Featured Schools

by Lynsey Hemstreet
Fashion Design Schools Colleges Columnist

Along with flashy cars, a gold grill, and endless Cristal, a fashion label seems to be one of the hallmarks of success in the hip-hop game. Hip-hop moguls like P. Diddy, Eminem, and Missy Elliot have all struck gold with their own fashion designs. Read on for descriptions of their fashion design successes

Hip-hop branding could be one of the best lessons in marketing a fashion college student will ever get. Nowhere else are names more synonymous with brands, particularly record labels or fragrances or shoes. Eve has Fetish, Eminem is Shady, P. Diddy is the master of Sean John. OutKast model and promote their own designs on the red carpet and even Kanye West is rumored to be trying his hand at fashion design.

In hip-hop culture, each artist has their own persona, which translated into clothing can be a major selling point. Each of these hip-hop figures has risen to fame for their musical or production talents, and with the advice of a team of fashion design consultants, they are pushing their brands to the next level. Symbols, language, image, and music are all part of the marketing game. Merchandising strategies from fashion college courses include marketing the new product (clothing) to the fan who has already proven loyal to the brand. Many stars expand their fashion design skills to shoes, handbags or wallets, fragrances, and sunglasses.

Hip hop fashion clearly revolves around a label-based culture, from Phat Farm to Baby Phat to Sean John to Shady. Everyone's name and persona can be branded with the right kind of merchandise, and the proper knowledge of fashion design and marketing.

About the Author

Lynsey Hemstreet is a freelance writer and hairstylist. She has a BA in Journalism from San Francisco State University.

Source(s)

"Fashion Designers," U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics