Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion

A cinematic narrative of glamour, grit, luxury, and luck, Fashion Killa draws on exclusive interviews with the leaders of the fashion world 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.

Set in the sartorial scenes of New York, Paris, and beyond, music journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy's reporting on the intersecting histories of hip-hop and contemporary fashion focuses on the risk takers and rebels--the artists, designers, stylists, models, and tastemakers--who challenged a systemic power structure and historically reinvented the worlds of prêt-à-porter and haute couture.

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.

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. At the intersection of cultural commentary and oral history, Fashion Killa commemorates the contributions of hip-hop to music, fashion, and our culture at large.

Author: Sowmya Krishnamurthy
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 10/10/2023
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.06lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.75d
ISBN: 9781982176327


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 05/01/2023 pg. 29
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2023

About the Author
Sowmya Krishnamurthy's writing has been featured in New York magazine, Rolling Stone, Vibe, Essence, Complex, Highsnobiety, Playboy, The Village Voice, and Time. As an on-air expert and pop culture personality, she's appeared on E!, VH1, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, Sirius XM, and NPR. Most recently, she launched and hosted the weekly radio show The Lookout by SoundCloud on SiriusXM. Fashion Killa is the culmination of Sowmya's expertise in music, fashion, and pop culture and is the first book written by an Indian American female journalist in hip-hop.