Where the worlds of music and fashion collide there is one name that rules above all, Alexander Wang. She has made it a top priority to utilize the biggest names in music to push her brand. After years of marketing campaigns showcasing musicians from the billboard charts she has seen insurmountable success. Her name is even brought up in numerous songs that garner attention from millions of fans. Wang knows the mind of the fan and aims to capitalize on it. Fans look to imitate or follow celebrities and musicians more than any other kind of inspiration, especially when it comes to apparel. If she can get her brand associated with these big names then that means money. Her list of brand ambassadors ranges far and wide hitting many genres and personalities. She feels so inspired by music that she even became Apple Music’s first ever fashion curator. They also gave a platform to make her own playlist for fans to listen to. Some of the names include: Travis Scott, Vic Mensa, Die Antwoord, CL, Kaia Gerber, Alice Glass, Kanye West, Weeknd, etc. There is no doubt Alexander Wang is a prolific designer with respect due in all of her designs but her marketing skills using celebrities and musicians has pushed her brand into the upper echelons with ease.

http://www.anothermag.com/design-living/8734/alexander-wang-the-music-that-made-me

https://www.vogue.com/article/alexander-wang-party-playlist

https://www.vogue.com/article/alexander-wang-apple-music-fashion-playlists

https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/8xnbzb/alexander-wang-reveals-wangsquad-of-hot-models-and-musicians

by Kimberly Jovanus

Over the years, hip-hop has influenced much more than just the music industry. The culture also affected movies, food, television, and fashion. Hip-hop artist has become of the most influential figures of social media today.

In the 80s, the image of the “B-boy” rapper started the relationship between hip-hop and fashion. PUMA, Nike, Fila, and Adidas are some of the first sportswear companies to create signature matching suits as an early example of hip-hop fashion. Below are some of the biggest and most iconic collaborations, personal brands, and lines influenced by hip-hop:

By early 2017, Lil Yachty became a creative director for Nautica. His line was “built around [the] classic Nautica pieces from the Nineties” (Hughs, 2017). The color palette of the collection includes red, hunter green, yellow, and navy.

https://www.racked.com/2018/5/11/17346246/rihanna-fans-nearly-crashed-savage-x-fenty-lingerie-site

http://www.hawtcelebs.com/rihanna-at-savage-x-fenty-show-at-new-york-fashion-week-09-12-2018/

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Rihanna’s lingerie line features nudish, brown shades. The show featured models of all shapes and sizes, including 2 pregnant women.

Jaden Smith proudly works with G-Star for their mission on “creating and designing denim with circular economy and sustainability in mind” (Jaden Smith, 2018). He was initially interested from G-Star’s previous collab with Pharrell.

Snoop Dog’s line includes sweatpants, baggy sweatshirts, T-shirts, and fur coats. Pieces would feature images of Snoop Dog, graphics, gang signs, and words like “Doggystyle”.

A$AP Rocky’s collab with GUESS features 90’s-inspired pieces. The line includes a palette of orange, sand, sky blue, and vertical/horizontal striped tees.

It is no surprise the son of Will Smith, Jaden, has grown into an icon for both music and fashion. His ideas are frequently pushing boundaries in every avenue he travels down. He has shown time and time again that while he can pull off trendy fits with ease, he can also pull off outlandish aesthetics no one would dare try. He sees clothing for how it looks, not for which department it came from. Jaden doesn’t shy away from implementing women’s fashions into his outfits. Many criticize him for wearing things like skirts or leotards but it only bolsters his mindset even more. While he continues to experiment with ideas in clothes, he is also pushing his music career along in similar fashion. His music has grown significantly from the beginning with his latest releases charting the billboards. Gaining respect for ones music in the hip hop industry is a difficult feat to accomplish, especially when Jaden is already a celebrity. Ridicule of his credibility, residence, and lack of struggle in his life make people uncomfortable with him trying his hand at hip hop where all of these things mean a great deal to listeners as well as other artists. Despite these facts he’s managed to gain some attention from hip hop fans and artists who want to work with him. He has recently showed an interest in collaborating with the strangest name in the game, Young Thug. He sees a part of himself in Thugger in the sense that they both wear crazy clothing and enjoy experimenting ideas. They recently put out music together where they both vibe off of each others energy and use that reciprocal inspiration to create a genuinely cohesive project. Jaden is still quite young and still figuring himself out but it seems he has gained a foothold on what that might be. Excitement for his future is an understatement.

by Kimberly Jovanus

Kanye has always allowed Kim to show-off his YEEZY line by wearing his pieces in public view.

