Style Profile: A$AP Rocky

by Wyatt Smith

A$AP Rocky has long been considered one of the most stylish men in the world. Having graced numerous magazine covers and being named GQ's second most stylish man of the year in 2015, Rocky hasn't been wrong when he regularly refers to himself as "that pretty mother fucker." 

When Rocky debuted his mixtape/album "Live Love A$AP" in 2011, he immediately emerged as a star in the hip-hop and fashion world simultaneously. Proclaiming on his breakout single Peso "Raf Simons, Rick Owens usually what I'm dressed in." This came at a time when rappers were still rocking embarrassingly over-sized jumpsuits and baggy jeans. Rocky, along with his fellow A$AP Mob members, were constantly being taunted and called "gay" for wearing skinny jeans, high fashion, and over-sized t-shirts (which is hilarious to think about now as every #streetstyle post on Instagram consists of layered, over-sized tops and skinny pants). Rocky has always been ahead of his time with his style, and this profile will analyze his most successful looks and pieces over the past few years.


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Bomber Jackets

Bomber Jackets may not seem the most fashion-forward garments anymore, but A$AP Rocky was, per usual, ahead of the curve. One of the first artists to don said style of jacket, Rocky was essential in bringing forward hip hop culture to embrace the militaristic and rebellious nature of this garment and style it correctly. 

Wearing this Balenciaga bomber as early as 2013 in his "Wild For The Night" Music video, Rocky started to style this piece with his signature skinny jeans and longer t-shirts. What I've really observed from Rocky's styling over the years is his versatility. He may wear a Dries Van Noten bomber over top a graphic t shirt and look very casual, or dress up and wear a Dior bomber to more formal events (as seen below in the tan bomber jacket). 

Formal Wear

The idea of rappers dressing formally outside of award shows was considered preposterous even 10 years ago. But Rocky has elevated the term "hip hop style" with his ability to incorporate high-fashion suit and tie wear into a street aesthetic. 

While he mostly sticks to his go-to streetwear garb as every day style, Rocky has been successful when defying stereotypes at events such as the Met Gala and various awards shows. I guess running in fashion-savvy circles and consistently getting invited to fashion shows and cruises rubs off on a person. Rocky's been dressed mostly in Dior when doing interviews or attending events, which makes sense due to his affection towards Kris Van Asche and Raf Simons, who was previously the creative director at Dior.
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Simple Footwear 

Back in the day, Rocky would wear extravagant Jeremy Scott sneakers and abstract Raf Simons shoes, but throughout most of his career the Harlem-based rapper has stuck to more subtle footwear that compliments his entire ensemble rather than steal the attention away from it. 

Some of his favorites- Adidas' Stan Smiths, Alexander Wang combat boots, and Rick Owens boots- offer a minimal color palette. Rocky has even slipped away from the sneakerhead scene to rock more formal footwear such as Dior Oxfords or Raf Simons x Adidas Stan Smith collaborative shoes . That said, Rocky still isn't afraid to remind everyone where he came from and sport a pair of Retro Jordan 4's. Not to mention that the artist collaborated on his own sneaker with Jeremy Scott with a blacked-out edition of the previously mentioned Winged Adidas Sneakers. 

When everyone zigs, Rocky zags. And when it seemed everyone in the mens fashion scene was obsessing over sneaker culture, Rocky decided to tone down his footwear and rev up the rest of his wardrobe. As I mentioned in my Five Summer Style Tips for Men, simple footwear is the way to go for a more polished look, and of course Rocky is all about that. 

Denim

Denim has long been a part of American culture, and A$AP Rocky seems to have ample appreciation for it. In a time where athleisure such as joggers and hoodies are taking the industry by storm, Rocky has stuck to his slim denim jeans and various denim jackets. 

Embracing the movement further, Rocky collaborated with denim brand Guess Jeans this past spring on a capsule collection entitled 'GUE$$, consisting of denim bombers, jeans, and varsity jackets, among other garments. Rocky has also been very familiar with the current Gucci movement of Alessandro Michele and embroidered denim, rocking as he put it "All new Gucci runway" at this years Grammy's. 

Denim isn't anything new in mens fashion. But the way Rocky styles and embraces innovative silhouettes and materials parallels his forward-thinking vision on fashion. 

Final Word

As you can see, Rocky possesses heavy influence over the current state of fashion. For the purpose of not writing way too long of an article (and trust me I could on this man), I wasn't able to cover every facet of Rocky's notable fashion powers. 

On a personal note, I'm currently studying Fashion Merchandising in college, and Rocky is a big part of why I made this decision. As ridiculous as that sounds considering I've never met the man, he, along with Kanye, made fashion "cool" for guys to care about. Finding inspiration in these guys' style and the way they carry themselves snowballed into myself studying fashion and one day securing a career in the field. So if anyone tries to say that Rocky only dresses cool and doesn't really do much fashion-wise, he's influenced my life more than enough to dismiss that line of thinking.