Why Is Tyler, the Creator So Obsessed With This One Dog?
In the good ol' days, the OFWGKTA days, Tyler, the Creator didn't keep anything to himself. He didn't have to. He wanted to to let the world know that it pissed him off.
As Tyler matured, though, he's kept more to himself. You can only pick up on his personal life and his taste through patterns.
And one of the most obscure, yet most resilient Tyler motifs is a dog. An Airedale Terrier, to be specific. One named Daryl, to be even more specific.
Airedale Terriers have recurred in Tyler's work for several years now. They first appeared in music videos but eventually began to co-star in lookbooks and on the clothes of his luxury-leaning le FLEUR* clothing line. He posts occasional selfies with them on Instagram.
The Airedale Terrier is so crucial to Tyler's oeuvre that they figure heavily in his new Louis Vuitton collection.
It's in the LV campaign imagery, it's printed on clothes. When Tyler visited LV's Beverly Hills store to promote the March 21 launch, he wore his Airedale-printed LV anorak and posed in front of a giant Airedale statue.
But this time around, Tyler's Airedale obsession goes beyond printed doggy graphics (though those are here too).
For Pharrell's Louis Vuitton, Tyler designed an Airedale-shaped shoulder pouch and a $4,300 doggy carrier bag large enough to carry one of these big guys. Scrolling through Louis Vuitton's Spring 2024 selection on the brand's web store even brings up a little Airedale illustration at the bottom of the page.
It's Airedale mania over at casa de Tyler and, the funny thing is, he can't even own one.
As writer and frequent Highsnobiety contributor @samutaro pointed out in late February, Tyler once tweeted about his extreme dog allergies. That means that as much as he loves these pooches, Tyler probably can't own one himself.
Here's where Daryl the model dog comes in.
Daryl, a quintessential Airedale first hired to appear in Tyler's "Dogtooth" video in 2021, is likely the model for the Airedale designs that Tyler's imprints have produced over the years. Perhaps Tyler simply grew so found of the handsome fellow that he developed a general fascination with the Airedale from then on.
There's some interesting history with the breed, giving further precedence to Tyler's fixation.
Called the "King of the Terriers" by the American Kennel Club, the Airedale is a regal-looking hound that dates to the Victorian era though its origins are blue collar.
But its refined good looks eventually brought the Airedale Terrier into America's upper crust: there was an Airedale on the Titanic and President Warren Harding adopted one in the '20s (it sat it in its own hand-carved chair during meetings).
An Airedale was also crucial in the history of Black invention: self-described "Black Edison" Garrett Morgan first tested a pioneering hair-straightening cream on his neighbor's Airedale.
There's your Airedale facts for the day.
As for why they make sense as a companion for Tyler, I mean, just look at 'em. The Airedale Terrier is as photogenic as Tyler himself.
Also, the dogs' size and elegantly mottled coats lend them a certain rugged elegance not so far removed, stylistically, from Tyler's wardrobe, wherein crisp golf sweaters mingle with fine Italian hiking boots.
And, on a base level, Airedale-printed clothes are probably the easiest workaround for Tyler's allergies. He gets to have his pooch and wear it too.
