Impact of Hip Hop Culture on Fashion: Virgil Abloh's Influence

VIRGIL ABLOH

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................3
1.1 Background of research...................................................................................................3
1.2 History hip hop culture into fashion................................................................................4
1.3 Virgil Abloh.....................................................................................................................4
1.4 Aims and Objective..........................................................................................................5
1.4.1 Aim............................................................................................................................5
1.4.2 Objective...................................................................................................................5
1.5 Rationale..........................................................................................................................5
1.6 Research question............................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 1..............................................................................................................................7
Hip pop culture.......................................................................................................................7
Impact of hip pop culture into fashion...................................................................................8
CHAPTER 2............................................................................................................................10
Street wears..........................................................................................................................10
Street wears evolving into high ends fashion.......................................................................10
CHAPTER 3............................................................................................................................14
Virgil Abloh.........................................................................................................................14
Virgil Abloh vision for street wear......................................................................................15
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................18
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................19

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of research
Street wear style of fashion is a mixture of California stakeboarding, Japanese Street
fashion, hip hop and modern culture. Normally the casual and comfortable jeans or t-shirt
with sneakers was generally accepted in Los Angeles by the late 1970’s and 1980’s (What is
street wear fashion, 2018). There is a number of street wear fashion brands working and
currently operating at global level including Ocean Pacific, Off Shore and Life’s a Beach.
While on other hand luxury brands mean those brands in clothing which symbolise class,
standard and elite which is affiliated with luxury, high price and quality (Bain, 2018).
Example of one of most luxury brands in clothing is those of Tommy Hilfiger, Louis Vuitton
and Burberry.
Luxurious fashion and clothing brands are now collaborating with other street wear
labels like that of Vetements and Supreme. These is mainly done by the luxury brand as they
want something new and cool in their fashion, which will attract customers. During the
Autumn and Winter collection of 2017 (AW2017), Louis Vuitton introduced six pop up
shops that for a limited time only at which they announced a street wear label. All after this
various other brands like that Tommy Hilfiger, Supreme and Vetements also introduced street
wear collection by the partnership with street wear fashion houses. Virgil Abloh, who is
regarded to as the most famous fashion designer in the category of street wear collection,
joined as CEO at Louis Vuitton which is one of the luxurious fashion brand.
This research considers the impact of street wear on the fashion industry and how
luxury brands are evolving with them. The research looks specifically at Virgil Abloh who is
from the generation of young designer who made a name for themselves within hip hop’s
fashion industry and now he is the head of a luxury brand named Louis Vuitton (About Virgil
Abloh, 2018). He is changing the collection from cool and easy to wear street fashion that a
new generation of consumers want. The research paper is also covering impact of Virgil on
fashion industry as he is the first African American to reach such great post. He is also
inspiration for youth of his region and impacting the high end fashion industry with his hip
hop cultural.
1.2 History hip hop culture into fashion
Hip hop fashion is mainly complementing all attitudes, expression and style of
wearing clothes. This type of fashion is prominently changing since the time of its invention
in late 1970’s and 1980’s and this is now one of the most popular type of fashion all across

