Hip Hop History with Ralph McDaniels of Video Music Box | Fashion Culture
“We wanna be fabulous. We wanna be fly. We wanna be fresh!” declares Ralph McDaniels.
For #BlackHistoryMonth we’re excited to share this conversation between Video Music Box co-creator Ralph McDaniels and FIT professor and author Elena Romero about the styles, sounds, and scene of early hip hop in NYC.
Ralph McDaniels is the founder and curator of the Video Music Box, which airs on NYC-TV, (channel 25 or 22). McDaniels, also known as "Uncle Ralph," has directed and produced over 400 music videos, and co-produced the films Juice (1992) and You’re Watching Video Music Box (Showtime, 2021). McDaniels's microphone is held in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Elena Romero is assistant chair and assistant professor of Marketing Communications at FIT and was a co-curator of Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: 50 Years of Hip Hop Style. Romero is the author of Free Stylin': How Hip Hop Changed the Fashion Industry (2012) and is a featured expert in the style documentaries The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion (2019) and Fresh Dressed (2015).
This talk was recorded in Feb 2023.
Watch the full video with captions on YouTube.
The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum
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Simon Porte Jacquemus | Fashion Culture
Simon Porte Jacquemus, who was born in the South of France and is now based in Paris, established his eponymous brand in 2009 with no formal training, dedicating the brand to the memory of his late mother. A passion for art and the decorative arts informs his creativity, inspiring the JACQUEMUS men's and women's ready-to-wear and accessories collections that reference French culture and universal gestures of beauty: from fine art photography, painting, and sculpture.
The Couture Council of The Museum at FIT honored Simon Porte Jacquemus with its 2024 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion during its annual luncheon on September 4, 2024. After a festive event, Jacquemus returned to the FIT campus to speak with students and Dr. Valerie Steele about his extraordinary career. "A bold creative force in the industry who started his brand at the age of 20, Simone Porte Jacquemus is also a role model for our students who look up to him as both an entrepreneur and a designer," said Dr. Joyce F. Brown, FIT president.
Read Transcript (PDF)
The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum
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Alexander McQueen: Unseen | Fashion Culture
“I think there's something quite magical about when you're backstage. And it's not quite seeing behind the magician's curtain, it's more like you know seeing the play from the inside out I guess? ... [McQueen's] backstage was so different to other shows. He was totally hands-on ... and he was involved in everything. He was totally focused and the same obviously was true of all his staff and the interns," explains Alexander McQueen enthusiast John Matheson.
Alexander McQueen’s spectacular shows were full of extraordinary moments and people. In this podcast episode, author and photographer Robert Fairer discusses McQueen’s runway shows with writer and consultant John Matheson (of Instagram's @McQueen_Vault). The 2021 conversation, moderated by MFIT’s senior curator of education Tanya Melendez-Escalante, addressed Fairer's book, "Alexander McQueen: Unseen." Fairer was Vogue's backstage fashion photographer for more than a decade and an integral part of the whirl of activity behind the scenes.
Watch the full video with captions on YouTube.
The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum
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Are We Latinx? Constructs of Inclusivity | Fashion Culture
In this conversation between designer Willy Chavarria, professor Aída Hurtado and MFIT’s education curator Tanya Meléndez-Escalante they discuss the term Latinx and its constructs of inclusivity.
This talk was part of The Museum at FIT's fashion symposium “Moda Hoy! Latin American and Latinx Fashion” that was held on October 7, 2022.
Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. | Read Transcript (PDF)
The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum
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Africa's Fashion Diaspora | Fashion Culture
The Museum at FIT's Associate Curator of Costume Elizabeth Way sits down with Digital Media Manager Tamsen Young to discuss Africa’s Fashion Diaspora. From past exhibitions to featured designers and objects, Way shares her inspiration and process for curating the exhibition. Together, they delve into the central themes of Africa’s Fashion Diaspora and introduce listeners to the exhibition’s world of diasporic crossings.
Africa’s Fashion Diaspora is on view from September 18 - December 29, 2024.
Transcript (pdf)
The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum
Image: Mme. Willie Posey, two-piece rayon set in zebra and leopard print, c. 1970, USA, museum purchase
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