The Most Name-Dropped Brands In Hip-Hop Music Today
Fashion and the music industry have always had a symbiotic relationship, somehow simultaneously influencing, and drawing inspiration from each other. So its no wonder that the most famous artists of today incorporate the name dropping of big brands into their creative song-writing process. In specific, we’re gonna look at the most name-dropped brands in Hip-Hop music today, and delve a little into the background of them. The goal is to truly understand what people like A$AP Rocky mean when they politely ask you not to touch their Raf.
Gucci
“Gucci Gang, ooh, yeah, Lil Pump, yeah, Gucci Gang, ooh”
-Lil Pump, “Gucci Gang”
Starting off our heavy hitters, we have Gucci. As a brand, they have been individually mentioned in just under 200 rap songs, probably most notably at the hands of Lil Pump. It’s easy to see why Gucci appeals to the masses, due to the brand’s bright coloured, loud, and monogramed nature. However, this wasn’t always the case with Gucci.
In Florence, during the year 1921, a simple leather maker named Guccio Gucci (no I’m not shitting you) opened his first store. Since Gucci started out making saddles and accessories for horses before moving into accessories and clothes for people, quality was at the forefront of his business, and people began to notice and appreciate this fact about Gucci, simple clothes of the utmost highest quality.
Fast-forward a few decades, and Gucci has attracted the likes of many visionary designers, Tom Ford, being credited with the re-invention of the brand, introducing a sense of youth, and sexuality, all the way to present day Allessandro Michele, being responsible for the immense image of excess and wealth that Gucci is today.
My Opinion: There are certain Gucci pieces that have retained that same superior quality of the heritage brand, like the extremely sought after knit sweaters and cardigans, but the majority of Gucci pieces us regular folk see around the streets are mainly catering to the logo-mania crowd. I just don’t find a bright pink sweatshirt, that happens to say Gucci, to be all that versatile.
2. Balenciaga
“She got a lotta Prada, that Dolce & Gabbana, I can't forget Escada, and that Balenciaga”
A$AP Rocky, “Fashion Killa”
Cristóbal Balenciaga, the son of a widowed seamstress, opened up his first store in San Sebastián, in 1919. He is credited with the invention of several silhouettes and styles still seen to this day. Some of which include, black stockings, rain coats, and modern evening suiting. An expert in tailored garments, and utilizing the most luxe fabrics available, Balenciaga pushed the boundaries of men’s and women’s fashion til his death in 1972.
Because of Balenciaga, his eponymous label had become synonymous with couture. As such, it attracted designers cut from the same cloth, Alexander Wang and Demna Gvasalia just to name two. In current times, Balenciaga is still recognized for quite literally pushing the limits of fashion by constantly creating new cuts and silhouettes, the C-Shaped puffer being one of my all time favourites. Currently, Balenciaga is headed up by Gvasalia, the founder and previous designer for “Vetements.”
Balenciaga has been named dropped approximately 253 times. Artists who’ve mentioned Balenciaga range from A$AP Rocker himself to Cardi B.
My Opinion: This may sound somewhat contradictory, but I have a soft spot for Balenciaga. First and foremost, I can appreciate the fact that Balenciaga is very much a driving force behind a lot of the trends that trickle down through the various realms of fashion, ie: dad shoes, oversized blazers, and whack sunglasses, but for the most part, the Balenciaga gear you don’t see on the runway is comprised of the most interesting silhouettes, fabrics, and materials, without sacrificing wearability.
3. Raf Simons
“Ho, don't step on my Raf Simons. Do you know how much I'm spendin'? My closet it worth 'bout a milli'“
-Quavo , “Raf”
What is Raf? On a more low-key note, Raf is a person and a label, the person just so happens to be one of the most renown and respected designers in the fashion industry as a whole, even being cited as one of the key inspirations for Kanye’s, “Yeezy,” clothing line, his clothes only being repped by the fashion icons, “who know,” like Hailey Bieber, Lil Uzi, and once again, A$AP Rocky.
Raf Simons was originally studying industrial and furniture design at the now infamous Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts. However, in the early 90’s, he was inspired by the couture being produced by the school’s leading designers, and was encouraged to step into the fashion industry by the head of the school’s fashion department herself, eventually leading to his first menswear collection being showcased in 1995.
Within the fashion crowd, it was an immediate success, effectively fusing the culture and angst of the youth at the time, with formalwear and business attire. Since then, he has amassed a huge following, while being in and out of some big-name brands, designing his first womenswear collection for minimalist German brand, Jil Sander, and heading up the artistic direction of Dior in 2012.
Now even Drake wears his clothes.
My Opinion: There is a lot to unpack when it comes to Raf Simons, his earlier collections being completely revolutionary in terms of production and presentation, collaborating with the likes of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, and going as far as treating his sweaters with a special acid that corrodes the fabric of the sweater the more its worn. Today, Raf’s collections just don’t feel the same as they used to. Although the quality is still there, the ingenuity and emotion of his earlier work fail to reveal themselves, for me at least. As such, I just can’t justify the price anymore.
4. Maison Margiela
“What’s Louis, my killer? What's drugs, my dealer?What's that jacket, Margiela?”
Kanye West
Lastly, and quite possibly, most obscure, is the fashion house that inspired Raf Simons entire career; Maison Margiela.
Not much is known about Martin Margiela himself, the original founder and designer of the Maison, except for the fact that he was a year above Raf Simons in Antwerp, worked under Jean-Paul Gaultier, was the womenswear designer of Hermes, and that he started his own label in 1988.
Margiela’s designs revolved around the deconstruction of clothes and objects, cutting, sewing, and repurposing to create a bigger, and evidently, better picture. In the early days of his career, Margiela and his small staff would raid thrift stores for used belts, socks, mattresses, and blankets, turning them all into coats, vests, pants and shirts, cementing him as a pioneer of sustainable fashion.
Margiela pushed the boundaries of fashion in a time where no such thing existed, and in a way that has yet to be properly matched. However, the man himself is shrouded in mystery. Respectfully refusing to be interviewed or have his photo taken, anonymity was at the forefront of the brand, no logos, no monograms, just 4 simple white stitches on the back of every garment made.
Lesser known, and more avant-garde than all other designers on this list, its no wonder that Margiela has attracted some pretty eclectic celebrities. Most notably, Kanye West, A$AP Rocky & Ferg, and Quavo.
Unfortunately, Margiela made his silent escape in from his label in 2009 for reasons unknown, with the Maison’s anonymous design team continuing to create until 2014, where John Galliano, the ex-creative director of Givenchy and Dior, took over.
My Opinion: After a while, it saddens me to say that Margiela just doesn’t hit the same anymore. For a while after his disappearance, the pieces created were still on par with Martin’s work, but the reality of it is, only Martin Margiela had the map of where the brand was supposed to go, and what the brand was supposed to become. Galliano’s Margiela will never be the same as Martin’s Margiela, and this fact is already beginning to show, moving away from the traditions and forms of the original Maison.