Some pieces from previous lines and even pieces never before seen as a sneak-peak to an upcoming line.

Recently, Kim was given a percentage of the company as a Mother’s Day gift. The news of her new position was shared while Kim was on model Ashley Graham’s podcast, Pretty Big Deal.

It was also a thankful gesture for Kim not agreeing to take sponsorship with another brand. Kim explained the un-named brand to “typically knock off YEEZY” as the reason why she refused the million-dollar deal.

The deal simply required Kim to post an Instagram post promoting the company’s product. Kim’s Instagram includes a 118 million follower count, making her post a powerful marketing opportunity for any company. Although the big deal was tempting to take, Kim decided to confer with her husband, where he was not surprisingly against the deal.

In exchange, Kanye sent Kim a package that included flowers, “a thank you note, a million-dollar check, and a contract for part-ownership of YEEZY” (Sawyer, 2018). At the time, Kanye was out of town recording, which explains the indirect gift.

sources to tiled mosaic pictures:

http://creativegentleman.com/kim-kardashian-wears-blk-dmn-leather-jacket-yeezy-boost-sneakers-and-givenchy-bag-in-la/https://www.highsnobiety.com/2017/10/16/kim-kardashian-new-yeezy-sneaker/https://www.fashionambitions.com/2017/fashion/kim-kardashian-yeezy-season-6-preview/.https://footwearnews.com/2016/fashion/celebrity-style/kardashian-jenner-family-yeezy-boost-sneakers-kim-kardashian-kanye-west-photos-203982/https://people.com/style/kim-kardashian-models-yeezy-season-7-kanye-west-pink-hair/,

The hip hop scene over the decades has grown to become the biggest genre in popular music. Hip hop artists are dominating the radio waves and securing swift control over the minds of our youth. Fashion is inherently intertwined with their music because they rap about the brands and clothes they wear as a show of status. It may seem like a competition at times but nonetheless it pushes both industries forward into success. The aesthetic decisions of these artists and/or their stylists determine the current trends of the hip hop community. As we are hearing more and more about designer brands, we see more people buying them simply for the name they heard on the radio. It is a form of status which signals to the observer that they may belong to a higher echelon of society whether it may be true or not.

As for some of the names that appear on the faces of these images, we find a surprisingly vast variation in looks in contrast to what many may believe. Some rappers stick to the old school style of baggy clothes and gaudy jewelry, whereas others skip around the spectrum of fashion trying new things and experimenting ideas. Firstly we find Tyler the Creator at the Grammy’s sporting a seemingly Russian inspired outfit clad with the perfect ushanka. Next we see the late Lil Peep rocking a gold and sequin applique jacket appeasing to the zeitgeist of the time being heavenly. Atlanta based rapper, Gucci Mane, also shows respect to highly adorned designs with a $30,000 Balmain jacket. Another trend set by hip hop is the racing jackets, presented by ASAP Ferg, playing into the broader trend of racing paraphernalia altogether. His counterpart, ASAP Rocky, is considered the fashion god of hip hop. He is shown in a shoot for Dior looking extremely dapper wearing a both a streetwear and formal outfit. Leader of the billboard charts, Drake, wears a sheepskin jacket on the balcony of a skyscraper portraying his power among the ranks as well as showing his touch with reality in wearing such a piece during its time in the higher end of the trend cycle. The infamous trio known as Migos, with their common aesthetic approach of matching outfits, are shown wearing all different types of black colored pieces underneath their eye-catching collection of diamonds. In the limelight of the hip hop world we see some sort of a throwback with Travis Scott back to the 2000’s where baggy clothes and a sports teams jacket would simply do the trick. Ending with two images of Kendrick Lamar we can see two very distinct styles. One has a more Japanese flavor to its design while the other has a stark resemblance to the iconic era of the angsty 90’s. The reason Kendrick is allowed two images is due to his genius stylist, Dianne Garcia, who has stomped her way passed the proving grounds into the spotlight. She has recently taken Kendrick to a whole new level with his public image which until now was bland and bloring. This big jump in his everyday and especially work clothing has garnered the attention of the fashion world begging his fans for more. It marks a time in his career where he wants to push every avenue of his prowess to the top signifying that he isn’t playing around anymore. This goes to show how important a stylist can be to an oblivious celebrity whos specialty comes nowhere close to aesthetics. Music and fashion are always working together and boucning ideas off each other. It’s time the fans catch onto this and give us another era of design.

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http://www.upscalehype.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/travis-scott-supreme

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