“I guess getting people to give a fuck. Sometimes it feels like I do so much shit that it could get lost or just written off as nothing.” Speaking to Hypebeast ahead of his fashion line Golf Wang‘s runway debut at MADE Fashion Week in Los Angeles later this year, Tyler, The Creator pin-pointed that as the hardest thing to do with any of his projects. “But people seem to stay interested in whatever I’m doing, so I’m grateful.”
From the brightly coloured shorts and jackets to the cheeky graphic prints, the brand has always had a distinct Tyler feel about it, which is exactly what fans both expect and like. One of his recent t-shirts was a print of Donald Trump, which shows the business mogul-turned reality tv star-turned presidential hopeful with a Hitler-style moustache. The photo is framed by text reading “President of the United States”, “We Fucked Up” and the years of his projected term.
The rapper said that while he knew not everyone was going to like his new collection, he wanted to stay true to his vision. “Especially where fashion is now, striped shirts and bright colours isn’t really considered ‘cool,’ but fuck it. If you like it, you like it, and that’s how I approach everything I do. It’s made for my pleasure and personal taste.” As per usual, Tyler isn’t going to fuck with something he doesn’t want to, and equally, he’s stoked that so many people are into his brand. “Sometimes things sell out in 10 seconds… To this day, the fact that people fuck with the brand is still amazing to me and it only makes me want to make it better–’better’ meaning different stuff, making sure the quality is good, putting 100 percent into everything. Every time I get word that something sold out, I legit smile. I hope I never lose that.”
Even with a legit runway presentation coming up, the rapper isn’t going to be changing his approach, and he has also hinted that a women’s wear line might be in the works. “I love when older women wear scarves, so I decided to make a scarf this season just to see an older black lady in it. Seeing that could spark something in my head and the next thing you know, I could have a womenswear line that makes glasses and purses and Goyard trunks with our cat logo on it. But one step at a time…”
He added that across all his work – from fashion to music – there’s one constant: “Making what feels good! Right now I’m into the color match-up of purple and baby blue, and I know I’ll be over it in the upcoming months, but as of right now it just looks good in my eyes, so the new season will have a lot of that. I say that just to say it’s like a time capsule – just like an album.”
Images: HypeBeast