I Have It on Good Word These Unexpected Streetwear Trends Will Boom This Summer

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(Image credit: @aude_julie@looseunicorns)

By now we've already run through the most pertinent shoe and handbag trends of the season—barbie shoes and '90s minimalist styles included—so it's only right that we shift the spotlight to what's happening within the streetwear scene. While sneakers will forever be the foundation of streetwear as an aesthetic, other unexpected pieces have taken center stage as players among the style set: just look at the surge of viral, "clickbait" accessories and eccentric-looking foam shoes as the proof.

Balenciaga's Cagole bags and shoes have practically flooded every hypebeast/bae's page on the internet, and right now, it's a mad dash to cop the Yeezy Foam Runners. Neither of them is what you'd consider to be universally "pretty," but teetering on the edge of controversially cute is what makes streetwear so interesting to look at. Other big trends are also poised to become huge this season, so I've mapped them out all for you below. So get comfortable and keep scrolling.

"Clickbait" Accessories

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(Image credit: @jo.rdan)

As our Senior Fashion Editor Kristen Nichols explained back in February, "clickbait" accessories are statement pieces leveled up a notch or two. Think of them as the fashion girl equivalent of hypebeast items, a few of which currently includes almost anything Loewe and Balenciaga. The latter's Cagole bag is an obvious favorite among the streetwear set, but I predict the Cagole boots are not too far behind.

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Baggy Cargos

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(Image credit: @misodam)

It's not difficult to understand why baggy cargos have skyrocketed as a staple among streetwear fans this summer: they're versatile and just look effortlessly cool. While It-girls certainly wear them with sneakers, pairing them with stilettos and crop tops seems to be an equally popular outfit formula.

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Foam Shoes

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(Image credit: @idabroen)

Trying out this one isn't for the faint of heart, but if foam/rubber shoes are anything they're comfortable like nothing else. The Yeezy Foam Runners have helped catapult the trend to cult status, that now even Prada has gotten in on the fun. If you're clueless as to how to pull them off yourself, take a cue from the tastemakers and pull out your best baggy parachute pants (or cargos).

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Daring Prints

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(Image credit: @looseunicorns)

Abstract prints are always a reoccurring theme within the summer, but this year, bigger and bolder prints are being prioritized within the fashion set. They're a nice break from neutrals and really serve fashion with a capital F.

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Shield Sunnies

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(Image credit: @chanelncrocs)

It's time to dust off your old shield sunglasses from the 2000s: the early aughts silhouette is back and it's definitely one trend streetwear fans can't get enough of.

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Next: I Just Booked My Ticket To Italy—All the Cute Items on My Vacation Moodboard

Fashion Market Editor

Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor for Who What Wear, focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.