Increased Luxury Fashion Mentions in Hip Hop Culture

BRAND STORIES

Gucci ten Hip Hop

Name-dropped in more lyrics than whatsoever other brand, hip hop is obsessed with Gucci. But, how has the Italian house, which was originally a purveyor of equestrian goods, become such an influencer of popular civilisation?

Have you always noticed all the luxury manner houses mentioned in hip-hop songs? It does not take an expert ear. A$AP Rocky name-drops over twenty different brands in "Fashion Killa," Jay-Z professes his loyalty to one designer in "Tom Ford," and Migos boasts that everything down to their "drawers" is designed by Versace in the aptly titled song - to name just a few examples. The fashion manufacture has played an active role in hip-hop culture, despite their human relationship being as conflictual as it is prolific.

In the documentary Fresh Dressed (2015), which chronicles the emergence of urban manner on the catwalk, manager Sacha Jenkins illustrates how, in the early hip-hop scene, clothes were a fashion of transcending the poverty that surrounded near of the artists in the genre. "If you go dwelling and yous got roaches and ten people living in an apartment, the but way you can feel some kind of condition is [through] what you have on your body," explains record executive Damon Dash. Although there are labels specifically designed to meet the demands of the hip-hop scene, rappers have still widely preferred European luxury brands, which symbolize achievement of the aureate standard. "Information technology's similar beingness a conqueror," says Jenkins, "you're buying into the notion of superiority."

Photograph past Christian Vierig/Getty Images

Photo past Christian Vierig/Getty Images

"What's Gucci?"

Among the luxury way houses, Gucci is the about name-dropped in all of hip-hop history. From Lil Pump's song "Gucci Gang," which mentions the house a total of 53 times, to rapper Radric Davis, who has adopted Gucci Mane as his phase name, the Italian luxury make has been referenced thousands of times in hip-hop music.

According to fashion writer Calum Gordon, hip hop is partly obsessed with the Italian brand considering it is linguistically simple. In comparing to other houses, like Versace and Saint Laurent, Gucci has only 2 syllables. Bated from its ease to rap, Gucci is opulent and expensive, contrasting virtually rappers' humble ancestry and evidencing their wealth and success.

Photo past Christian Vierig/Getty Images

It all started with Dapper Dan

Hip hop's steady affair with Gucci can exist traced dorsum to the '80s. Information technology all started in 1982, when Dapper Dan, born Daniel Day, opened his first bazaar in Harlem. In that location, with his flamboyant style, the now-iconic manner designer and haberdasher paved the way for hip hop'due south collaboration with luxury fashion. Incorporating bootlegged luxury logos into his own designs, Dan joined high fashion with streetwear. "Anything a designer didn't accept, I would embellish it for them. I blackenized it. I made it and so it'd look good on us. I took information technology where they would never take information technology…I never realized the impact it was making, I just wanted to serve my community," explains Dan in Fresh Dressed. His clientele included Mike Tyson, Nelly, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, and Salt-N-Pepa. Most notably, Dan made matching 'GG' monogram track jackets for Eric B. and Rakim's Paid In Totalanthology cover, which is considered to exist one of the near pregnant in the genre's history.

Along with other luxury labels, Gucci put an stop to Dan'south style renaissance in 1992, when he had to shut down his boutique due to their lawsuits.

But, that was not the end of Dapper Dan x Gucci. In its Resort 2018 collection, Gucci released a blueprint starkly reminiscent of Dan's. The controversial piece, a fur bomber jacket with balloon sleeves in Gucci's monogram fabric, looks remarkably like a design Dan made for Olympic gold medalist Diane Dixon in 1989. The only difference? Hers was embellished with the Louis Vuitton logo. After Dixon posted a side-by-side comparison to her Instagram, declaring, "'Bish' stole my await! Requite credit to @dapperdanharlem He did it Beginning in 1989! #gucci #GucciRipOff Now they go it! Long fourth dimension overdue!", Alessandro Michele promptly credited Dan. Michele, Gucci's creative managing director, described the blueprint as "an homage to the work of the renowned Harlem tailor" and a "celebration of the culture of that era in Harlem."

Since then, Gucci has attempted to brand amends, creating a collection and opening a new Harlem boutique – the first luxury style store in the neighborhood – in collaboration with Dapper Dan.

Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images

Photo past Christian Vierig/Getty Images

The blackface sweater

In 2019, Gucci made headlines yet again. Equally part of his Fall/Winter 2018 collection, Michele designed a black sweater that featured a curlicue-neck collar with a large, cerise outline effectually a mouth cut-out. Its resemblance to blackface, which was done in minstrel shows to mock blackness culture and portray black people equally inferior, was obvious to seemingly everyone except Gucci. Following colossal backfire, the brand removed the balaclava sweater from its website and issued an apology, saying, "We are fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organization and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment."

Following the incident, many artists – led by T.I., Soulja Boy, and Waka Flocka Flame – started a powerful call to activity against Gucci, challenge that the luxury label has long profited off of hip-hop culture only does not give back.

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