Fashion Killa, Sowmya Krishnamurthy
Fashion Killa, Sowmya Krishnamurthy
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Fashion Killa
How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion

Author: Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Narrator: Angel Pean

Unabridged: 7 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/10/2023


Synopsis

A Pitchfork Best Music Book of 2024

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 defined 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.

About Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Sowmya Krishnamurthy is a music journalist and pop culture expert. Her work has been featured in Time, Rolling Stone, ComplexXXLPlayboy, Highsnobiety, and NPR. She is a graduate of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and lives in New York City. She is the author of Fashion Killa and The Blueprint.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Tamyka

Loved everything about this book. Having lived alongside the book’s timeline, it was fun remembering exactly the moments referenced. The narrator mispronounced several key names and terms but it was fine overall. The book is well written and rather comprehensive and I’d recommend it to anyone intere......more

A great read into how fashion and the world of hip-hop came together. Also sheds some light on which designers embraced people of color and those who did not. Loved the information about “Dapper Dan”. It always amazed me how when one did not want to dress hip hop stars and upcoming rappers, when he......more

Goodreads review by Alyssa

The format choice (each chapter focusing on one or two designers / brands) is lovely. This is a side of the fashion world I didn't know so much about and this book feels THOROUGH. (Disclosure, I received an ARC through a Goodreads Giveaway.)......more

Goodreads review by Frank

I bought this book because of the cover and the interview the author gave on The Breakfast Club. I'm glad I picked this up. As a hip-hop fan, I learned so much about the backstory of famous moments like Aaliyah wearing Tommy Hilfiger or Kanye West's love of fashion. It was a pretty fast and easy rea......more

Goodreads review by Melody

This is a HOT book! I just loved it!......more