The 10 Stages of Big Sean's Style

Image via Complex Original

Era of Prominence: 2007-2009

Early on, pre-Givenchy and Alexandre Plokhov, Big Sean was a big fan of A Bathing Ape. The Detroit native wore tons of T-Shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets with the memorable Ape head. And in 2008, he went from a fan to a model for the Japanese label, posing in the winter lookbook. Sean said it best in his "Mr. Incredible" track: "All I need is my Nikes, chain, and Bathing Ape on."

Era of Prominence: 2009-2010

At the time, the Louis Vuitton coin pouch was the accessory of choice for a lot of rap's biggest stars. Much like Kanye West, Lil' Wayne, and Rick Ross, Big Sean was also guilty of dangling the Damier pouch from his belt. He wore them during performances and to award shows and other events. Though it's been about four years since we first spotted Sean rocking this look, we're still not quite sure what he kept in these pouches. 

Era of Prominence: 2009-2011

Before the lion chain and all the other gold jewelry Big Sean would end up wearing, his choice of jewlery was the Ambush "POW!" chains. He was definitely a big fan of Verbal's designs—he even got custom diamond encrusted versions of the chain, which were priced at $15,000 each. Now, he does still wear the chains now, though not as often as he used to. 

Era of Prominence: Summer 2010

Prior to the all-white Cruel Summer we witnessed last summer, Kanye West had his G.O.O.D Music family dress in black suits and black ties for what's often been reffered to as the "Rosewood movement." Whether the crew had a show, were out and about, or were in a cypher at the BET Awards, everyone, including Big Sean, was dressed to the nines.

Era of Prominence: 2010

Though it seems like ages ago, there was a period when Big Sean was really, really into accessories. In addition to his pins, he wore pocket squares—even with T-Shirts. A few other celebrities tried the same look, and it seemed as though it was on the brink of becoming a trend. Thankfully, said look didn't last very long. 

Era of Prominence: 2010-present

Very few had more of an extensive collection of snapbacks than the Detroit rapper. It was rare to see him sans the headgear, especially from 2010 to 2012, be it a TI$A or Just Don Snakeskin version. He still wears snapbacks today, but perhaps not quite as often as he used to. 

Era of Prominence: 2011-2013

Right around the time Big Sean was getting ready to release Finally Famous, we started to see him really wear designer clothes (other than Louis Vuitton). He rocked a Balenciaga leather jacket—a gift from Kanye West—to his album listening party in New York City. Then starting 2012, he added brands like Maison Martin Margiela, Givenchy, and even G.O.O.D Music favorite, Katie Eary. 

Era of Prominence: 2012-2013

For a while, Big Sean had a sligh obsession with leather. His vests were leather. His fur vest had leather. His shorts were leather. His pants were leather. And his snapbacks were leather. But the plus side is, he didn't fall for the "all leather everything" trend. 

Era of Prominence: 2013 

Truth be told, this look sort of came from left field. Prior to his minimalistic, sometimes street goth look, Big Sean was wearing tons of snapbacks, gold jewelry, bright colors, and prints. Then almost halfway into 2013, he suddenly switched it up and started rocking long tees and button up shirts, a monochromatic palette, and brands like Alexandre Plokhov, Rick Owens, En Noir, and Fear of God LA. 

Era of Prominence: 2013-present

A little over a week ago, Big Sean started bringing back an old trend: Rap tees. He's been spotted rocking T-Shirts with the faces of Master P, Snoop Dogg, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and Notorious B.I.G. According to Sean, his "rap tee collection is extensive cuh..." Which means this is just the beginning. Look for the G.O.O.D Music artist to wear more of these T-Shirts in the near future.