Styling & Profiling. Lower Eastside of Manhattan, 2002. Photo: Jamel Shabazz
Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style celebrated at NY’s MFIT with a dedicated exhibition
Opening in New York on February 8th, 2023 at The Museum at FIT (MFIT) Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style is the largest and most comprehensive exhibition to explore Hip Hop’s revolutionary and influential fashion style. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, the exhibition examines its relationship to fashion through over 100 garments and accessories capturing pivotal moments in Hip Hop fashion’s evolution.
Rolling Partners. On the Lower Eastside of Manhattan, 1984. Photo: Jamel Shabazz
Over the past fifty years, Hip Hop has become one of the most influential music genres of our time, having in addition a large impact on the world of fashion. Coming to light in 1973, with its beginning marked by Cindy and Clive Campbell’s (aka DJ Kool Herc) legendary back-to-school party held in their apartment building in the Bronx on August 11, Hip Hop became the invention of Black and Brown youth who created an innovative style of music, dance, and visual art that spoke to their lifestyles.
Today, MFIT pays homage to its 50 years history with the comprehensive exhibition Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style , which marks the first time that the museum examines fashion exclusively through one musical genre.
Kool K & Lee Rock. NYC, 2019. Photo: Jamel Shabazz.
Co-curated by Elena Romero, assistant professor, Marketing Communications, and MFIT Associate Curator Elizabeth Way, Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style will be on display at The Museum at FIT from February 8 – April 23, 2023. As a New York institution, The Museum at FIT exhibition will focus primarily — but not exclusively —on the evolution of Hip Hop style in New York City and on its relationship with the mainstream fashion industry.
“It was important for The Museum at FIT to organize this exhibition, because Hip Hop – the most influential music genre of our era – has had such a profound impact on the world of fashion,” notes Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator, MFIT. “Furthermore, Hip Hop fashion and music are cultural expressions of the African and Hispanic cultural diasporas, which MFIT seeks to amplify as part of our goal to expand the understanding of fashion.”
Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator, MFIT
Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style Michael Hoban eight-ball jacket, Fall 1989. The Museum at FIT, gift of Michael Hoban, North Beach Leather. © The Museum at FIT
Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style Cotton copy of an eight-ball jacket, 1991. The Museum at FIT, gift of Richard Martin. © The Museum at FIT
Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style Nameplate belt buckle, circa 1986. The Museum at FIT, gift of Elena Romero. © The Museum at FIT
Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style Nike, Air Jordan 10, 1985. The Museum at FIT, gift of Nike, Inc. © The Museum at FIT
Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style Beau McCall Black Lives Matter Triple T-shirt, 2021. © The Museum at FIT
Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style Dapper Dan for the 2006 VH1 Hip Hop Honors. The Museum at FIT, on loan from Rebecca Pietri. © The Museum at FIT
Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style Dapper Dan for the 2006 VH1 Hip Hop Honors. The Museum at FIT, on loan from Rebecca Pietri. © The Museum at FIT
Celebrating 50 years of hip-hop
Fashion and style were, and are, a major part of Hip Hop’s appeal, yet its culture is much more multidimensional, extending far beyond the baggy jeans, sports jerseys, and gold chains that became popular during the 1980s and 1990s.
From the 1970s, B-boys and B-girls took the functional garments of their dance uniforms and applied fly touches; aerosol artists applied their graphic design to the fashion, and the DJs and MCs popularized the looks. As Hip Hop evolved and spread, so did the style. Different regions and cities had their own trends, and, importantly, women in Hip Hop developed their own lookd – inspired at first by their male peers and then with their own individual feminine touches.
All these looks are part of the narrative, and became tools of self-expression for both artists and fans, who have often used fashion to embrace historic glamour, as well as conveying messages of Black pride and activism, expressing their individuality and unapologetic style.
Fly Girls of Flatbush. Flatbush, Brooklyn, 1982. Photo: Jamel Shabazz
These fashions, showcased in Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style, include the Adidas sneakers, tracksuits, and shearling coats popularized by Run DMC; the Karl Kani clothing worn by Tupac Shakur; and Aaliyah’s iconic Tommy Hilfiger bandeau and jeans ensemble, as well as other designer looks worn and made popular by world renowned recording artists. At MFIT, visitors will see looks worn by artists such as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, LL Cool J, Chuck D, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Lil’ Kim, Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Nas X.
