Hip-hop cultural aspects will be featured on the New York Fashion Week catwalk as the artform celebrates its 50th year.
In honour of hip-hop's 50th anniversary, parts of the culture will be shown during New York Fashion Week. Hip-hop fashion is noted for its boldness and creativity, with artists such as Jay-Z transforming streetwear into a fashion statement.
Ankush Pandey
As hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, parts of the culture are likely to appear on the runway during New York Fashion Week, which runs from September 8 to 13, and will feature American designers showcasing their latest collections.
"Hip-hop fashion is defined by its audacity, originality, and verbal symphony." "You know, hip-hop is poetry," said Puma creative director June Ambrose, a costume designer and businesswoman.
The global culture, which incorporates music, dancing, and fashion, was formed on August 11, 1973, during a party in New York's Bronx borough, when DJ Kool Herc created continuous breakbeats on two turntables.
"The tipping point... was when we started seeing average Joe Blow, white guy with two kids, picket fence, and PTA wife, in his Timberlands," fashion expert and author Constance White explained. Rappers turned the tough yellow boots, which were initially made for blue-collar workers, into streetwear, transforming the brand into a fashion statement.
The Museum at FIT celebrated hip-hop fashion earlier this year with an exhibition titled "Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: 50 Years of Hip Hop Style." Dookie chains, big gold chains, door-knocker earrings, and styles from the past and present were among the pieces.
According to Ambrose, it has never been about the garments alone, but about upsetting and redefining fashion's status quo.
"When you see artists like Jay-Z, how he took that baggy jeans silhouette and we added a button-down shirt to it," she said, enhancing the appearance for customers.
In the 1990s, Ambrose produced some of the most memorable costumes in numerous hip-hop music videos, and she worked as a stylist for Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and others.
After five decades, premium and fast-fashion labels are partnering with hip-hop designers rather than simply being influenced by them.
"We are not requesting permission to work with high fashion designers," Ambrose explained. "We were buying them, investing in them, and then creating iconic looks and images that influenced them as well." And we began to see that we might all live in the same place."
According to White, hip-hop's impact in fashion can be observed from behind-the-scenes editors and stylists to artists who are now designers.
She cited Virgil Abloh, the first Black man to serve as creative director for menswear at Louis Vuitton until his death in 2021. In February, he was succeeded by rapper-music producer Pharrell Williams.
"All of this is due to the influence of hip-hop, hip-hop culture, and hip-hop fashion." And we don't always think about it or appreciate it," White remarked.
