The Hipster phenomenon

It only took a decade to popularise a trend among the 20-35-year-olds: the hipster culture. The term appears in the United States in the 40s to designate the white amateurs of jazz and bebop who appropriated the lifestyle of black musicians: their dress codes, cool attitude and use of language. The hipster is most often a man, trendy but not marginal, possessing good taste and well-made items whose purpose is to distinguish himself in an industrialised and globalised society.

In the early 2000s in New York, young, white hipster men started to meet up to talk about music over a beer, if possible a European brand. Ten years later, the phenomenon has touched Europe, contributing to the gentrification of popular neighbourhoods in large cities like Paris, London and Berlin.

There are no hipster bands, and the movement often draws on various music cultures: hip-hop, electro but also jazz and world music, anything, as long as it isn’t ‘mainstream’, since the priority of the hipster is to set himself apart. He wears a moustache or a thick beard and gets tattoos inspired by sailor and convict tattoos from the last century. In the city, the hipster moves around by bike, if possible one with fixed gears or a lowrider customised according to his requirements.

The Hipster look

The dress codes of the hipster of the year 2000 are far removed from that of the 40s hipster which inspired them. The hipster finds his clothes and accessories in thrift stores or on eBay. With a rolled up, faded pair of jeans, a Canadian lumberjack shirt, a geeky t-shirt, a wool or fur hat and a pair of vintage boots, you’ll have the perfect neo-retro look. For accessories, a pair of suspenders, a tie or a bowtie for the evening and, of course, a pair of 60s-style Rayban Wayfarers.

New Rock

To comply with hipster criteria, a pair of shoes or boots needs to be both vintage and elegant, of high quality, and made of leather, or, even better, vegan leather. This could be a pair of low top shoes from the Comfort Light collection which have the Comfort Plus label, or the more elegant Newman collection, the original patina Rangers from the Newmili collection or a pair of Biker GY boots.

The unisex trainers in the Hybrid collection suit a more relaxed style while still being original. Always made with the excellent craftsmanship and finishings that make New Rock a reference brand known across the entire world.