A pink carnation-coloured crushed velvet tracksuit might sound like the emperor's new clothes but to those who like their fashion flavoured with a side of hip-hop, it's actually the "it" piece of the moment. Said tracksuit is the centrepiece of a collection for Topman by Danish designer Astrid Andersen and is currently being modelled by rapper A$AP Ferg. It hits stores on 12 June, ahead of the fifth London Collections: Men set of shows, where Andersen will present her third solo show. The only thing she will reveal about this forthcoming collection is that the audience can expect "something sensual".
Andersen's designs have often looked to the world of hip-hop. Her autumn/winter 2014 mainline collection featured crop tops, fur trims, oversized-logo sweat tops and variations on the luxury track pant; for Topman, she has produced a 17-piece collection that includes neoprene bomber jackets, oversized mesh vests and brushed fleece sweatpants. And A$AP Ferg's modelling debut is about more than a niche interest of Andersen's, it represents a noticeable shift in focus across the fashion industry in the last few years towards hip-hop.
Kanye West's debut collection for APC speedily sold out; A$AP Rocky's backing of Hood by Air has undoubtedly boosted the brand's profile; Pharrell Williams's T-shirt line for Uniqlo is splashed across billboards. Everywhere you look, brands are hitching their wagons to rappers. Similarly, even when hip-hop artists aren't directly involved with a label, their influence can run large. Givenchy's print T-shirts and sweatshirts, worn by the likes of A$AP Rocky, Jay Z, Waka Flocka, Big Sean and Pusha T, have been a massive hit, marking out the Parisian label's Riccardo Tisci as one of the most influential designers in menswear.
"A lot of hip-hop icons push an agenda to care about how you dress," says Andersen. "They have made people care about labels in the way you would care about a sports team, which is amazing, because you choose your team from a very personal point of view." She also concedes that having the right celebrity endorsement – A$AP Rocky has worn her main line – can be "very powerful".
Gordon Richardson, creative director at Topman, points to the ongoing influence of music on fashion, particularly hip-hop. "The genre inspires a dress code that is unapologetic and confident in its stance, and one that resonates with a fashion audience big on sportswear and brand recognition," he says.
New York-based designer Tim Coppens, the recent recipient of the CFDA Swarovski award for menswear, creates luxurious sportswear, which has proved popular with the likes of Drake, Pusha T and Wiz Khalifa. Coppens grew up in the 1990s, listening to the likes of Kool Keith and Antipop Consortium. "Hip-hop has always been a lot about style," he says. "Maybe not always high-end fashion but a lot of trends start in the street and especially now with streetwear being such an influence in high fashion, it's cool to see them side by side."
The second collaboration between APC and Kayne West goes on sale in July. At a press and buyers event in Paris in January, West, in what was a rather humble turn, talked through the process behind the collection, quipping that the influential Central Saint Martins professor Louise Wilson (who died in May) refused him a place at the school. The new range has expanded on his first APC collection of jeans and T-shirts to include fur-trim parkas, zip-adorned sweats and balaclavas – the latter, naturally, ideal for hiding from the paparazzi.
APC founder Jean Touitou says the collaboration with West was born out of a mutual interest in each other's chosen fields. "Eventually, I succeeded making stuff with Kanye because he's been wandering many years around fashion, and I was wandering around hip-hop at its very beginning in the US," he says. Ask Touitou why he thinks there is such a synergy between hip-hop and fashion, and he offers a typically dry response: "I believe there is no synergy at all. There is just mutual love."
