Fashion Designer Household Names

Article written by: Angela L. Serrette
Posted on: April 13, 2009

Quality products, exciting designs, loyal clientele, and exclusive retailers are all components that build a “household name” in the fashion industry. Names such as Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, and Coco Chanel have achieved star status throughout the years.

However over the past two decades the world has seen an evolution of household names since hip hop fashion came into the picture. The strong influence of the urban culture on city style drew the attention of the fashion world. Today’s hip hop moguls such as Sean John, Jay Z, Beyonce, Russell Simmons, JLo and others have turned their own personal style into solid apparel businesses. And with this they have evolved into designing moguls by providing their clothes to the market.

Many notable urban apparel brands such as Dereon, Rocawear, Sean John, and Phat Farm have graced the pages of countless fashion magazines, are distributed among major department stores and some have their own boutiques in some of the most fashionable cities in the world. The success these brands have made them influential names in the apparel industry, much so that they have major fashion houses took notice.

In the Chanel Fall 1991 show, fashion designer Karl Largerfeld was influenced by urban street wear when he decided to dress his models in chunky chains. Today, these chains, which are incorporated in many of the lines’ products, are now considered a classic Chanel signature look.

It will be interesting to watch the continual evolution of hip hop fashion. Who knows what will happen in the future. But one thing is for sure, urban street wear will continue to influence the fashion world.