Michael Ford And Momentum Translate Hip Hop Into Design
What does a design collection look like when it embodies cultural significance? A recent episode of the SURROUND Podcast Network’s Once Upon A Project podcast explores this idea through the lens of hip hop.
Michael Ford, architect, educator, and founder of Hip Hop By Design and BrandNu Design Studio, joined show host AJ Paron to talk about translating a cultural movement into the world of interiors.
The Michael Ford Collection with Momentum, which debuted during NeoCon 2026, explores the “liquid architecture” of hip hop. “It’s a conversation about culture, memory, movement, materiality and what happens when design stops simply decorating spaces and starts carrying stories,” says Paron, EVP and Design Futurist at SANDOW Design Group, kicking off the conversation, which was recorded live during NeoCon.
For Ford—2026 HiP Award winner for Designer for Greater Good—his namesake collection marks his first collaboration with Momentum and serves as yet another exploration of the relationship between hip hop and the built environment—a topic he’s examined for more than 20 years.
“I first realized hip hop could become a material when I was attempting to translate hip hop into architecture,” he shares, noting that the culture already had techniques that could be applied to the design process. “We’re not creating from scratch—it’s about deploying those techniques to produce results.” As an example, Ford mentioned how early DJs would take one moment in a song and manipulate it, transforming the listening experience. The same can be done in design.
For the Momentum collaboration, Ford stepped into the mindset of a DJ, aiming to translate a moment of sound and movement into textiles and wallcoverings. The resulting line features three upholstery patterns—Dance Off, Cypher, which encodes fragments of I AM HIP HOP, and Bronx Composition as well as two wallcoverings. Breakin’ is a mural-looping linework made with help from Ford’s young son Mason and Flow Chart features geometric compositions inspired by sound, structure, and spatial rhythm.
Want to learn more about the synergy between Hip Hop and design? Listen to the full episode with Michael Ford on Once Upon a Podcast.
Compared to architecture, Ford says his foray into product design challenges him to work under tighter time constraints but with more room for experimentation. “There are things you’re not worried about with textiles that you are worried about with architecture—gravity, for one,” he says with a laugh. Ultimately, Ford works to find commonalities between hip hop artists and architects and designers, including shared language around familiar terms like studio space.
“I don’t think designers have fully grasped the idea that hip hop can be this transformational source of design,” Ford says. “A lot of folks are consumers but not too many understand the process and that is something I’m attempting to show through this collaboration with Momentum.” As for the future, Ford says he hopes to see more designers and brands tap into hip hop expression, infusing interiors and wallcoverings with its rich narratives and rhythms.
This episode is presented by Momentum and was recorded in the NeoCon Podcast Lounge Powered by SURROUND. Thank you to our Lounge sponsor, Unika Vaev, and partners: B+N, DARRAN, Framery, Momentum, and UpSpring.
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