Migos, A$AP Rocky, 21 Savage…where do we even start?
Eyewear in the Hip-Hop world has become increasingly more popular, and therefore led to some of the biggest trends to date. You’ll find the main reason for these artists to wear sunglasses is as a fashion statement. Completing an outfit and making a statement, whether this is at events, live shows, fashion shows…the list is endless (oh and to hide the face from the paparazzi).
When I look back on the Hip-Hop style through the years, sunglasses seem to be a main and consistent fashion accessory. The main industry rappers have been flexing some fancy glasses and sunglasses for years now, and I thought we would take a trip down memory lane and have a look at some of the best ones to date –
Firstly let’s go with someone who doesn’t need an introduction. His rise to fame started in 2006 when he launched his music career by releasing his first mixtape “Room for Improvement” …That’s right, we’re talking about Drake!
Now an international superstar Drake has always been in the limelight, so it’s natural he was always going to make sure each and every outfit was perfect when stepping outside. Drake has always been known to love the life of luxury…and this shows in his taste in eyewear. Any brand you can thing of, Drake has worn, whether it’s Versace or Gucci, Ray-Ban or Persol. The fact we see Drake wearing a Juventus Jersey along side a gold chain and Pink and Gold optical glasses (see photo)…is proof this man doesn’t fail to rock everything he wears. When this photo was posted there was a sudden trend in people wearing Juventus tops for fashion.
Up Second is someone who broke onto the music scene in 2013 with his ‘Mob’…That’s right A$AP Rocky!
This man has been branded as a fashion icon with his unique and outstanding outfits, which seem to come out of nowhere but certainly make a statement! A$AP Rocky’s love of fashion was evident from the moment he found fame – and it wasn’t just his wardrobe doing the talking. His early hit “Fashion Killa” namechecked (and rhymed) every brand from Prada and Dolce & Gabbana to Helmut Lang and Alexander Wang. Since then, his personal style has grown in confidence and consistently gotten better and better over the years. As he has evolved, thankfully he hung up the ‘Comme Des F**kdown’ beanies and hoodies and broadened his styles out to most genres.
As we can see in the photo A$AP was stunting some incredible Gucci’s at fashion week. The same pair have been seen being rocked by Rhianna, which shows the man even turns a female frame into a unisex look in one photo!
The up to date ones are the GG0434S which can be purchased with us here. One of the most popular lines to date is ‘I adore your Dior’ and it figures. The countless campaigns that A$AP has appeared in shows his love for the brand, and as we can see the Shades that he rocks are the epitome of luxury. To summarise, A$AP has always rocked everything he wears, and as for eyewear…well we can see that he can take anything from a round frame, to an oversized style and still rock it impeccably, all whilst continually setting new trends.
Lastly a trio which do not even need an introduction…Migos!
After their mixtape ‘RNT’ dropped in 2014, these three hip hop superstars blew up imminently. Composed of Quavo Huncho, Offset and Takeoff, the three formed in 2008 in Atlanta. They cemented themselves into the music industry when they released their hit single ‘Versace’ which was on the billboard 100 for months. The three take their taste for bold prints and custom jewellery up a notch or two beyond other A list superstars and up-and-comers like Rich Homie Quan and Bryson Tiller. Also setting them apart is a keen eye for accessorizing: to paraphrase a verse in “Versace,” “I’m draped up in gold, but no Pharaoh, rockin’ handcuffs; that’s Ferragamo”. Fashion and luxury have always taken president in the Trio’s lives and it just shows in everything they wear and do and there wasn’t anything necessarily wrong with the way the Migos dressed in their early days, with the Balmain’s, Versace shirts, own branded tops along with other luxury labels. You could look at them and tell a mile off they are rappers because of their clothing choice in addition to the amount of Jewels and diamonds they stunted. At a point the Trio decided it was time to take a different route in fashion and keep with the times, so in comes the man Ian Conner, a model and fashion Guru who has worked with many big A lister celebrities and took over styling the trio. You can scroll through the three’s Instagram’s and see the transitions in fashion and how unique their styles have actually become now.
A staple accessory for all three is their eyewear, whether they’re staring in a music video, stepping outside, The VMA’s…you name it, they’ll be wearing some form of eyewear. Not only is it a constant accessory for them but they start new trends constantly and always with these. They know their style. It’s unique and almost always a one of a kind pair of glasses. They take into consideration the smallest details…like if the colour of the frame matches the Jewellery and outfits. Migos sunglasses are a huge part of their global look and appeal, one of the many reasons the Hip-Hop artists have gone from small and insignificant success to becoming Hip-Hop royalty almost overnight, constantly charting in the Top 10 and selling out concerts worldwide. Offset, Takeoff and Quavo have meticulously crafted an image for themselves—one that combines modern vintage, and unique elegant looks.
The most popular style frames rocked by the trio seem to have always been the round or oval frame. Very rarely do we see them rocking a square or rectangular shaped pair. They maintain the dark lenses all the time (which is probably to avoid paparazzi yet again). Quavo’s favourite pair seem to be the vintage gold oval frames which he is usually seen 9/10 wearing. Its usually a rare case when we actually don’t see him stunting these. He usually transitions from clearer lenses to darker lenses, depending on the day. Takeoff is usually seen wearing thick, white framed sunglasses with dark lenses, in which one of his favourite brands seems to be Kurt… Finally we have Offset who is a man open to most styles, from Versace’s to Chanel he’ll always be wearing a new and unique pair. See our previous blog for the limited-edition rare Chanel pieces he has been seen rocking which are one of the most in demand frames to date.
I’ve briefly touched on the Atlanta Trio’s style and eyewear choice, but it doesn’t even touch the surface of the different outfits and eyewear this three wear. Whether its round or oval frames…we have the similar styles here at Tortoise+Black!