Fashion Is Like Harry Potter: A Conversation With A$AP Rocky

The Harlem rapper talks the evolution of his style, how to date models, and finding his way through fashion.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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It's a dismally chilly November evening on the rooftop of Dune Studios, where the photography crew surrounding A$AP Rocky is struggling to find the perfect lighting in which to shoot the rapper for an editorial to be featured in a promotional publication for adidas. Titled "three stripes," the limited-edition, highly editorialized shopping catalog features guys like Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Joakim Noah.

If the cold is getting to Rocky, he doesn't let it show. His "PMF" sangfroid remains intact. The particular editorial he's modeling for mixes up all manner of adidas Stan Smith sneakers—including a recently dropped iteration with a gum sole—styled with designer clothes fresh from Parisian runways and beyond. It's the kind of fashion mash-up that's commonplace now, but was revolutionary when Rocky began blowing up in 2011. The perennially chill rap star is a longtime fan of adidas Originals. He once said that the Jeremy Scott Wings 2.0 sneakers were his favorites, and regularly rocked Scott's outlandish adidas designs in his music videos. Rocky also associated himself with acclaimed fashion designers like Rick Owens and Raf Simons early on, most notably in his November 2011 single "Peso," where he says he usually dresses in clothes by the both of them. In 2013, Rocky came full circle when he collaborated on his own version of Jeremy Scott's "Wings" sneaker.

After three looks on the rooftop, Rocky and crew gladly retreat within the considerably warmer confines of Dune Studios, where he only has a few more looks to shoot before he's officially done. During the downtime, we interviewed the style-savvy Harlemite about how his style has evolved, adidas' place in modern sneaker culture, and how he found himself through fashion.

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