MC Hammer didn’t wear his harem pants in alligator print or with heels and a tailored blazer.
But this style will be featured in UCLA’s Hip Hop Congress’ 12th annual fashion show, a production entirely created by and for UCLA students as part of Hip Hop Appreciation Month.
This year’s theme, titled “Fashion Rendition,” focuses on how old trends from past eras of hip-hop have resurfaced in present-day hip-hop fashion. A live DJ and performers such as hip-hop artist Chuuwee will accompany the fashion show.
Tatiana Briones, co-director of the fashion show committee and fourth-year environmental science student, said the theme came from the idea that several of today’s trends in hip-hop are simply different versions of past styles.
“You see a lot of the old styles coming back,” she said. “For example, track jackets and hoodies were really big in the ‘80s and now they’re coming back just with different patterns.”
The show will feature a mixture of brands based locally in Los Angeles, including Contour Hooligans and LAAK47, that cater to women’s and men’s fashion. Some key pieces in the show include snapbacks, printed crewnecks, men’s above-the-knee shorts and vibrant, patterned sweaters.
Although there will be many different trends at the show, the event’s transitional outfits will embody the individual mixture of both past and present styles.
“What’s different about this fashion show from previous ones is that we’re including these specific segue outfits in between regular outfits that really portray a certain trend or style from past eras of hip-hop, such as harem pants popularized by MC Hammer or the hats and gold chains by Run-DMC, and then how they’re incorporated into today’s style,” said Neima Patterson, staff member of the fashion show committee and second-year world arts and cultures and Afro-American studies student.
The transitional outfits will require two models walking down the runway simultaneously. One model will display the trend as portrayed in the past and the other will display the trend as it is today.
Another new addition to this year’s show is a visual element of playing old music videos from past eras of hip-hop. Clips featuring a particular trend will accompany the models as they strut down the catwalk.
Patterson said these visual elements and the outfits will add a new dimension to the show because it will be more interactive and dynamic than past years, bringing in a wider audience.
“This event is one of the more fun events of this month, and I think people are able to relate a lot more because it’s not just one solo performer or speaker. We have so many people involved, from all the models to the staff,” Patterson said. “I’m always happy if we can get just even 20 people who are not interested in hip-hop to come out although there’s, of course, a few people who always manage to come and support.”
Fourth-year world arts and cultures/dance student and Samahang Modern artistic director Kristina Garnett said she always appreciates events like this because they introduce hip-hop culture to new communities.
And although some clothing can be categorized as hip-hop, she said it is the expression that brings the clothing together.
“What makes hip-hop fashion different is the persona behind the clothing,” Garnett said. “You can wear what you consider ‘hip-hop’ fashion, but if there’s no confidence behind it, then you’re just simply wearing clothes.”