Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion

by Sowmya Krishnamurthy (Author)

“A cogent study of hip-hop's outsized influence on fashion trends…The link between hip-hop and high fashion is so tight that many consider them part of the same package. In this fast-paced, deeply researched history, Krishnamurthy chronicles how and why that deep bond continues today. …Exciting and exhaustive, this fun hip-hop history explains what your favorite rappers are wearing and why.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“Readers are lucky that this brilliant, shining gem of a book exists…. Along with its many nuanced arguments and observations, the book is a stunning historical record of years, people, places, runway shows, brands, and evolutions that should be studied. An essential book about US culture.”
— Booklist (starred review)

“It's impressive how much information Krishnamurthy packs into her prose while still feeling evocative: You can practically smell the spray paint and taste the Barneys New York salads, and it all may as well be set to the sounds of “Merry-Go-Round” breaks at a DJ Kool Herc block party.”
— Pitchfork

This “first comprehensive anthology of the marriage between hip-hop and luxury fashion” ( The Cut ) draws on exclusive interviews to tell the story of the hip-hop artists, designers, stylists, and unsung heroes who fought the power and reinvented style around the world over the last fifty years.

Fashion Killa is a classic tale of a modern renaissance; of an exclusionary industry gate-crashed by innovators; of impresarios—Sean “Diddy” Combs, Dapper Dan, Virgil Abloh—hoisting hip-hop from the streets to the stratosphere; of supernovas—Lil' Kim, Cardi B, and Kimora Lee Simmons—allying with kingmakers—Anna Wintour, Donatella Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ralph Lauren; of traditionalist fashion houses—Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Saint Laurent—transformed into temples of rap gods.

Journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy explores the connections between the DIY hip-hop scene and the exclusive upper-echelons of high fashion. She discusses the sociopolitical forces that define fashion and tracks the influence of music and streetwear on the most exclusive (and exclusionary) luxury brands. “An essential book about US culture” ( Booklist , starred review), Fashion Killa commemorates the contributions of hip-hop to music, fashion, and our society at large.

ISBN: 978-1982176327