Fashionkilla A$AP Rocky is one rapper who has successfully emerged within the fashion world. His lyrics and personal style reflect his love of clothes and artistic expression. Now the rap star will be one of the new faces for Dior Homme this upcoming Autumn and Winter season. Alongside filmmaker Larry Clarke, model Dylan Roques and actor Rod Paradot, the campaign brings together these four men of various entertainment backgrounds to showcase the collection’s skater-themed gear. The urban flare of A$AP Rocky’s style is heavily influenced by his Harlem roots. Whether it is his braided hair and tailored suits or straightforward personality, Dior finds him to be a refreshing representative for the brand, stating “His dedication to fashion emanates through each image as he embodies the empowered masculinity of today’s urban aesthete.”
Growing up in Harlem, New York, A$AP Rocky lived in a tough neighborhood and used his experiences to fuel his rap career. In 2011, he joined the A$AP Mob, which is a Harlem based group of creative producers, rappers and artists that work together to promote fashion, art and culture. After the success of his single “Peso” and album “Long Live A$AP,” the rapper started to express his love for fashion. His appreciation for high-end designers, Dior in particular, has been one that he has expressed for a while now. This match made in heaven between Dior and A$AP Rocky has been building for a substantial amount of time through him attending several of their fashion shows and events. The rapper has even mentioned Dior in one of his songs with the lyrics, “ I adore your Dior.”
Although this is not the rapper’s first time being featured in a major fashion campaign, others being DKNY and Guess, he still feels the same amount of enthusiasm for this upcoming project. A$AP Rocky told WWD, “I mean, it’s dope when you can mix it. It’s all about taking two worlds like streetwear and high-end and kind of mashing them together…but when it comes to Dior, it’s just prestige and elegance in my opinion. It’s almost like Coco Chanel was for the lady.” The creative director for Dior Homme, Kris Van Assche expressed his motives behind choosing this season’s group of newcomers was to mix the new with the experienced, “talents that inspire me. They come from different universes and different countries.” The common ground for this group of men, Assche mentions is, “A rebellion side…I also think of them as being free spirits.” The campaign was shot by Willy Vanderperre and is set to debut on July 11 in Men’s Non-No magazine in Japan and later on in international editions of GQ and ELLE Men in China.
