Fashion
50 Years of Hip-Hop Style: A Celebration at New York Fashion Week
In a remarkable confluence of cultural milestones, the 50th anniversary of hip-hop culture is set to take center stage at New York Fashion Week, scheduled from September 8th to 13th. American designers are poised to unveil their latest collections, paying homage to the audacity, originality, and lyrical richness that have defined hip-hop fashion.
Born on August 11, 1973, in the Bronx borough of New York City, hip-hop culture has evolved from an underground movement into a global phenomenon, encompassing music, dance, and fashion. As the culture celebrates its golden jubilee, its influence on the fashion industry is more palpable than ever.
June Ambrose, a costume designer and entrepreneur who serves as a creative director at Puma, eloquently encapsulates the essence of hip-hop fashion, characterizing it as “defined by its boldness, originality, and poetic symphony.” It is a form of artistic expression that transcends mere clothing, representing a profound challenge to the established norms of the fashion world.
One iconic emblem of hip-hop’s journey into the mainstream is the adoption of Timberland boots. Originally designed for rugged blue-collar work, these yellow boots underwent a transformation when hip-hop artists embraced them as a symbol of street style. This metamorphosis symbolizes the genre’s capacity to redefine conventional notions of fashion.
The Museum at FIT paid tribute to the rich history of hip-hop fashion earlier this year through an exhibition titled “Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: 50 Years of Hip Hop Style.” The exhibit featured a curated collection of iconic pieces, including oversized gold chains known as Dookie chains, door-knocker earrings, and fashion ensembles spanning eras from the past to the present.
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June Ambrose underscores that hip-hop fashion is not solely about garments but also about challenging and revolutionizing the established order within the fashion industry. She points to artists like Jay-Z, who elevated the baggy jeans silhouette by pairing it with a button-down shirt, demonstrating how hip-hop can redefine and elevate fashion for consumers.
June Ambrose herself played an instrumental role in shaping hip-hop fashion, crafting some of the most iconic costumes for hip-hop music videos in the 1990s and serving as a stylist for legendary artists such as Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, and Mary J. Blige.
What sets the 50th anniversary of hip-hop apart is the burgeoning collaboration between luxury and fast-fashion brands and hip-hop designers. It is no longer a one-way street where fashion brands draw inspiration from hip-hop; instead, they actively engage with the creative minds within the hip-hop community.
June Ambrose highlights this paradigm shift, asserting, “We no longer seek permission to collaborate with high fashion designers. We invest in them, purchase from them, and create iconic looks and images that, in turn, influence them. We have come to realize that we all inhabit the same creative space.”
Constance White, a fashion expert and author, echoes this sentiment, underscoring how hip-hop’s influence has permeated the industry. This influence extends from editors and stylists working behind the scenes to musicians who are now venturing into the realm of fashion design.
The legacy of Virgil Abloh, a trailblazing designer who became the first Black man to lead Louis Vuitton’s menswear division, stands as a testament to hip-hop’s impact on the fashion world. Although Abloh tragically passed away in 2021, his groundbreaking work continues to inspire the industry. His successor, rapper and music producer Pharrell Williams, further solidifies hip-hop’s enduring influence on luxury fashion.
In conclusion, as New York Fashion Week unfolds, the world will bear witness to how hip-hop fashion, with its audacious spirit and unwavering originality, continues to redefine and reshape the fashion landscape. This 50th-anniversary celebration serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring power of hip-hop culture, which has not only left an indelible mark on music but has also become an integral and transformative force within the global fashion scene.
The Met Gala, an iconic event in the fashion world, has revealed the theme for its highly anticipated 2024 exhibition and gala – ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.’ This unique theme transcends Disney princess tales, instead, delving into delicate garments requiring special preservation and drawing inspiration from the natural world. This article explores the intricacies of the theme, the curator’s vision, and what attendees and the public can expect from this immersive showcase.
The Sleeping Beauties Theme:
Contrary to expectations of Disney-esque references, the theme revolves around garments in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection so delicate that they are displayed in special glass ‘coffins’ for preservation. These garments, symbolically referred to as ‘sleeping beauties,’ will be showcased in galleries themed around the natural world. The concept serves as a metaphor for the transience of fashion, exploring themes of rebirth and renewal.
Exhibition Highlights:
Curator Andrew Bolton, known for his creative brilliance, plans to feature both historical garments and their contemporary counterparts. The exhibition aims to reanimate these ‘sleeping beauties’ by awakening their sensory capacities. Approximately 250 garments and accessories spanning four centuries will be on display, creating an immersive environment that engages visitors’ senses of sight, smell, touch, and hearing.
The Gala Experience:
The Met Gala 2024, scheduled for May 6 in Manhattan, will mark the grand opening of the exhibition. The public can experience this spectacle from May 10 through September 2. Attendees will find themselves transported to different facets of the natural world in each room, with juxtapositions of historical fashion and contemporary interpretations.
Immersive Galleries:
Imagine walking into a room adorned with intricate ‘insectoid embroidery’ on an Elizabethan bodice or experiencing a ceiling projecting a mesmerizing ‘Hitchcockian swarm of blackbirds’ surrounding a black tulle evening dress from the pre-World War II era. Each gallery promises to offer a unique sensory experience, capturing the essence of the theme.
