Misa Hylton facts for kids

Misa Hylton (born January 6, 1974) is a famous American fashion stylist and designer. She is known as a true pioneer in the fashion world. Since the 1990s, she has created amazing looks for many hip-hop and R&B stars, like Lil' Kim and Mary J. Blige.

Hylton created a unique style called "hip-hop glamorous." Her work has inspired fashion trends that we see in pop culture even today. Hylton is a global creative partner for the brand MCM. Her story was featured in the 2019 documentary The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion.

How Her Passion for Fashion Began

Misa Hylton grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. Her mother has a Japanese and Jamaican background, and her father is African American. From a young age, Hylton loved both fashion and hip-hop music.

She would listen to hip-hop on the radio and imagine the cool outfits the artists were wearing. Her future boyfriend, Sean "Puffy" Combs, also grew up in Mount Vernon and lived near one of her friends.

Building a Career in Fashion

Hylton's career started when she was just 17 years old and still in high school. Her boyfriend, Sean Combs, was working as an intern for Uptown Records. He invited her to the set of a music video for the group Jodeci.

Together, Hylton and Combs convinced the head of the record label, Andre Harrell, to let the group wear a new, fresh style. They wore combat boots, hoodies, and hats turned backwards. This was a big change from the usual formal outfits R&B groups wore. After this, Combs introduced her to other artists, and she began styling them.

Creating Iconic Looks

Hylton became well-known for styling Lil' Kim and Mary J. Blige, who she called her muses (people who give her creative inspiration). She started designing clothes because it was hard to find outfits for Lil' Kim, who was 4'11" tall and had small feet.

One of Hylton's most famous creations was a purple jumpsuit that Lil' Kim wore to the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. It was a bold and unforgettable look that got everyone talking. Hylton said her early styles were all about being new and taking risks. She also styled the colorful outfits in Lil' Kim's "Crush on You" music video, which were inspired by the movie The Wiz.

Starting Her Own Business

When she was 21, Hylton started her own company called Chyna Doll Enterprises. Her company provided stylists for music videos, magazine photoshoots, and other events. Chyna Doll Enterprises styled many famous artists, including Aaliyah, Faith Evans, Foxy Brown, and Q-Tip. By the time she was 25, Hylton had already earned a million dollars as a stylist.

Overcoming Challenges

As a young woman of color, Hylton faced challenges in the fashion industry. At the time, the unique style she created for her clients was sometimes called "ghetto fabulous" by people who didn't understand it. Hylton preferred to call it "hip-hop glam."

Mainstream fashion houses were not always open to this new style. Hylton often had to buy expensive clothes from luxury brands with her own money for her clients to wear. Eventually, as her clients became more famous, top fashion brands like Versace and Galliano started to notice her work and wanted to collaborate with her.

A Modern Fashion Icon

Hylton continues to be a major force in the fashion world. In 2012, she opened the Misa Hylton Fashion Academy to teach and inspire the next generation of stylists.

She is a global creative partner for the luxury brand MCM. In 2018, she designed the fashion for the "Apeshit" music video by Beyoncé and Jay-Z. She has also designed custom MCM outfits for stars like Megan Thee Stallion.

In 2021, Hylton launched her own fashion collection with the department store Macy's. This was part of a special campaign to celebrate the work of Black American designers.

Changing the Fashion World

Misa Hylton's work has had a huge impact on fashion. She is credited with changing how female rappers dressed in the 1990s. Before Hylton, many female artists wore more masculine clothes. Hylton encouraged them to celebrate their own unique style through fashion.

Today, many artists, including Rihanna and Cardi B, have said that Lil' Kim's style from the 90s was a big inspiration for them. This means Hylton's creative ideas are still influencing fashion decades later.

Her decision to dress the R&B group Jodeci in casual clothes like hoodies also changed men's fashion in music. That look is still a popular style for artists today.

Personal Life

Hylton has three children. She has a son, Justin Dior (born in 1993), with hip-hop businessman Sean Combs. She also has a son, Niko (born in 1997), and a daughter, Madison (born in 1998), from her marriage to music executive Jojo Brim.