Cannabis imagery has moved beyond its counter-culture origins to now influence contemporary culture. High fashion and streetwear brands are now using cannabis images and references in their collections, showing that cannabis culture no longer represents just an underground aesthetic for niche markets. This shift reflects a broader trend toward the normalization of cannabis in Western culture where fashion serves as an indicator of cannabis acceptance and cultural shift, while simultaneously acting as a genetic code for the evolution of cannabis acceptance and brand references.

The Luxury Cannabis Aesthetic

High fashion has adopted cannabis through high-end contemporary depictions of generic and traditional styles and motifs like using holistic references using traditional leaf patterns, functional and classic models of complete hemp, and color palettes surrounding greens associated with cannabis. Designers are using these cannabis aesthetics from runway collections Paris to Milan, stripping of cultural ties, but allowing seasoned fashion observers to late recognize cannabis nomenclature. For example, Saint Laurent’s spring/summer 2023 collection used jacquard patterns from cannabis leaf structural shapes, while Gucci has explored cannabis as hemp-silk blends with cannabis imagery and nomenclature using the material instead of designing from an image. 

Streetwear has a direct path to draw from cannabis culture

Brands such as Supreme, 10 Deep and HUF have long embraced overt references to cannabis with imagery that creates instantly recognizable symbols devoted to responding to their audience’s demands for clear signifiers of subcultural membership. This includes everything from photorealistic prints of cannabis leaves and numbers which signify insider status or knowledge, like “420”. The cannabis inspired expression in streetwear encompasses more than visually identifiable elements; it has expanded to now encompass experiential marketing to include pop-up boutiques in newly legalized areas, partnerships with cannabis accessory brands, as well as fashion shows embedding scent through aromatic terpenes to create a multi-sensory experience with no product use involved.

Material Innovation: The Fashion Revival of Hemp

Industrial hemp fibres are experiencing a renaissance as a sustainable and performance viable fabric for using with fashion products. Compared to cotton, hemp has proven to use significantly less water, with no pesticides being utilized to grow, and it creates a denser, more durable material. For example, Patagonia has previously led the way in innovative use of hemp and has pioneered the use of hemp in performance wear range and are still taking the environmental context of hemp into account in marketing and performance wear product expectations. New brands, such as Jungmaven, build their entire ethos around the environmental and product aspects of exploring hemp. High fashion brands have also experimented with hemp, including design superstars like Armani and Stella McCartney, which used and marketed pieces in blends with hemp fabrics, specifically promoting their environmental credentials, and the fabric being naturally antimicrobial.

Cannabis Entrepreneurs Turned Fashion Entrepreneurs

Past cannabis industry and business operators have transitioned themselves into fashion entrepreneurs with credible influence because they apply experience within their ventures, having unique perspectives appropriate for clothing and apparel design. One example is Sundae School’s offering of ‘smokewear’, or articles made for doing the act of smoking, while still being worn using fashion level considerations, are made by former cannabis business entrepreneurs. These founders understand cannabis culture and its consumers providing authentic pathways of connection between consumers looking for an aspect of style and functionality that is relevant to cannabis friendly lifestyles.