Hip-Hop, Fashion Are Still Dancing Cheek to Cheek
L.A.’s Karl Kani, one of fashion’s original streetwear designers, is singing a new tune. He’s joining the ranks of Sean “Puffy” Combs, Russell Simmons and others who have made the hip-hop music-clothing connection.
Kani, 31, who became famous in the early 1990s for his baggy, brightly colored Cross Colours apparel, said last week that he has started his own record label, called Kani Life.
Of course, Bad Boy Records founder Combs and Def Jam Records founder Simmons were in the music biz long before they launched their respective clothing lines, Sean John and Phat Farm. But the principle is the same, Kani said.
“Music and fashion are one and the same these days. Musicians have a certain style and the kids are following what they are wearing and thinking about.”
(Kani, unlike music moguls Combs and Simmons, designs his apparel--a children’s line, a leather collection for women, suits, T-shirts and jeans for men.)
Since announcing his intent to start a record label last fall, Kani has been bombarded with demo tapes. So far, he has signed a handful of artists, including rappers Stacks and Pulle Black, who hail from his hometown, Brooklyn.
“We grew up in the same projects, and they didn’t have anyone who could give them a chance,” Kani said. “I give back to the people that are important to me.”
Kani, who has traditionally used rappers as models (including the late Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls), is placing his new talent in the role now. Although Kani Life has yet to release an album, last week, photographers finished shooting Kani Life artists for an ad campaign slated to appear on billboards and in magazines next month.
The designer said he plans to cross-market his music and his clothing, putting album samples in bluejean pockets and offering CDs free with purchases. Kani said, “To keep up with the times, Karl Kani had to extend what it was doing.”
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