2019-08-01 Essence

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W
hen you’ve outfitted, designed for
and been the creative director for
practically every hip-hop legend in
the game, what do you do next? For Misa
Hylton, the answer is simple: Pay it forward.
The celebrity stylist’s self-named fashion
academy has been grooming the next gen-
eration of young artists since 2012. She also
serves as global creative partner for MCM.
“My senses are always absorbing beauty
around me,” she says.
ESSENCE sat down with Hylton to get
the story behind some of the most iconic
looks she birthed with one of her most
famous muses—Lil’ Kim.
THE “CRUSH ON YOU” VIDEO: “The idea
came from Lance Rivera, who was Biggie
Smalls’s partner. For ‘Crush on You,’ his inspi-
ration was The Wiz, with each scene chang-
ing colors. I thought it was dope to have
everyone wear all blue, yellow, red and green
with matching hair. It made a huge impact
on our culture that you still see today.”
THAT BLUE CHANEL WIG: “Colored hair
and designer brands were really a part of
Kim’s DNA, so this was a natural progression
of combining those two elements. It was the
manifestation of our work together from a
place of authenticity and intuition.”
BY NANDI HOWARD
Real Fashion Confessionals
Legendary stylist Misa Hylton talks legacy,
inspiration and making history with Lil’ Kim
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ESSENCE.COM I 40 I SEPTEMBER 2019