Meeting with Karl Kani, the godfather of urban streetwear
LAS VEGAS — On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Karl Kani, who in 1991 founded the brand that helped set the stage for the birth of street fashion, was honored by the MAGIC show with a Lifetime Achievement Award. WWD sat down with Kani for a few minutes to discuss her personal journey and the genre's enduring popularity in both music and fashion.
Karl Kani with AaliyahWWD: It's the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. How did it start?
Karl Kani: I believe it's the 50th anniversary, because that's when- where hip-hop really took hold in the mainstream subway. That's when the first hip-hop album came out and really kicked off hip-hop on the streets, in cities, and across the United States. Two turntables, a mixer and a microphone changed the world.
Related GalleriesWWD: Who released the first album?
K.K. : It was Grandmaster Flash and the Sugarhill Gang. Each child played this record in succession and knew all the words to these songs. We all wanted to be like them. It just changed our lives.
WWD: And you, when did you start this job?
K.K. : My fashion journey started very young, at the age of 12. I grew up in Flatbush [in Brooklyn, New York]. My parents allowed me to buy maybe a pair or two of sneakers for the year. That was it - and we wanted more. So during the big winter snowstorms of 1973/74, I was shoveling the front yard and my cousin was shoveling his. Then my neighbor asked me if I could do her garden. And she said, "I'll pay you to do it." She gave me $5 to shovel her snow, and then other neighbors started coming asking us to shovel their land too. So we made it a business, and as soon as we got $30 we ran to the Glenwood Flea Market and bought our first pair of Pumas. At 12, we could afford to buy ourselves something that our parents wouldn't buy for us. And that's all I needed - that feeling of buying something and securing it for yourself meant everything to me. And that was my first thought of being a fashion whore.
The Notorious B.I.G. in a Karl Kani shirt.
LAS VEGAS — On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Karl Kani, who in 1991 founded the brand that helped set the stage for the birth of street fashion, was honored by the MAGIC show with a Lifetime Achievement Award. WWD sat down with Kani for a few minutes to discuss her personal journey and the genre's enduring popularity in both music and fashion.
Karl Kani with AaliyahWWD: It's the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. How did it start?
Karl Kani: I believe it's the 50th anniversary, because that's when- where hip-hop really took hold in the mainstream subway. That's when the first hip-hop album came out and really kicked off hip-hop on the streets, in cities, and across the United States. Two turntables, a mixer and a microphone changed the world.
Related GalleriesWWD: Who released the first album?
K.K. : It was Grandmaster Flash and the Sugarhill Gang. Each child played this record in succession and knew all the words to these songs. We all wanted to be like them. It just changed our lives.
WWD: And you, when did you start this job?
K.K. : My fashion journey started very young, at the age of 12. I grew up in Flatbush [in Brooklyn, New York]. My parents allowed me to buy maybe a pair or two of sneakers for the year. That was it - and we wanted more. So during the big winter snowstorms of 1973/74, I was shoveling the front yard and my cousin was shoveling his. Then my neighbor asked me if I could do her garden. And she said, "I'll pay you to do it." She gave me $5 to shovel her snow, and then other neighbors started coming asking us to shovel their land too. So we made it a business, and as soon as we got $30 we ran to the Glenwood Flea Market and bought our first pair of Pumas. At 12, we could afford to buy ourselves something that our parents wouldn't buy for us. And that's all I needed - that feeling of buying something and securing it for yourself meant everything to me. And that was my first thought of being a fashion whore.
The Notorious B.I.G. in a Karl Kani shirt.What's Your Reaction?
