On Aug. 11, 1973, the then 18-year-old DJ Kool Herc hosted a “back-to-school jam” in his parents’ rec room in the Bronx: a party now known as the birth of hip-hop.
What many people don’t know about this famous night, according to music journalist and author Sowmya Krishnamurthy, is that this party was for Herc’s sister Cindy Campbell, who had organized it to fundraise for her back-to-school wardrobe. Since that moment — hip-hop’s genesis — fashion has been integral to the genre. This is where the story of Krishnamurthy’s new book, “Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion” begins.
“Fashion Killa” is a comprehensive history of the relationship between hip-hop and fashion, from hip-hop’s origins at the Campbells’ famous party, to current events, like hip-hop revolutionary Pharrell Williams taking over as the creative director of Louis Vuitton Menswear following Virgil Abloh’s passing.
In the book, Krishnamurthy discusses the transformations this relationship has undergone — namely how hip-hop’s access to fashion has changed.
“Over time, as we see in the book, hip-hop started as an outsider (of luxury fashion), and then later became a consumer,” Krishnamurthy said in a Zoom interview with The Michigan Daily. “Now I would say we’re in the era of collaborator, where fashion lines like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Saint Laurent all understand the power of hip-hop. Where having somebody like a Pharrell Williams, or an A$AP Rocky at the forefront of a house lends not only to this sense of cool and an ‘it factor,’ but also to the bottom line.”
Early moments of high fashion that draw inspiration from hip-hop, like Chanel’s Fall/Winter 1991 collection featuring chains and streetwear, were essentially cash-grab caricatures of hip-hop’s style rather than a genuine appreciation for its culture. Krishnamurthy expressed that luxury fashion has a history of problems regarding racism and classism,…
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