After having premiered at the Tribeca Film festival in 2019 and winning several awards, “The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion,” made its Netflix debut, on July 22nd. Directed by Lisa Cortés and Farah X, and featuring commentary from Bevy Smith, TV & Radio Personality, Mimi Valdes, Former Editor-In-Chief for Vibe and Kerby Jean-Raymond, Designer/Founder of Pyer Moss, the documentary takes viewers on a historical ride, exploring the storied relationship between Hip Hop and fashion.
Throughout the film, it became evident that although Hip Hop has long been a male-dominated genre, it was Black women behind some of their most iconic looks. Starting with Misa Hylton, Image Architect and Entrepreneur, whose love for fashion began as a child. Stating that Hip Hop led her to fashion, Misa found herself, styling artists, in her head, and after working with Sean “Diddy” Combs on a Jodeci music video, began her styling career. From there, Misa’s client roster expanded as she was catapulted into the fashion industry through her styling of Lil Kim’s memorable “Crush on You” music video, and later became known for taking traditional fashion and making it edgier, while serving timeless looks that have been recreated in the years that follow.
April Walker, Designer and Founder of Walker Wear, began her fashion career after visiting Designer and Fashion Icon, Dapper Dan, in his Harlem shop. Leaving inspired and recognizing a need for something similar in Brooklyn, April began working at Fashion-n-Effect. Customizing looks based on requests from customers, April later started her Walker Wear clothing line. In the beginning, she shied away from being at the forefront of the line, due to her being a woman designing menswear, and didn’t want it to fail. However, after achieving mainstream success, April later revealed her identity as the visionary behind one of Hip Hop’s most iconic brands, further cementing her cultural influence.
A prominent figure in fashion and Hip Hop, Designer, Dapper Dan, was also featured. Getting his start by teaching himself textile printing and customizing entire looks based on name-brand logos, Dapper Dan became synonymous with creating one of a kind pieces for Hip Hop’s biggest stars. Though his looks were sometimes viewed as controversial, he later partnered with Gucci and continued to expand his fashion empire. “Hip Hop is the first platform, ever, that we have been able to make real progress globally. Others have always capitalized off our cultural platform”, says Dapper Dan. “Our music and our fashions, we can create a new culture. This is our time.”
The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion is available to stream on Netflix.
Contributing Writer, Racquel Coral is a lifestyle writer based in Chicago. Find her on social media @withloveracquel.
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