theGrio Style Guide: Reflecting on hip hop’s 50th, London Fashion Week, and a vice presidential redesign
In this week’s Style Guide: a lens on hip hop’s health and legacy, Shonda Rhimes models for St. John, and Kamala Harris taps Sheila Bridges for a D.C. residence refresh.
Since the emergence of hip hop a half-century ago, the genre’s widespread influence can be tracked throughout culture in almost every arena, including music, language (remember when “bling” was officially added to the dictionary?), and style — and now, even health.
To commemorate the genre’s 50th anniversary, Men’s Health magazine has released a comprehensive digital first deep-dive into its legacy. The special issue tracks how hip hop has shaped men’s perceptions of health through the decades across a few key areas, including addiction, sex, gun violence, aging and more.
Pioneers of the genre, including Doug E. Fresh, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Freeway, and more are featured in interviews, while older stories, like Diddy’s run in the New York City marathon are revisited.
It’s an informative, creative look at hip hop, demonstrating just one of the many ways the genre has left its mark on culture. In this week’s Style Guide, we also look at hip hop’s impact on style through a new commemorative book by Timberland and a Women’s Wear Daily profile on street style pioneer Karl Kani. We also see Shonda Rhimes becoming the face of St. John’s newest campaign, journey overseas for London Fashion Week, highlight Sephora’s collaborative event with AFROPUNK, and more.
Timberland debuts the ‘Hip Hop Royalty Boot’
This year, Timberland and hip hop are celebrating 50 years in the game. So it should come as no surprise that the legacy footwear brand released the ‘Hip Hop Royalty Boot,’ a remix of its classic work boot. Designed by Chris Dixon, senior footwear designer of advanced concepts and energy at Timberland, the boot includes details intended to reflect the four elements of hip hop: MCing, DJing, break dance, and graffiti. The purple suede and gold accents mirror royalty and power. The green label on the tongue reading “Sedgwick Ave.” is an ode to the New York street where hip hop was born, along with other details.
“The Hip Hop Royalty Boot project is Timberland’s way of giving hip-hop its flowers and showing appreciation for what they have done for the brand,” said Dixon.
WWD profiles prolific streetwear pioneer Karl Kani
In honor of both hip hop’s 50th year and its influence in fashion and culture, streetwear pioneer Karl Kani was recently honored with a lifetime achievement award by the industry trade show MAGIC. Considered the “Godfather of urban streetwear,” Kani chatted with Women’s Wear Daily about the honor and the history of hip hop, from the first album by Grandmaster Flash and the Sugarhill Gang through how he devised the oversized and baggy style that became synonymous with the genre.
“Without hip hop, what would this world be? It has united people worldwide. There are no color boundaries with hip hop. If you meet somebody, and they listen to hip hop, you say, ‘Okay, he’s cool. He’s cool,’”says Kani.
Recapping London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week wrapped this week, but not before treating the world to a handful of shows from Black designers such as Maximilian Davis, who presented his moody “Drayton” collection; Priya Ahluwalia, who drew on inspiration from the hair and beauty of singers Sade and Lauryn Hill for her show; and Feben Vemmenby of “Black is King” fame, who showed slinky silky feminine formal wear. Our feeds have also been flooded with British street style, ripe with a ton of personality-packed looks; see some of our favorite looks in the gallery below.
Model Caren Kogo is seen at David Komo, during London Fashion Week February 2023 on February 18, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Gonzales/Getty Images)
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The LFW event we especially have FOMO over is Moncler’s “The Art of Genius” live show. The Italian luxury brand gathered titans of culture under one roof, including Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, Alicia Keys, and fellow brands Mercedes-Benz and Adidas Originals, to present their bold ideas. The event attracted an eclectic mix of famous faces, including Serena Williams, musical couple Tobe and Fat Nwigwe, FKA Twigs, Lewis Hamilton, and many more.
Designer Sheila Bridges reimagines Kamala Harris’ official residence
Black women have an undeniable je ne sais quoi. So, it’s no surprise that the first Black female vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, tapped Sheila Bridges to design her official residence. Bridges is a renowned interior designer known for her colorful, multi-layered design eye informed by architectural and historical references, as well as her now-famous “Harlem Toile” pattern. Her portfolio includes designs for Bill Clinton’s Harlem office, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, and now, Vice President Harris.
“It’s an incredible honor. The house is an architectural landmark. I love old homes and figuring out how to use them for a family with a modern lifestyle. That is what we did,” Bridges told the Washington Post.
Although we haven’t seen full photos of the home’s interior, Bridges teased that the home reflects Harris’ Californian roots.
“The house needed to reflect her California sensibilities and a more modern aesthetic. Some of the colors come from the landscape; the house has incredible gardens. I wanted it to have a modern feel and lots of interesting details reflecting the vice president’s cultural heritage from India and Africa,” the designer shared.
Shonda Rhimes owns her power with St. John
When Shonda Rhimes posed for her Time magazine cover last year, she wore turtleneck by the luxury brand St. John. In fact, she wore that black sculpted turtleneck so well the brand asked if she would star in its “Own Your Power” campaign, which dropped this week, reports Women’s Wear Daily. Rhimes tells the fashion publication she was happy to accept the offer because she’d been a fan of the brand for years.
“I love that they’re an American company. That they were female founded… And I also love the fact that they are size inclusive. I’ve worn these clothes when I was an 18, and I’ve worn these clothes when I was a 10.”
Puma X LaQuan Smith is here
Luxury fashion designer LaQuan Smith and Puma have at last released the first collection of their partnership, a collaboration initially teased in 2021 during Smith’s New York Fashion Week presentation. A mix of fashion and sports, the luxury athleisure collection features leggings, corsets, dresses, and more. It also features Smith’s reinterpretations of classic Puma shoe silhouettes like the ‘Kosmo Rider’ and ‘RS-X.’ The collection is now available exclusively on footlocker.com and ranges from $60-$120.
Sephora celebrating Black beauty with AFROPUNK
Sephora joins AFROPUNK + Lincoln Center Black HERSTORY Live on Feb 24-25. The makeup conglomerate will participate in the two-day event celebrating “the Black woman’s journey to find her voice” through various mediums. The New York City event includes free virtual panels hosted through Open Fair. On Saturday, February 25th, Sephora founders will contribute to a conversation on turning passion into purpose. Click here for more details.
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