Hip Hop Jewelry in a Sociopolitical Context | Hip Hop Symposium

Shara McHayle and Vikki Tobak join in conversation with Elizabeth Way about "Hip Hop Jewelry in a Sociopolitical Context" at the fashion symposium Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style held on February 24, 2023. IMAGES ARE NOT SHOWN DUE TO COPYRIGHT CONCERNS. The symposium drew on the expert voices of hip hop style from journalists, designers, and stylists to curators, professors, and archivists who explored topics that center hip hop fashion as a force that has shaped American culture for five decades. Talks and panels focused on the role of jewelry, custom design, media, collecting, and designer brands in amplifying hip hop’s impact on fashion and society. This symposium was held in conjunction with the exhibition "Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style" (February 8–April 23, 2023). Shara McHayle's fashion career began in the early 90's directing the marketing & sales strategy at PNB Nation, the first statement-driven streetwear brand. McHayle launched Hoop88Dreams with her daughter in 2019, an e-commerce platform that specializes exclusively in hoop earrings. Proving that "The World Is Yours," McHayle draws on the intrinsic nature of hip hop and continues to bet on herself and the culture that raised her. Vikki Tobak is an author, journalist and curator. She is the author of critically lauded books "Contact High: A Visual History Of Hip-Hop" (Clarkson Potter/Random House, 2018) and "Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History" (Taschen 2022). He