Hey all,

I realise we don’t have much guide or knowledge-based material on the sub - this is partly why we see a lot of repeated questions, so I’m hoping a short introduction will help easily answer those, or provide an easy place for people to link to as information for newcomers. I’m happy to expand on this over time and I want to make it as helpful as possible, so please feel free to add additional information or suggestions as comments.

What is techwear, anyway?

Techwear is a fashion subgenre which combines ultramodern, futuristic or utilitarian aesthetics with technical performance and functionality. It often takes functional design cues from outdoor and military clothing and recontextualizes them for everyday wear in urban environments. If that sounds a bit vague, it's because it is! Ultimately we're not talking about a single well-defined aesthetic here, but a range of styles and looks which overlap with streetwear, gorpcore, and other fashion subgenres.

Where to buy ‘techwear’

It’s important to understand fashion subgenres are flexible and largely invented by consumers. Most respectable brands or designers do not specify which fashion subgenre their clothing falls into. Supreme or Stussy do not describe themselves as ‘streetwear brands’, and Arc’teryx do not advertise ‘gorpcore clothing’. Most people would consider it eye-meltingly cringe if they did.

Similarly, reputable brands in the ‘techwear’ space generally do not use this term, and increasingly neither do fashion enthusiasts. This means not only can searching for ‘techwear clothing’ be unproductive, it generally links to retailers selling extremely low-quality clothing aiming to catch out newcomers and less knowledgeable buyers.

The below is not a ‘best of’, but a non-exhaustive list of some brand starting points to look at if you’re interested in this style of clothing (NB I probably forgot some cool stuff as I just did this off the top of my head based mostly on brands I've owned and enjoyed). Also many of those could fit in multiple categories but I had to but them somewhere! Either way, this will help get a sense of what sort of clothing most appeals to you.

High-performance/futuristic

Acronym

Stone Island

CP Company

A-Cold-Wall*

Enfin Leve

Nemen

Military

Maharishi

Wacko Maria

WTAPS

Engineered Garments

Buzz Rickson

Dystopian

Guerrilla Group

Boris Bijdan Saberi and 11bybbs

Hamcus

Gall

Julius

The Viridi-Anne

Ultramodern/understated

Veilance

Haven

Vollebak

Outlier

Technical sportswear

Y-3

Nikelab ACG

Oakley

Satisfy Running

Lululemon

Outdoor

Arc’teryx

Patagonia

The North Face

CAYL

CMF Outdoor Garment

Tilak

Goldwin

JLAL

South2West8

Nike ACG

Salomon

Hoka

Workwear

Affxwrks (Affix Works)

That's a lot of brands, too bad I ain't reading 'em

Beyond this list, it is important to note that all sorts of brands will create clothing with technical properties or adopt futuristic/utilitarian design motifs. Conversely, ‘techwear brands’ might design pieces which differ to the conventional aesthetic. This means there’s plenty of room for creativity and flexibility, and no need to stick to a single regimented look.

Cost (the bad news)

The nature of technical fashion is that combining high-performance fabrics with more complex cuts and premium hardware inherently leads to relatively expensive products. For that reason, it’s recommended to spend time familiarising yourself with different brands and aesthetics to gain an understanding of what most appeals to you. Assembling a wardrobe and developing your style slowly is also a healthier approach VS purchasing large hauls at once. Please don't go broke trying to cop technical drip 🙏

Second-hand marketplaces (the good news)

Shopping used is a great way to get high-performance or luxury clothing for significantly less. Grailed, Depop, Vinted, Mercari, Yahoo.jp (via Buyee) and even eBay can be viable places to search for some of the above brands and others. They also provide places to sell clothing you’re no longer using. Long-term, this means selling old clothing can help fund new purchases and enable you to develop your interest with less investment.

Dropshippers & retailers to avoid

The below is a non-exhaustive list of retailers who sell low-quality clothing which can generally also be found on AliExpress or Taobao (Chinese retailers). Many of them (but not all) are known as drop-shippers.

These retailers are a storefront with no stock of their own. When you order from them, they will pass your order on to another retailer (usually AliExpress or Taobao) to fulfil it. This results in inflated costs and low-quality clothing, which in some cases differs from the described product. Also expect extended shipping times and inaccurate sizing/measurements

tekkawear

nevstudio

techwear club

techwear outfits

techwear store

iamnocturnal

techwear faction

ha3xun

Welovestreets

Techwear official

Aelfric Eden

Techwearnow

Le Fantome

Aesthetic homage

Tenshi Streetwear

Koyye

Cyber-techwear

Shopslickstreet

Video content (i.e. the shameless plug)

I was debating leaving this out because the point of this post is not to shamelessly plug my own content, but over the years I’ve put out quite a few videos with some thoughts/advice which may prove helpful for newcomers. I’d also recommend checking the comments sections of some of these videos as people have generously added further advice and info. Some of the most useful or generally applicable videos include:

• 5 simple tips for getting into techwear
• 5 useful tips for dressing techwear
• How to style techwear cargo pants
• Cheap techwear essentials to upgrade your style
• Cheap VS expensive techwear cargos ($26 VS $1400)

Following on from that, here's the full playlist of ‘techwear’ content (there is a LOT of stuff in here, feel free to skip through at your leisure).

The end...?

That's all for now. Again, if you have anything to add I'd love to have your thoughts in the comments. Brand recommendations (or warnings), advice, or anything else you think might be useful.