Italian rappers become models at Milan Fashion Week

The fact that there is an indissoluble relation between fashion and music is not a news. It'ss an innate and visceral ink born spontaneously, but today, more than ever, it seems to live a golden moment that both sides are ready to increase. Recently, a specific music genre seems to have conquered the heart of fashion, namely the rap/hip-hop: collaborations, merchandising like real collections, events that unite and celebrate both sides and the boom of musicians who become fashion designers have reinforced the link between the runways and the musicians over time, so that today it seems impossible to imagine the two worlds divided.

For now nothing new, but today we are noticing a new step forward of this happy union: the rappers who become models. True, also this revelation is not new: it's not the first time that famous music idols rock the catwalks, from Tupac for Versace in 1996 to the latest Skepta as a model for the Nasir Mazhar SS15 collection, but also to Young Thug and Lil Yachty for YEEZY Season 3.

Well, this phenomenon is finally landed in Italy.
In fact, during the last Milano Fashion Week Menswear – which is still taking place – well-known faces of our music scene have made their unexpected appearance during some of the most anticipated fashion shows in the calendar. We are talking about the new names of the (t)rap scene, which in the last few months have definitively captured the media attention they deserve, launching their beat and rhymes to success.

It is no coincidence that today some brands of the Milan Men's Fashion Week – which I will reveal soon – have just chosen the new poets of the street to show their looks. As you know, in the last months, the Italian trap is living a period of great glory, with its now well-affirmed spokesmen and an underground scene of new, scalping rappers ready to come out. We can say that Sfera Ebbasta and friends are our new pop stars, with sold out gigs, thousands of followers on Instagram and successful hits, and fashion could not miss the opportunity to have them on its side.

Finally, these new, young rappers are very fashionable. Like their overseas colleagues, it seems that even the idols of the Italian trap have combined their music career to their passion for luxury clothes and trends of the moment. So, not only rappers but real trendsetters who have conquered hundreds of kids with their style and gave a breath of fresh air to the Italian music scene. Their verses dedicated to well-known fashion houses and the accurate selection of streetwear brands to show off in their video clips had already made us realize that sooner or later the lucky encounter with the world of fashion shows would come. And so it was, in the end, also the Milan Fashion Week decided to bring the new idols of Italian music to the runway.

A link that seems to last a long time, perhaps with future collaborations or advertising campaigns, and that gives the Milan fashion shows that "pop" touch that never breaks. And it also seems to be the natural development of partnerships and friendships already in the air – see Sfera Ebbasta with Marcelo Burlon or Damir Doma with Ghali. I already imagine those who nudge their nose in seeing those "ordinary" kids walk alongside professional models, accusing brands of transforming their shows into catchy shows for the socials. Obviously, I would not agree, because fashion follows the tendencies of its audience, the tastes of the moment and turns itself into a mirror of the surrounding reality, and if today the new Italian rappers are the idols of the moment, well, why not celebrate them?

But stop talking, here are your favorite rappers that walked during the Fashion Week in Milan. And, attention, there are still many shows, who knows if there are more other surprises.

Sfera Ebbasta x Marcelo Burlon

The rapper from Cinisello and the fashion designer are longtime friends, so the appearance of Sfera Ebbasta during the SS18 collection's show was a sort of celebration of the working relationship and friendship between the two. Curiosity: maybe not all of you recognized it, but alongside the rapper also Dark Vegeta, the official security of the Dark Polo Gang, appeared on the runway.

Tedua x Dolce & Gabbana

Well, I did not expect this. See Tedua, the Wild Bandana's rapper-boxer, wearing a sequin bomber and white trousers on the catwalk for the historic Italian Maison has some effect, but it works and I like it so much.

Ghali x Damir Doma

In his last video clip for Happy Days, the Milan rapper wears some clothes of the brands. So, what better model for its SS18 collection than Ghali? Very tall and slim, the rapper appeared on the catwalk wearing a long, optical pattern coat and white and black striped trousers. A perfect model.