Elena Romero, assistant chair and assistant professor, Marketing Communications, was among the scholars, artists, and enthusiasts from around the globe to explore hip hop’s history and impact at Howard University’s recent 2024 Hip Hop Studies Conference. Taking place November 15–17 in Washington D.C., Howard University’s second annual conference featured panels, workshops, and performances, continuing the legacy of Howard’s first hip-hop symposium from the 1990s. Romero participated in the “Making Statements Through Literature, Theater, and Fashion” panel alongside presenters from Johnson C. Smith University, UCLA, Coppin State University, and Cornell University.
Romero presented her recent body of work on hip hop style, stemming from her collaborative work with The Museum at FIT for last year’s exhibition Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: 50 Years of Hip Hop Style. Her talk gave conference-goers a historical overview of the significant fashion trends to develop due to hip hop. Among the important trends she discussed included Afrocentrism, the significance of custom apparel, the baggy years, American designer influences, hip hop entrepreneurship, hip hop in high fashion and collaborations.