world and especially among people. This is also called to as big fashion which is having very
different style of wearing cloths it originate in New York City, Africa and Latin America.
Thereafter, it has grown to later parts of world including like that of Atlanta, San Francisco,
Chicago, Houston and Virginia (Sulima, 2018). In the year 1960 when Black Arts Movement
started it showed the cultural dress within the mixture of modern fashion and West African
tradition clothing in creating African- American traditional style. In early 1990’s this type of
fashion evolved gradually after 1980 when people began to get affected by traditional
African-American culture or dressing style. This includes larger pants, brighter colour and
head cap or other accessories. In 1989, Cross Colour was recognized as a first street wear
brand with the tagline of Clothes without prejudice. Cross Colour was mainly targeting the
black youth of Africa and other nations as they were the ones who faced prejudice based on
their colour and minority in America. Celebrities like Will Smith, Muhammad Ali and TLC
were known for wearing this brand. But eventually as the brand emerged as one of the most
popular street fashion wear in world it is now seeking their aim as equality, empowerment
and unity.
After the 1990 lot of hip hop artist began to start their own labelled brands for their
individual fashion lines. Some of the most prominent of them are like that of Eminem’s
Shady Limited, Wu-Tang Clan’s Wu-Wear, 50 Cent started G-Unit Clothing and Jay-Z’s
Rocawear. It was thought that the upcoming generation would have a preference for hip hop
fashion, including that of skinny jeans and cap or accessories with it.
1.3 Virgil Abloh
Virgil Abloh is an American fashion designer, music producer and DJ currently
working as director of Louis Vuitton’s men collection since March 2018. He was born on
30th September 1980 in Illinois, USA in house of Ghanaian immigrant parents. His mother
was dress maker, and it is from her that he developed his passion for fashion and was inspired
to become designer. Virgil Abloh graduated from the University of Wisconsin in year 2002
with degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil engineering and then Master’s at Illinois Institute
of Technology in Architecture in 2006 (A Brief History of Virgil Abloh’s Meteoric Rise,
2018).
In 2013 he founded his own fashion house name Off-White, in Milan-based where he
was working as chief executive officer (CEO). With Kanye West who is rapper Virgil Abloh
did his internship at Fendi. Then Virgil Abloh was named as one among 100 most influential
people in world in 2018. After he became artistic director of Louis Vuitton he was the 1st
African to lead such huge brand in menswear (Milnes, 2018). In 2011 Virgil Abloh received

Grammy Awards for best recording package, then in 2017 by British Fashion Awards and
then named among 100 most influential designers in 2018. Virgil Abloh was named as prince
of pop design as he took over the major French fashion house as he made his mark as street
wear designer.
1.4 Aims and Objective
1.4.1 Aim
To analysis the impact of street wears in respect to Virgil Abloh within the fashion
industry especially on luxury brands.
1.4.2 Objective
 To analysis the impact of hip pop culture into fashion
 To investigate street wears evolving into high end fashion
 To discuss Virgil Abloh’s vision for street wear
1.5 Rationale
When Virgil Abloh became artistic director of Louis Vuitton it marked as major step
into the fashion industry, as he was the first black person to be a part of such a large luxury
brand in its 164 year history. He is considered to as prince of hip hop design who is ascended
onto throne of major French fashion label as director of Louis Vuitton men’s wear collection.
Abloh is the first black man making debut of his career he is also first man at this position
who is not belonging to New York City but is from Illinois. So this research is mostly based
on development of Virgil Abloh the modern vision of luxurious brands entering into fashion
industry. It is very important to find out the impact of hip pop culture into fashion industry as
the street wear is evolving into high end fashion. The impact and role in this increase in trend
and demand of street wear of Virgil Abloh is very important to study so that future of fashion
industry could be analysed.
1.6 Research question
1. What is the impact of hip pop culture into fashion?
2. How street wear evolved into high ends fashion?
3. What is Virgil Abloh vision for street wear?

CHAPTER 1
Hip pop culture
According to Holyst, (2018) Hip hop or Hip pop culture is that type which emerged in
late 1970’s and mid of 1980’s with the impact of sportswear and fashion brand like that of
Adidas and Le Coq Sportif. Many of the hip hop dance and music stars were wearing cloths
like that of brightly colour like that of tracksuits and bomber jackets made of leather. Other
than cloths there was also hair style which were put into fashion like that of Jheri Curl in
early 1980’s and hi-top fade in 1990’s by Will Smith. There was also various types of
accessories that included within this trend of hip hop fashion like eyeglasses, heavy jewellery
like that of gold chains and neck piece bucket hats, name belts multiple rings. This culture
was highly having the impact of celebrities like that of rappers, musicians, dancers and
singers. As included by Bosek, (2018) they created and popularised this hip hop culture more
in world who were regarded to as trend setter. Hip hop culture is most widely adopt culture in
all countries and parts of world which help in transforming traditional to modern day cool
communities.
Figure 1: Men wearing hip hop style cloths with chain and caps.
[Source: Bosek, 2018]
This type of style or culture is mainly originated among youth of African American
and Latin American then reached out to rest parts of world including America, Africa, Asia
and Australia, hip hop fashion is today complementing with each style and expression and