with as much clout as (if not more than) Supreme, here are some of fashion's most wanted streetwear brands.

AMIRI

If you've got a pair of Amiri jeans, you're certainly clued in on the streetwear scene. Distressed, ripped jeans are their specialty and the brand, founded by Mike Amiri in 2013, is inspired by the punk and grunge subcultures of his youth. It may look casual but it's got a pretty hefty price tag with a pair of jeans retailing above S$800.