"Fashion Killa": How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion

August 2023 marked the 50^th anniversary of the birth of the musical genre of hip-hop. Fashion Killa commemorates the contributions of hip-hop to music, fashion, and our culture.

Ms. Krishnamurthy discusses the sociopolitical forces that defined fashion and tracks the influence of music and streetwear on the most exclusive (and exclusionary) luxury brands. This program is co-sponsored by Stand Together Against Racism - S.T.A.R. 

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.

Sowmya Krishnamurthy is a music journalist and pop culture expert. Her work has been featured in Time, Rolling Stone, Complex, XXL, Playboy, Highsnobiety, and NPR. She is a graduate of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and lives in New York City. This is her first book.

Elm Street Books will be on site to sell signed copies of Fashion Killa.