Socio - economic conditions always influence fashion and luxury . Fashion and culture goes hand in hand. Our clothes are a source of non-verbal communication which send messages about who we are, where we come from, what we feel , what we need to express . Overall, fashion is a way of expressing ourselves through our clothing and accessories. People try to stay ‘ in fashion ‘or break out of fashion , and they are mostly influenced by popular culture which is reflection of cultural forces as well as social factors dominating the time . The first and second world war drastically changed the social norms , aesthetics for women . Post world war era embraced liberalization of women by freeing them of constraints of ‘ corseted silhouette ‘ and popularizing the acceptance of a sportive , casual and playful looks for them , reinforcing the social and economic upliftment of women which was dominant culture then . The luxury houses of Dior Yves Saint Laurent , Chanel , Givenchy were all fore runners to cater to the needs of the modern and independent women .Today it is the cultural revolution of hip hop influencing fashion and luxury .
Today, hip-hop is one of America’s greatest cultural exports and the luxury industry has embraced its power as a marketing vehicle: A$AP Rocky for Dior Homme; Travis Scott for Saint Laurent ; Pharrell Williams for Chanel; the list goes on. It’s now normal when Kanye West appears in American Vogue, or Marc Jacob’s latest collection is a fully-fledged ode to hip-hop culture. Times have changed from where the picture perfect Hollywood stars were rolled in to represent these highly exclusive coveted brands with a particular perfect image to be emitted and whereas now streetwear wearing , tattoo and piercings bearing hip hop artists are endorsed for same brands .
2 years back Karl Lagerfeld , creative director at Chanel said “Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants.” Clearly showing his open detest to streetwear Today his very own label is selling sweatpants in various colours and designs . This showcases us that how luxury brands and their creative directors have to constantly remodel , reshape their beliefs and adapt to changing culture by shunning their age old norms in order to keep their luxury brands young and up with the modern times . This case just reinforces what rapper ASAP Rocky said “ Luxury fashion is for everyone and the more you try to exclude people, you’ll find out that those are the same people you need to include the most.” There is shift of belief in luxury marketing from being exclusive to being inclusive .
Luxury brands enjoy free marketing by hip hop artists in their songs . Whether it’s Jay Z proclaiming that “I don’t pop Molly, I rock Tom Ford” or Lil’ Kim shouting “D-K-N-Y oh my, I’m jiggy, it’s about the clique Junior Mafia and Biggie” — there are countless songs laced with luxury brand names. ASAP Rocky gives a shoutout to no less than 17 fashion luxury brands in his “Fashion Killa” song.
Over the past two years, more than a dozen luxury brands — including Louis Vuitton , Marc Jacobs , Saint Laurent — have featured hip-hop artists in their advertising campaigns, while brands like Versace and JW Anderson have taken things a step further by collaborating with artists like 2 Chainz and A$AP Rocky on products. “Hip-hop in particular has always been an important influence in my life and my creative process” says Alexander Wang , whose sportswear aesthetic has long attracted rappers — including Travis Scott, Vic Mensa and A$AP Ferg — and who has often cast hip-hop artists in his brand’s advertising campaigns. “I continue to be inspired by the genre as it evolves and touches all levels of society and forms of culture today.”
This was not always the case. For many decades, hip-hop was seen to be brand-diluting for major luxury houses, who dismissed the growing power of street culture .
Today , Certainly, hip-hop is a powerful tool for reaching Generations Y and Z, who are expected to account for 45 percent of the global luxury spend by 2025, according to Bain & Company.
“It’s a way of reaching young kids that usually would not take an interest in high-end fashion or high-end tailoring,” agrees Kris van , the recently appointed artistic director of Berluti previously spent 11 years as artistic director of Dior Homme, which dresses several hip-hop artists, including A$AP Rocky, Big Sean and Future . “It’s a way of getting the message over to them.”
“Hip-hop artists are storytellers and news reporters of the times, and with hip-hop being the number one music genre, it proves that hip-hop artists drive culture,”
says stylist and fashion consultant Aleali May, who has worked with popular hip hop artists including Kendrick Lamar 21 Savage. “Fashion is paying more attention to its consumers now more than ever,” she adds. “The old way of thinking is out the door and, in order to attract the next generation, there needs to be an analysis on what’s driving the consumer.
But hip-hop is not just about catering to the youth. The music of Kanye West , Drake and Travis Scott is now resonating with a wide slice of people regardless of their demographics. Indeed, hip-hop now accounts for almost one fourth of all music consumption in the United States, with eight out of the ten most popular artists of 2017 from the genre of hip hop according to survey by Nielsen Music . Even the 2019 Grammy nominations are dominated with hip hop artists like Cardi B , Travis Scott , Drake and Kendrik Lamar just reinforcing the fact that hip hop genre is the most consumed genre of music these days .
To conclude on the long time staying power of hip-hop’s influence within the luxury industry, Fischer says: “This is the new reality. Rappers are going to be the most influential brands in the future and if you want your Luxury (Fashion) brand to have any relevance with an audience you need to embrace this, and you need to make it a general part of your strategy moving forward.”
By Shaleen BAINS
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