source: Mark McNairy Spring/Summer 2015 Show feat. Travi$ Scott
Fashion and music go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Since the 60s and 70s with Presley and The Rolling Stones innovating fashion and setting trends; to right now with A$AP Rocky and Kanye West having their own line with high-end companies like Balmain and Fendi, it seems the fashion industry is aware how big of an influence musicians can be. “I think they’re both forms of self expression. They correlate together nicely. Music and fashion both take pride on the individuality of the person,” said Victoria Petrusevski, who is a fashion merchandising student in Fanshawe College.
In past times, it was rock stars who influenced the most when it came to fashion and pop culture. However, times have changed, and now rap and hip-hop artists have the most popularity and therefore, they are the most influential. According to Victoria, fashion is all about making a statement and artists like Travis Scott or Kanye West really represent that.
And the more time passes, the harder it is to deny this. West, who released his Yeezy Season 2 collection last year, was one of the most talked about figures in fashion. With shoes like the Yeezy Boost 350 or the Yeezy 750 Boost selling out within minutes, it’s hard to argue West knows what the people want.
Although Kanye is the first rapper to have a clothing line this successful, he is hardly the first rapper to be involved with fashion. From Run DMC to Notorious B.I.G and Tupac, mainstream rappers have always had a place in fashion. According to Victoria, Yeezy is definitely not the first one to be this interested in fashion. “If you look at Biggie, his musical career followed his fashion style since the beginning. A COOGI sweater, a nice Kangool wool cap with the Versace shades became an iconic look at B.I.G’s early career. However, later in his career, he started going with the “Al Capone” look, which was three-piece suits with a cane and a Homburg Hat. Either way, dude had swag.”
Fashion and hip-hop are more alike than what most people know. They both push boundaries, piss people off, and are completely unapologetic about it.