Dress Code Mystery:
The dress code for the 2024 Met Gala remains a mystery, adding an element of anticipation. In previous editions, guests were encouraged to dress in a manner that paid homage to the gala’s overarching theme. As attendees are urged to embody the spirit of ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,’ expectations are high for the sartorial choices of the fashion elite.
Conclusion:
The Met Gala’s ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ theme promises to be a transformative and visually stunning experience, blending history, artistry, and nature. As fashion enthusiasts await the gala, the exhibition’s immersive galleries and sensory engagement create a unique opportunity to appreciate the transience and renewal of fashion. This article captures the essence of the theme and highlights what makes the Met Gala a pinnacle event in the fashion calendar.
British sportswear retailer JD Sports Fashion is set to achieve a higher annual profit as demand for popular footwear, such as Nike Air Force One and Adidas Gazelle and Samba, boosted first-half sales. The company reported a 7.5% increase in its shares following the announcement.
JD Sports is already the largest sportswear retailer in the UK, and its presence in North America and Europe is expanding. The group revealed that its underlying sales grew by 12% in the first half of the year, with remarkable growth rates of 27% in Europe and 15% in North America.
One key factor contributing to JD Sports’ success is its strong relationships with major brands like Nike, Adidas, and New Balance. These partnerships provide the retailer with unique and early access to exclusive products, giving it a competitive edge over rivals.
While other retailers like Foot Locker and Dick’s Sporting Goods have expressed concerns about frail consumer demand and weaker margins in North America, analysts from Peel Hunt emphasized that JD Sports’ results show that the US market remains robust for the right products.
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JD Sports CEO Régis Schultz highlighted the company’s status as Nike’s largest global retail partner. He believes that these brand relationships will continue to drive growth, particularly in the post-pandemic environment, where consumers are inclined to treat themselves despite economic uncertainties.
JD Sports has managed to weather the challenges of the past two years of high inflation relatively well. Its younger customer base has continued spending, while it’s their parents who have borne the brunt of rising bills.
The company has ambitious expansion plans, intending to spend up to £3 billion to open 1,750 stores over the next five years with the aim of becoming a global athletic leisurewear powerhouse. This year, JD Sports acquired France’s Groupe Courir and bought out its partners in its Iberian and Polish business.
For the 12 months ending in January, JD Sports expects to achieve an annual pretax profit of £1.04 billion ($1.28 billion), marking a 5% increase from the previous year.
JD Sports’ performance underscores the resilience of the sportswear retail sector and the enduring popularity of iconic footwear brands, even in challenging economic times. The company’s strategic partnerships and focus on customer trends have positioned it for continued growth and success in the global sportswear market.
In a stunning turn of events, a red sweater once donned by the young Princess Diana has smashed auction records by selling for an astonishing $1.1 million. This playful, patterned wool jumper, adorned with a charming flock of sheep, featured a single black sheep amidst a sea of white ones. The remarkable sale took place at Sotheby’s online Fashion Icons auction, far surpassing its pre-sale estimate and setting a new record for an item associated with the late royal.
Sotheby’s had initially valued the sweater at a modest range of $50,000 to $80,000, setting the stage for an exciting two-week bidding period that concluded on Thursday. With just 15 minutes remaining until the close of the auction, the highest offer stood at a respectable $190,000. However, a last-minute flurry of bids sent the final price soaring to an unprecedented $1.1 million.
This sale not only shattered expectations but also eclipsed the previous record for Princess Diana memorabilia, which stood at $604,800 for a Victor Edelstein-designed ballgown sold by Sotheby’s in January. Additionally, it established a new benchmark for sweater auctions, surpassing the $334,000 paid in 2019 for Kurt Cobain’s green cardigan from Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged concert.
The sweater, an enduring symbol of Diana’s iconic fashion sense, captured the world’s attention when she wore it at a polo match in June 1981, shortly after her engagement to Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne at the time. Already evolving into a style icon and one of the world’s most photographed women, this moment significantly boosted the careers of designers Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, who created the sweater for their small knitwear label, Warm & Wonderful.
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A few weeks following the polo match, Buckingham Palace contacted Muir and Osborne, explaining that the sweater had sustained damage and inquiring whether it could be repaired or replaced. The original sweater, returned to the designers, displayed a damaged sleeve that was believed to be the result of snagging on Diana’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring.
A new sweater was promptly knitted and sent to the princess. Diana was later photographed wearing it with white jeans and a black ribbon tie at an event in 1983. Remarkably, the original sweater, forgotten in an attic for years, was discovered by Joanna Osborne earlier this year.
Princess Diana, the beloved mother of Prince William and Prince Harry, divorced Prince Charles in 1996. Tragically, she lost her life in a car crash in Paris in 1997 at the tender age of 36. Speculation has swirled that Diana may have had an affinity for the “black sheep” pattern, perhaps symbolizing her sense of being an outsider within the royal family. This connection to the design was poignantly depicted when actress Emma Corrin wore a replica of the sweater as the young Diana in the fourth season of the acclaimed series “The Crown.”
Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, who continue to offer a version of the iconic design, expressed their profound appreciation for Princess Diana’s impact on their business. They noted that while they are forever indebted to her for the boost she gave their brand, their deepest gratitude lies in knowing that Diana shared a unique connection with the “black sheep” design.
In a joint statement, the designers expressed their joy that this beloved sweater had found a new home, carrying with it the enduring legacy of Princess Diana. The sale of this iconic piece of fashion history serves as a testament to Diana’s enduring influence on style and her enduring place in the hearts of people worldwide.
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