A$AP Rocky's Ray-Bans Are Gold-Plated & Blacked-Out
A new era has officially begun at Ray-Ban. The American eyewear label’s first-ever creative director, the multi-hypenate creative and musician A$AP Rocky, has launched his first project.
The Ray-Ban Blacked-Out Collection is a three-piece drop of instantly recognizable Ray-Ban classics given subtle updates by Rocky. There is the Wayfarer, the Clubmaster, and the wraparound Balorama models all included in this debut release.
As the name suggests, all three sunglasses are all-black. However, they’re not quite your typical all-black pair of Ray-Bans: Gold-plated detailing emerges on all three of the frames, and the logo of A$AP Rocky’s mysterious AWGE collective is scribbled on the temple tips.
And if you move onto the packaging, A$AP Rocky’s design interventions become more pronounced. The rapper’s really put his stamp on the box that these glasses arrive in, his face is literally plastered on the middle of it.
The box, designed to look like a stack of $1000 dollar notes, also includes various pieces of A$AP and AWGE iconography. As do the glasses case and the cleaning cloth.
Now, if you’re familiar with Rocky’s work at PUMA, where he has released wildly futuristic 3D-printed shoes, or the uber-distressed clothing from his fashion line, you might be thinking this is uncharacteristically pared-back and minimal for his debut. And you’d be right, but don’t get fooled into thinking this is a sign of what’s to come from Rocky at Ray-Ban.
As shown in a Milan Fashion Week showcase earlier this year, there are some space-age, hugely oversized frames to come from Rocky’s new creative director role. One pair of the upcoming sunglasses even changes color in UV light.
This debut collection, available now for pre-release, is a palate cleanser. This is gently introducing Rocky’s new look for Ray-Ban before those wild, thick-framed experiments are unleashed.
