The Bite Magazine - Autmn/Winter 2020 - Issue 28

bitesocialmedia In the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, ‘streetwear’ came into being via the hip hop fashion scene of NYC coupled with a splash of surf/skate culture from California. Although ‘hype’ is a more modern definition, it took full form in the ‘90s NYC youthful urban landscape of hip hop and punk. The term ‘hype beast’ can be traced back to 2005 when it was coined as a blend of the two words. 'Hype' (referring to the extravagant publicity around a new item of clothing or a trend) and 'beast' which is slang for a person who is skilled at something, thus a person who is adept at keeping up with the latest fashion trends. When it comes to sportswear, and its coordinating shoes, I always thought it should be limited to sports activities, i.e. wearing sneakers with jeans in public to me was tacky. However, YouTubers Marissa Hill and Alfred Castaneda explained how wrong I was with this narrow mindedness. This phenomenon of being on top of every limited-edition sneaker drop may be one of hype culture’s most significant areas of interest. Or, for that matter, how far these individuals will go for the next best thing in sneakers and the correlating luxury streetwear fashion. Marissa Hill and Alfred Castaneda are two truly beauti- ful people. They run with an ‘It’ crowd and are those- in-the-know when it comes to pretty much everything socially. Marissa is a model and one of those women that when you pass them, you will do a double-take. She’s that intriguingly pretty. Alfred is a beloved friend whom I’ve known for ages which happens to be a jet-setter with a love of all things uber-luxury. Right now, this dynamic duo is taking their love of high-end fashion and hype to the YouTube world with their new channel, ShadeTV. This channel mainly focuses on the topic of being a sneakerhead but from the viewpoint of Marissa, a hypebae. Yes, a woman is blazing a new path into what was a predominately male hobby of collecting limited-edition sneakers and hype-wear. Unfortunately, nearly 88% of all hype related and driv- en publications and media outlets are dominated by men. Hill is truly the only woman covering the subject of hype in this setting. Her and Castaneda’s show is the only one doing analysis, depictions, discussions. What verifiably sets the model apart is that she is the only one styling looks to go with the shoes that drop each week. “We cover the basics: shoe aesthetics, design, materials used and information about pric- ing, resale market pricing, and stockists that carry a release,” she shared. “There are countless YouTubers out there providing similar bits of this information. Where we are different at ShadeTV is we are bringing 1) a female perspec- tive in a male-dominated sneaker market; 2) relevant history of the origins of the shoe; 3) an understanding of the fashion backdrop backing a specific release, especially collaborations; and 4) distilling the ‘hype’ down to factors that the average person can un- derstand.” Hill as such, then models the shoes and inserts excerpts from fashion shows and other brand’s clothing to pull together unique looks. She shows you how to pull off what can be pretty risky, wacky, weird shoes in relatable outfits.