The eyewear brand has named A$AP Rocky as their first creative director

Who else in American hip-hop and associated with fashion could they have ask? A$AP Rocky (born Rakim Mayers), as a matter of time, would be next, if not for a big luxury name such as Louis Vuitton, then for the massive eyewear brand, Ray-Ban. The company has just announced that the rapper would be coming onboard as their creative director. Perhaps, A$AP Rocky is the natural choice. He wears many shades, probably a lot Ray-Bans too. And, hats. Apart from his collabs with Guess Originals and JW Anderson, he debuted as a fashion designer with the label, AWGE, a mysterious “creative collective” (also his recording label and creative agency) that launched their first fashion show last June in Paris during the city’s Men’s Fashion Week. Ray-Ban likely thought they found their main man.

It is likely that A$AP Rocky and Ray-Ban, now riding high on the success of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, were in talks much earlier. They made the appointment public just two days after the Harlem-born rap star was declared not guilty of the two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon. Which made us wonder if he would still secure the job if it turned out to be a guilty charge. In any case, the position at Ray-Ban—owned by the world’s largest eyewear company EssilorLuxottica—is possibly the bigger triumph. A$AP Rocky has not exactly had a major fashion label under his belt. Sure, he has helped brands and designers (such as JW Anderson, as well as the house of Bottega Veneta) become more mainstream in the hip-hop community, but can he really fulfill the bigger role as a creative director? Let’s see.

Photo: Ray-Ban