We are now entering an era in which the average pedestrian holds as much influence on the trends of tomorrow as does the next rising fashion designer, celebrity or pop culture phenom. Fashion trends are covered through a vast web of blogs, maintained by a vast range of writers — both young and old, famous and virtually unknown. This an era governed by modernism and “street cred” — a sort of je ne sais quoi merit system monitored by popular opinion.

In this world, the concrete sidewalk is the industry’s finest runway or next month’s six-page spread. 15-year-old bloggers occupy front-row seats at Fashion Week. Scott Schuman, a.k.a. “The Sartorialist” becomes one of Time Magazine’s Top 100 Design Influences by snapping pictures of the ordinary passersby and posting them on his free Blogger account. The up-and-coming designers are younger, wilder and more starry-eyed than ever.

What’s going on here? Evolution. Fashion is undoubtedly evolving, no longer limited to an elite group of in-the-know individuals. The circle has quickly expanded to include anyone and everyone of inspiration.

Walking down the streets of any major metropolitan city, you will always pass by a group of these kinds. It’s the uniform that gives them away — skinny jeans, Ray Ban shades, converse, Ipod, Parliament smokes and an expression that says, “I’m too dope for my own good.”

Sound familiar? Let me introduce the spokesperson of the new age in fashion: the youngster, the scenester … the hipster.

Without doubt, “hipsterdom” has once again become the newest face of fashion. Even though it is as old as Jack Kerouac’s Beat Generation, this social force has recently seen criticism from the media and Lohan-Olsen haters for corrupting the hipster image. One source of such criticism is Douglas Haddow of Adbusters. Author of Hipsterdom: The End is Near, Haddow wrote, “An artificial appropriation of different styles from different eras, the hipster represents the end of Western civilization — a culture lost in the superficiality of its past and unable to create any new meaning.” The writer points out an inherent hypocrisy in hipsterdom as hipsters have, once again, become symbols of the very thing they detest — the mainstream.

I must admit that hipster style is in fact, ironic. Their look is ugly-attractiveness, calculated-randomness and expensive-grunge. Plaid shirts, Keffiyeh scarves and nonprescription eyeglasses have become cliché accessories. And, there is no question that hipsterdom is a style you can buy.

However, I myself am in no position to either bash or glorify hipsterdom. Hipsters have an undeniable influence over street fashion. They represent the youthful crunchiness of fashion and the desire to prevent the industry from becoming overly serious and pretentious. Of course, one could argue that hipsters epitomize pretentiousness. Alas, the paradox once again. Therefore, what do those in the industry forecast for the future of fashion? For now, I believe it best to categorize hipsterdom in the love-hate category and wait for this era to pass. In the meantime, break out the vintage bicycle and head over to your local American Apparel … Rad! RLD