Karl Kani, in black sweatshirt and gold necklace, center, among the multitudes at Wild Style on Dec. 13.

Karl Kani, in black sweatshirt and gold necklace, center, among the multitudes at Wild Style on Dec. 13.

Bringing Hip Hop Home: Karl Kani’s 25th at WildStyle

One of the heavyweights of fashion stepped back into the ring.

Karl Kani is generally considered one of the originators of hip hop fashion of the 1990s. The looks of his self-named Karl Kani brand and Cross Colours, which he helmed with Carl Jones, dominated the looks of American urban fashion, and heavily influenced today’s streetwear looks.

On Dec. 13, Kani held a 25th anniversary of the Karl Kani label, and introduced the latest, made-in-USA line of Karl Kani at the Wild Style store at 7703 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles. Crowding the store were youth who must have been toddlers or perhaps were not born when Kani started out.

Rico Curry, designer of the SunSet.Vintage.Flex label was one of Kani’s well-wishers at the event.

“As a black man, he influenced me to chase my dreams and stand behind my designs,” Curry said. “He was the first. He was a pioneer.”

Karl Kani continues to be highly relevant, said Adam Derry of ADBD, a boutique and creative brand development agency on Los Angeles’ Fairfax Avenue. “Trends move in cycles. They shift in and out of relevance and move from the back of the closet to the front (and then back again). Karl just moved to the front of the closet,” he said of the new line

Kani’s new looks pay homage to ‘90s hip hop with T-shirts bearing images of the titans of that era such as Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. The label also looks forward with other looks, Kani said. “We have a story to tell,” Kani said. “We have not finished.”

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Sally Kricia, stylist and make-up artist, seated, surrounded by models wearing Karl Kani.

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Some of the new Karl Kani collection.

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Karl Kani with Rico Curry of SunSet.Vintage.Flex.

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Roman Sipe of Romans Closet, left, with Shaun Ross, the model.

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Overdoz performed at the Karl Kani event. DJ Mustard followed.