Menswear expert @dieworkwear on price hikes

Derek Guy, the menswear writer known online as @dieworkwear, posted on May 19 that luxury brands have pushed prices higher while also making simpler clothes, tying the shift to the long influence of streetwear on the high-end market. A mirrored version of the thread says brands now sell “t-shirts, sweatshirts, and sneakers for $$$$” rather than the canvassed suits and welted shoes that once anchored much of luxury menswear. (en.rattibha.com) Guy’s post landed in a market where fashion trade coverage has already been wrestling with luxury pricing and the legacy of the streetwear boom. (en.rattibha.com) Business of Fashion recently described the sector as having “a pricing problem,” while Highsnobiety said luxury shoppers have grown disenchanted with high prices that were not always matched by product ingenuity or craft. ### What exactly did Derek Guy say? A mirrored archive of Guy’s post says he saw a “related conversation” in how luxury brands raised prices while making simpler clothes, “partly because of the streetwear trend.” The same text says the result was “lots of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and sneakers for $$$$ instead of the canvassed suits and welted footwear of the past.” (en.rattibha.com) Guy is a longtime menswear commentator and editor at Put This On, and his website and Substack identify him as a writer whose bylines include The New York Times, Financial Times, Politico, Esquire and Mr Porter. (businessoffashion.com) ### Why would streetwear matter to luxury pricing? Highsnobiety wrote that the line between streetwear and luxury was “completely erased” over the past several years, with major houses moving into hoodies, sneakers and logo-heavy casualwear as streetwear labels and designers gained influence. That framing lines up with Guy’s argument that simpler garments moved to the center of luxury assortments without becoming cheaper. (en.rattibha.com) A separate Highsnobiety analysis said luxury fashion later began moving away from obvious streetwear cues, but only after that period had already reshaped what counted as a luxury product. (dieworkwear.com) Business of Fashion’s streetwear coverage likewise treats the category as a mature part of the fashion business rather than a niche subculture. ### Is there evidence that luxury pricing has become a broader issue? Business of Fashion’s current luxury coverage says the industry has a “pricing problem,” a phrase that has become common in trade reporting as brands test how far customers will follow repeated price increases. (highsnobiety.com) Highsnobiety’s 2025 white paper, produced with Boston Consulting Group, said many luxury consumers had become disenchanted because brands did not consistently deliver the level of ingenuity and craft buyers expected at those prices. (highsnobiety.com) That does not prove every T-shirt or sneaker is overpriced. It does show that Guy’s complaint sits inside a wider industry debate over whether luxury prices still map cleanly onto workmanship, materials and design. ### Why does his comparison with suits and welted shoes matter? Guy’s contrast was specific: canvassed suits and welted footwear are labor-intensive product categories often used by menswear writers as markers of construction and craft. His point was not simply that luxury is expensive, but that some of the highest prices are now attached to garments that are simpler to make and easier to mass-position on social media. (businessoffashion.com) That comparison comes directly from his thread language about “canvassed suits” and “welted footwear.” USA Today, in a 2025 menswear feature, cited Guy among the experts shaping discussion about how men dress now, underscoring that his commentary has moved beyond a niche tailoring audience into a broader consumer conversation. ### Where can readers see the original discussion? Guy’s original post was published on X on May 19, and mirrored thread sites captured the core wording of the argument. His own channels — including X, his website Die, Workwear, and his Substack — remain the main places where he publishes follow-up commentary on menswear, tailoring and the fashion business. (en.rattibha.com) (usatoday.com)