Shearling jacket, 1970s–1980s. The Museum at FIT, gift of Rebecca Pietri. © The Museum at FIT
In addition the exhibition will include designs by significant custom designers such as Dapper Dan and 5001 Flavors – whose vision have contributed to making Hip Hop style so unique as well as April Walker, Cross Colours, Karl Kani, and Sean John. Among the other noteworthy labels featured in the exhibition, visitors will find works from All-American brands like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, as well as European luxury houses like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Versace, with whom Hip Hop artists and fans often fell in love, inspired by the aspirational attitudes of Hip Hop.
Chanel, fall 1991. The Museum at FIT, Gift of Depuis 1924. © The Museum at FIT
WilliWear, Spring 1985. The Museum at FIT, gift of WilliWear, Ltd. © The Museum at FIT
Kangol cap, Claw Money Archive Collection ©Claudia Gold
Dapper Dan of Harlem jacket, 1987. The Museum at FIT, gift of Dapper Dan of Harlem. © The Museum at FIT
Dapper Dan of Harlem jacket, 1987. The Museum at FIT, gift of Dapper Dan of Harlem. © The Museum at FIT
Doorknocker earrings, Claw Money Archive Collection ©Claudia Gold
Fenty x Puma, Spring 2017. The Museum at FIT, gift of Puma. © The Museum at FIT
Jeff Hamilton x Reebok NFL, 1990s. The Museum at FIT, gift of Antonio Gray. © The Museum at FIT
Sean John, Fall 2008. The Museum at FIT, gift of Sean John. © The Museum at FIT
The exhibition
Showcasing iconic fashion items ranging from Kangol hats to custom Dapper Dan jackets, the exhibition focuses on several themes that have carried through Hip Hop style over the last five decades, from the expression of Black Pride, to the centrality of outerwear and denim, the influence of sports, and celebrity style.
Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style begins with an examination of the early club venues where hip hop styles were showcased and the media that utilized fashion as a vehicle to promote Hip Hop artists and ideas, such as record companies, television shows, and films.
The following sections of the exhibit, named The Designer Dreams, High Fashion Does Hip Hop , Collaborations , and Hip Hop in High Fashion , explore the genre’s evolving relationship with established designer brands. Fashion was a popular way for its entrepreneurs and artists to extend their musical personas, and many, including the creators of FUBU and Sean Combs, launched their own fashion lines, which grew to become influential American brands.
Jacket with unauthorized Louis Vuitton monogram. The Museum at FIT, gift of Rebecca Pietri. © The Museum at FIT
The Sports Influence and Pink sections are dedicated to inspirational sources for hip hop style, and other sections look at the specific ways Hip Hop has influenced fashion categories, including denim, outerwear, and formal wear.
The exhibition concludes with a Celebrity Style section that examines the personal and stage style of trendsetting artists and a Hip Hop Glam section that illustrates the worldwide impact of Hip Hop artists as red-carpet fashion icons in the 21st century.
After half a century, Hip Hop is still pushing boundaries, though now, it is not from the outside, but the centre.
Kisha. NYC 2000. Photo: Jamel Shabazz
Visit, learn more & connect with MFIT
The Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: 50 Years of Hip Hop Style exhibition will be accompanied by a book of the same title (Rizzoli, 2023) with a foreword written by Slick Rick, and a symposium on February 24 that will be free and open to the public.
The museum is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from noon to 8 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. All visitors are requested to review the latest safety guidelines and protocols . For more information and the latest MFIT updates, visit fitnyc.edu/museum ; register for the MFIT newsletter ; and follow the museum on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook .
Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style has been made possible thanks to the generosity of the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT and The Coby Foundation. Special thanks to Barrett Barrera Projects.
About The Museum at FIT (MFIT)
The Museum at FIT, which received its second accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums in March 2022, is the only museum in New York City dedicated solely to the art of fashion. Best known for its innovative and award-winning exhibitions, the museum has an important collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the 18th century to the present. The Museum at FIT collects, conserves, documents, exhibits, and interprets fashion. Visit fitnyc.edu/museum .
About the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT
The Couture Council is a committed membership group that supports The Museum at FIT. The Couture Council helps make it possible for the museum to mount world-class exhibitions that educate and inspire, to build and conserve its extraordinary permanent collection, and to organize free public programs that serve FIT’s 9,000 students as well as the general public.
About the Fashion Institute of Technology
A part of the State University of New York, FIT has been a leader in career education in art, design, business, and technology throughout its history. Providing its approximately 9,000 students with an uncommon blend of hands-on, practical experience, theory, and a firm grounding in the liberal arts, the college offers a wide range of affordable programs that foster innovation and collaboration. Its distinctive curriculum is geared to today’s rapidly growing economy, including fields such as computer animation, toy design, production management, film and media, and cosmetics and fragrance marketing. Visit fitnyc.edu .