Art
How Hip-Hop and High Fashion Got Together
Thirstin Howl the 3rd, a founder of the Lo Life crew, on his collection of Polo Ralph Lauren.
Bury Me With the Lo Life cover photo
© Corey Maywalt
Long ago before muted earth tones and assymetrical draping were a gleam in Kanye West's eye, early rap stars like Run-DMC and LL Cool J had more modest style aspirations, like Adidas and Kangol. But then a crew out of Brooklyn in the late '80s changed all of that. The Lo Lifes brought Polo Ralph Lauren to the fore and fashion week hasn't been the same since.
Rapper Thirstin Howl the 3rd was one of the founding members of the Lo Lifes, who obsessively donned Polo Ralph Lauren clothes and collected Polo everything else (from flags to cologne to patches). The Lo Lifes and the culture they created are the subject of a new accordingly lavish coffee table book from Thirstin Howl and Tom Gould, a photographer from New Zealand now living in New York (and perhaps best known for directing the Action Bronson series "F---, That's Delicious").
"Bury Me With the Lo On" from Victory Editions is limited to 1,500 first edition copies. Many pieces of Thirstin Howl's collection are on display at The Gift Shop at Red Bull Studios New York. See photos of the pieces below and listen to the rapper/collector/Lo Life historian describe them in an audio recording.
1. Brooklyn Hard Rock
© Corey Maywalt
2. Dreams of F*#%'n a Cartoon Bitch
© Corey Maywalt
3-7. Five cassette tapes
© Corey Maywalt
8. Custom Polo Sport Spitboxers, Circa-1999
© Corey Maywalt
"Bury Me With the Lo On" at The Gift Shop at Red Bull Studios New York, 220 W. 18th St., is open to the public July 8–10 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be a panel discussion July 9 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with Thirstin Howl the 3rd; Tom Gould; Prance Lo, Lo Life and member of '90s rap-group Zhigge; Jon Caramanica, writer for The New York Times; and Bonz Malone, a writer, actor and Lo Life associate. The panel will be moderated by artist Stephen Powers. For more information, go to the Red Bull Studios NY website.
