Fresh, Fly, Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style Symposium

a woman wearing a white streetwear ensemble and gold jewelry posing in a subway station
Kisha, New York City, 2000. Photo courtesy of Jamel Shabazz.
Friday, February 24, 2023
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Katie Murphy Amphitheatre
Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center

View Symposium Photos on Flickr

Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style was a fashion symposium hosted by The Museum at FIT and led by the exhibition’s co-curators Elena Romero and Elizabeth Way. The symposium drew on the expert voices of hip hop style from journalists, designers, and stylists to curators, professors, and archivists who explored topics that center hip hop fashion as a force that has shaped American culture for five decades. Talks and panels focused on the role of jewelry, custom design, media, collecting, and designer brands in amplifying hip hop’s impact on fashion and society. This symposium was held in conjunction with the exhibition Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style (February 8–April 23, 2023).

Schedule

Speaker Bios | Download the Brochure (PDF) | Reading List

 Friday, feBruary 24, 2023
10 am

Welcoming Remarks, Dr. Joyce F. Brown, President of FIT

10:05 am

Introduction, Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at FIT

10:10 am

Elena Romero and Elizabeth Way in conversation about “Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style”

10:30 am

Martha Diaz, Syreeta Gates, and Adeerya Johnson in conversation about “Archiving Hip Hop”

 

10 min. break

11:10 am

Kim Osorio and Emil Wilbekin in conversation with Elena Romero about “Hip Hop Fashion in Magazines”

11:40 am

Morning Q&A with the audience

12:10 pm–2 pm

Lunch

2:00 pm

Shara McHayle and Vikki Tobak in conversation with Elizabeth Way about “Hip Hop Jewelry in a Sociopolitical Context”

2:30 pm

Jenny Bui in conversation with Elena Romero about “Customization in Hip Hop Fashion”

 

10 min. break

3:10 pm

Andy Hilfiger in conversation with Elizabeth Way about “Tommy Hilfiger and Hip-Hop Artists”

3:40 pm

Ralph McDaniels in conversation with Elena Romero about “Style and Sounds: Phat Fashions, Video Music Box, and the Hip-Hop Entrepreneur”

4:10 pm

Afternoon Q&A with the audience

The Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style Symposium was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT and The Coby Foundation. Special thanks to Barrett Barrera Projects and the Natural Diamond Council.

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The Museum at FIT’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

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